Man United v Wolfsburg – Champions League Betting Preview (15/16)

Round 2 of CL’s group stage is set to get underway this week, and Man United v Wolfsburg is just one of the exciting games on the agenda.

Europe’s greatest club competition is gearing up to stage a host of encounters over Tuesday and Wednesday. Arsenal face a test against Olympiakos at the Emirates, after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb a fortnight ago. CL defending champions Barcelona will be aiming to get their first win when they play Leverkusen, following a 1-1 draw with Italian side AS Roma.

Jose Mourinho will have a chance to visit his old side on Tuesday night, as Chelsea will travel to Porto where they will be looking to score another win in the competition. Wednesday will also see the Man United v Wolfsburg game, which should be of particular interest to fans, considering they are yet to record a win.

Arsenal play Olympiakos at the Emirates, while Catalan giants host Leverkusen

Dinamo Zagreb managed to pull off a 2-1 win over The Gunners two weeks ago, as Wenger chose not to play Petr Cech and some other key players, thinking he could cope without them. Now, Arsenal will feature a full force as they will want to capture the three points against the Greeks. Mobile betting site Bet365 favour the hosts to win 1.40 (2/5), with the draw being 5.00 (4/1). Since the Olympiakos don’t have great chances to make an impact, their odds are 9.00 (8/1).

Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw against AS Roma in their opening Champions League game. Looking at all of their competitions this season, they haven’t been so convincing. Overall, they have conceded 17 goals so far, which is a stark difference from last season considering they didn’t reach this number until January 28. Barcelona manager Luis Enrique stressed before about the importance of defence, although the results have not materialized yet. “We talked about defence but it hasn’t helped, so we’ll have to improve again,” Enrique said.

Their next opponent is German side Bayer Leverkusen, and considering that they will be playing at home, they are expected to clinch an easy win 1.36 (4/11). Barcelona played Las Palmas in the Spanish league over the weekend, a match that saw them scrape past with a 2-1 win. In the 10th minute of the game, Lionel Messi suffered a blow to his knee, which will keep him out of action for up to two months. Some football fans will immediately point to this fact and say that the Catalans are heavily weakened without their star man for the clash against the Germans, who are outsiders 9.00 (8/1). However, there are plenty of other capable players of replacing him.

Chelsea prepare for an exciting match against Porto away

Porto will face Chelsea at home, which will see Jose Mourinho not only go up against his former side, but also take on his former player Iker Casillas. The match will likely be an incentive for both the Blues boss and the former Real Madrid star, as they endured a frosty relationship towards the end of Mourinho’s last year at the Spanish capital. An added bonus for the upcoming game will be Casillas’ record for appearances in the Champions League. He played his 151st match against Dynamo Kiev (matched with Xavi), and now against Chelsea he will break that record.

Although the Blues have firepower up front, collectively as a team they have not performed well this season. online sportsbooks in the UK have assigned them odds of 3.00 (2/1), while Porto retain favourite status 2.60 (8/5). Perhaps the best betting option would be to place a wager on a tie between the two 3.30 (23/10), considering that Chelsea have underperformed in the Premier League last weekend. When they faced Newcastle away on Saturday, they had to fight back from a 2-0 disadvantage only to barely get a draw in the end.

Man United v Wolfsburg should be one of the more exciting games of the weekend

Manchester United have started their return to the Champions League in poor fashion. They lost their first game against PSV with a 2-1 away loss. However, currently in the Premier League they sit on top of the table, having recorded three straight wins. Manager Louis van Gaal will be looking to make use of this current momentum for the next match. Man United are still in a transitional stage, however some players have impressed this season.

19-year-old French striker Anthony Martial signed from AS Monaco for a rumoured 36 million-pound fee, but has so far managed to surprise quite a few, bagging in 4 goals in 5 appearances in all competitions. Memphis Depay is the new “number 7” at the club, and he also has 4 goals, although they came in 9 appearances overall. Judging by their stats, it would be wise of the manager to start both of these players for the Man United v Wolfsburg encounter.

The Red Devils are favorites with odds being 1.75 (3/4) at Bet365 Sportsbook, while a win for the Germans stands at 5.25 (17/4). Despite not having better chances, Wolfsburg can still create trouble at Old Trafford. They have immense quality in players like Schurrle, Dante and newly acquired Draxler. That is why they shouldn’t immediately be dismissed. So a tie can also be considered 3.80 (14/5), for punters that bet on sports in the EU.