Arsenal’s failure to beat Huddersfield Town by more than a single goal denied the column an 8/1 treble winner at the weekend. Attention now turns back to the Champions League with the final round of matches from the group phase, including Tottenham’s make or break trip to face Barcelona.
Running total: -£10.43
The Banker
The scenario for Tottenham is pretty simple: If they beat Barcelona they will progress along with the Catalan giants from Group B. However Spurs should not be expecting an early Christmas present from Barca, who look tempting at 11/10 to claim victory at Camp Nou. The Spanish champions may make a few changes but have some seriously heavy artillery to call on from the bench and are in good form, having beaten Espanyol 4-0 at the weekend. Lionel Messi was brilliant in that game while Luis Suarez is also fit again and may get some game time. Spurs will dare to dream this week but there are few more difficult assignments in European football than an away fixture in Catalonia and the Blaugrana look a tempting bet at odds against.
Selection: £5 on Barcelona to win at 11/10 with bet365.
The First Goal Flutter
Richarlison has bagged seven goals already for Everton this season and the Brazilian looks a fair price at 9/2 to open the scoring when the Blues face his old side Watford in the Premier League on Monday night. Marco Silva feels Richarlison has enough quality to score 20 goals a season for the Toffees and he will be the player Watford fear most at Goodison.
Selection: £2 on Richarlison to score first at 9/2 with bet365.
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The Tasty Treble
It promises to be another special European evening at Anfield on Tuesday when Liverpool face Napoli, with the Reds needing to win by a two-goal margin to qualify for the round of 16. Carlo Ancelotti has defiantly insisted, “We will not park the bus” on Merseyside but if they try to go after Liverpool, who are 8/13 for the win, they could come unstuck. Mo Salah is bang in form for the Reds and can help them seal a famous victory against the Italians. Elsewhere Valencia (8/5) could be worth siding with when they host Manchester United. The Red Devils have already qualified so you just wonder what kind of team Jose Mourinho will send out in southern Spain? Finally Schalke may have already qualified but look worth backing at 21/20 to beat a Lokomotiv Moscow side who’ve shipped seven goals in two Champions League away outings so far. The treble can be backed at bigger than 15/2 with bet365.
Selection: £2 on the treble at 7.61/1 with bet365.
The Euro Wager
Lyon need at least a draw to secure their place in the round of 16 and while it’s never easy getting a result in Ukraine they have the players to get the job done against Shakhtar Donetsk. The draw has been priced up at 14/5 with bet365 and a fully focused Les Gones should be trusted to claim a share of the spoils against a Shakhtar side who know only a win will be good enough to see them progress alongside Manchester City.
Selection: £5 on the draw at 14/5 with bet365.
The Wildcard Tip
Ajax were excellent when they drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich earlier this season and they look a big price to see off the erratic German champions in Amsterdam on Wednesday. Both teams have already qualified from Group E but a win for Ajax would see them top the group.
Selection: £2 on Ajax to win and both teams to score at 9/2 with bet365.
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