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It’s hump day, the 22nd of October 2014, and we came close, yet again to another perfect night. Ajax somehow got an undeserved goal, going down to Barcelona 3-1. That put the brakes on our -2 Barcelona bet, which was looking comfortable until they decided to rest Neymar and Messi after going 2-0 up. Messi could have had a hattrick, and would have at least got a double if he had played for the full 90. Still, we got off to a great start with a glut of goals in the Schalke vs Sporting Lisbon match, as we expected. In fact, even more than we expected. We knew both teams would go for it, we know both had goals in them. In fact, over 3.5 and over 4.5 goals would have been good plays, in hindsight. Still, a nice comfortable win for us.
And in the NHL, the Dallas Stars finished the night off with a bang for us. Another nice win under the belt, and we’ve started the week exceptionally well. In fact, since we hit the bar twice for perfect days, we’ll be looking at more UEFA Champions League bets and more NHL bets try and get this week’s first perfect day. A great feast of sport for us again tonight, so let’s get to it.
Anderlecht vs Arsenal:
I think we are going to see goals in Belgium tonight. Why? Well, Arsenal have not been shy when it comes to putting them in the back of the net recently. They put 4 past Galatasaray in their last Champions League outing. And they don’t have the most solid defence in the competition, so there is always the threat of them conceding a goal or two, which definitely helps the goals market. Plus, they have an inexperienced goalkeeper between the sticks tonight, with Emiliano Martinez in goals with Wojciech Szczesny suspended and David Ospina out injured. Inexperience at this level can be a curse, so look for Anderlecht to put him under pressure.
As for Anderlecht, they might not be the most prolific goalscorers, but they do concede goals against the better teams. Dortmund put three past them last time out, and Arsenal will be confident of doing the same. I can see Arsenal troubling them at the back, and we should see the Belgians’ defence being troubled all night. But Anderlecht will be confidence of getting a goal or two given the Gunners’ defensive woes last Saturday.
So, we’re going to have goals here, and we actually think there’s value to be had in the over 3.5 goals market, rather than the more traditional 2.5 offering. Another 2-2 for Arsenal is not out of the question, but neither is 3-1 or better in favor of the Londonders, especially when you take into account last night’s goal-fest.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid
We love Real Madrid here. Absolutely love them. If you watched Liverpool at Queens Park Rangers, you will understand why. Defensive frailties were the name of the game for the Scousers, and if they play like that against Real Madrid, it is going to be more than 2 goals they concede. Liverpool are out of their depth right now, and Real know a win here more or less locks up qualification (as if it was ever in doubt). The Spaniards have won their first two games, their first win a comfortable 5-1 win at home to Basle, then a 2-1 win away at Ludogrets.
There is also the matter of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 20 goals in 13 games this season, and will be looking forward to taking on a defense that is in crisis. He’s netted in his last 10 matches, and there is no question that he should get on the scoresheet at least once tonight. For Liverpool, can Mario Ballotelli produce the goods required of him? We don’t think he can. So while Real have the firepower, we don’t know where Liverpool are going to get their goals from – we doubt they’ll get two own-goals from the reigning European Champions, that’s for sure.
Real will win here and win comfortably. They are around the 3.0 mark to win by more than 1 goal, and we think that’s a lock, and it’s exceptionally generous odds when you factor in Liverpool’s recent form.
Anaheim Ducks vs Buffalo Sabres:
Out of the four games tonight, we have one down as a total mismatch and that is the game between Anaheim and Buffalo. The Ducks have been on fire at this early stage of the season, averaging over 4 goals a game – not too shabby at all. On the flip side we have Buffalo, who are averaging just over 1 goal a game and are languishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Ducks are flying high and are leading the way in the Pacific Division and it doesn’t look like they are going to be stopped tonight. The Ducks offense should have far too much for the Sabres, while their defense should not be too troubled by the misfiring Buffalo. The Ducks -1.5 goals looks like a great play here, as we doubt there is going to be 1 goal between them. In fact, look for the Ducks to open up a big lead and not look back.
