Cavani, Bayern and Arsenal to score in top Champions League tips
PSG vs Barcelona - Cavani anytime scorer
With the loss of some key personnel over the summer, PSG struggled at the start of the season both domestically and in Europe failing to win 3 of their opening 5 matches, finding themselves at the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline against mid-table Toulouse in September. While they haven’t been the French juggernaut they have in previous seasons, they have started to reassert themselves, now sitting just 3 points behind league leaders Monaco.
PSG owe much of their success to the goalscoring prowess of Edinson Cavani. While his frequent misses are often discussed, his fine form should quiet some of his detractors this season. He has netted 25 league goals this season, at least 5 more than any other player across Europe’s top 5 leagues. Across all competitions he has found the back of the net in each of his last 6 appearances for PSG (9 goals). Cavani has also scored in 5 of his 6 Champions League appearances this season.
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In their last 6 Champions League meetings, Barcelona have kept a clean sheet just once against Paris Saint Germain. Edinson Cavani has faced Barcelona 4 times in his career without scoring. Bet on him to change that tonight at 2.05 with Bet365.
Benfica vs Borussia Dortmund - Dortmund to win
Benfica are a formidable team at home. Not only do they rarely concede a point, winning 14 of the last 16, but they also rarely concede - keeping a clean sheet in 8 of the last 10. But that’s only part of the picture as the majority of the games, obviously, are against domestic opposition. Their form in Champions League has left more to be desired by comparison. They narrowly progressed from the group stages, winning fewer points than any other team in the knockout stages this season, and have won just 2 of their last 8 Champions League matches - both of those wins coming against Dynamo Kyiv.
Borussia Dortmund are experiencing somewhat different fortunes. They are still trying to bed in a lot of the new young players they signed over the summer and are looking somewhat unsettled. They are currently 15 points adrift of top spot in Bundesliga this season and have struggled on the road. However, they have shone in their Champions League campaign, scoring a record 21 goals across their 6 group stage matches. They are still the bookies favourites in this tie for a reason. You can bet on them to beat Benfica tonight at 2.25 with Bet365.
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal - Both teams to score
There was a comedic inevitability to this tie. It was a joke throughout their campaign that the Gunners would once again be saddled with Barcelona or Bayern Munich. Arsenal finally went and won their group for the first time since 2011/12 and were rewarded by being drawn against Bayern Munich. PSG finished second in their group and drew Barcelona - there was seemingly no escaping their fate.
At the time of the draw, it didn’t seem as poor in reality as it did on paper. There were rumblings of behind the scenes discord at Bayern meaning if you had to play them, this would be the season to do it. But that was two months ago. Bayern have been strong since, even if some of the rumours haven’t completed faded.
They may not always get the result, but Arsenal have scored in each of their last 4 away games at Bayern Munich. On current form, the Londoners have impressed on the road. The last team to stop them from scoring away from home was Leicester back in August - at a time when teams would still have been tentative about facing the Premier League Champions.
Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in 2 of their last 3 away games. But their defensive solidity has often been called into question. It’s unlikely they’ll be able to stop Bayern Munich from finding the back of the net at the Allianz because virtually no one else has. It is nearly two years since they last failed to score at home. Bet on both teams to score with Bet365 at 1.75.
Real Madrid vs Napoli - over 2.5 goals
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With the exception of last season’s mind-numbing tie against Manchester City, it’s rare that Real Madrid matches are ever short of goals in domestic or European competition. They did not break records like Borussia Dortmund, but did score 2 or more goals in each of their 6 group stage matches. At the Bernabeu, they have scored 2 or more goals in 11 of their last 12 games.
With Dries Mertens hitting incredible form recently, Napoli have been nothing if not spectacular in front of goal - particularly on the road. In their last 4 away games they have scored seventeen goals. Unless two prolific attacks somehow nullify one another on Wednesday night, there should be goals. You can bet on over 2.5 goals at 1.57 with Bet365. If you’re feeling bold, over 3.5 goals is priced up around 2.37 with most of the best football betting sites.
