CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WEDNESDAY: The Ultra previews a massive night in the Champions League with the focus on Barcelona v PSG and Monaco v Manchester City, both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
BARCELONA V PSG
8pm We have another blockbuster night from the Champions League on Betdaq Betting Exchange! We have some cracking action on Wednesday night, but undoubtedly the highlight fixture is Barcelona host PSG and that’s where we kick things off. I highlighted in my preview on Tuesday what a difficult fixture list Jose Mourinho has with Benfica, but what about PSG! The reigning Champions have to play Atalanta (already won), Barcelona here, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Spurs, Athletic Bilbao, Sporting Liston and Newcastle. You could argue that’s the most difficult fixture list from any of the top sides in Europe. Realistically though, they are the Champions and have a top class side – you would fancy them in every game except for Barcelona and Bayern Munich but they do have home advantage for that fixture. They have their hands full though, and it’ll be interesting to see how they get on here. Barcelona have started the La Liga season on fire, and went top at the weekend after Real Madrid lost the Madrid Derby. Barcelona dropped points earlier in the season with a draw against Rayo Vallecano, but they currently have the best attacking figure and best defensive figure in La Liga. It’s hard to fault them!
PSG sit top of their domestic league too, but that isn’t a surprise in Ligue 1. They actually lost recently against Marseille – the scenes went viral given the Marseille fans had the stadium rocking it’s been so long since they beat PSG there. Barcelona come into this game as the odds on favourites at 1.94 with PSG 3.85 and the draw is 4.3 at the time of writing. PSG obviously have very good stats in Ligue 1 but that isn’t a surprise given the gulf in class between them and the rest. I have to say the under-lining numbers and performance levels from Barcelona this season have been exceptionally good. The way they are playing I would have them shorter than 1.94 to be honest. Obviously we also have a lot of attacking talent on the pitch, and two sides that like to play an open brand of football. The market is expecting an entertaining game with Over 2.5 goals trading as short as 1.43, and to be honest it’s hard to see past Barcelona at 1.94 as the best value bet on offer. PSG are a top side, but Barcelona with home advantage playing the way they have been this season, it’s hard to see past them.
The Ultra Says:
Three points win Barcelona to beat PSG at 1.94 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/BarPar
MONACO V MANCHESTER CITY
8pm We finish Wednesday night with Monaco hosting Manchester City. Monaco started their 2024/25 Champions League campaign with a win here over Barcelona, so while Manchester City will be expected to win here, Monaco are no strangers to a shock. It’s not a surprise to see Manchester City come into this one as the odds on favourites – Pep Guardiola’s men are trading 1.49 with Monaco 7.2 and the draw is 5.1 at the time of writing. Obviously the gulf in class between the Premier League and Ligue 1 is massive, and while City clearly haven’t been at their brilliant best for a while now, they should still be getting the job done here. Monaco are sitting in fourth in Ligue 1 with four wins from six games, but that doesn’t tell the full story – they have actually conceded more chances than they have created this season. Their average xG created is only 1.31 which is actually in the bottom six attacking figure in Ligue 1. They have done exceptionally well to get the points they have managed so far with an xG figure like that. They haven’t been too open at the back but their average xG conceded is still higher, and they face one of the top sides from Europe here – even allowing for the fact City are going through a period of transition too.
City have obviously already had a few setbacks in the Premier League already, but they are still operating levels above Monaco to be honest. It’s clear to see City will struggle to compete for the title; their average xG created is the fifth best at the moment and they are still too easy to score against compared to a few years ago. However, they are still more than able to put the standard mid-table sides to the sword – just like the 3-0 win over Manchester United and 5-1 win over Burnley at the weekend. They actually couldn’t have started this competition any better either – a dominant 2-0 win at home against the Serie A Champions Napoli. They finished the game with 74% possession and an xG of 2.90 while only conceding 0.29. That was a top class performance, and they won’t even need half of that level to get the job done here. The 1.49 is worth backing in my opinion and it’s a confident bet to finish the night.
The Ultra Says:
Three points win Manchester City to beat Monaco at 1.49 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/MonMci
