Joseph Fisher3 said:My analysis for tomorrow's Champions League matches:
Juventus vs. Shakhtar 1
I’m giving the edge to Juventus due to the home-field advantage, though it won't be a walk in the park. Shakhtar is an incredibly dangerous visitor; during their last trip to Italy, they actually managed to take down Roma with a 3-2 scoreline.
Nordsjaelland vs. Chelsea 2
This one should be straightforward. Chelsea has come out of the new season looking sharp, whereas Nordsjaelland is holding their own early on but still needs to secure their first legitimate result against a heavy hitter from the European stage. So far, they've struggled against the big names, dropping twice to Greek sides like PAOK and Olympiacos, and twice more to Sporting Lisbon, and those losses weren't exactly pretty.
Valencia vs. Lille 1
Neither side is particularly dominant in their domestic league right now, but Valencia still holds the advantage here.
BATE Borisov vs. Bayern Munich 2
Despite BATE's recent win over the French side, Bayern will approach this with absolute seriousness and aren't about to let any upsets slip through. Honestly, I could see them covering the spread.
Benfica vs. Barcelona X
Benfica has always been a tough nut to crack, even if losing to top-tier teams at home isn't unfamiliar territory for them. That said, Barcelona has a habit of playing for the draw when traveling against second-tier opponents—think Werder, Panathinaikos, Copenhagen, or Rangers—mostly because they have plenty of other games where they can chase both points and goal differential.
Spartak Moscow vs. Celtic Glasgow 1
Spartak really ought to handle this without much trouble given their superior quality, especially since Celtic hasn't shown anything that suggests they belong in the conversation for anything higher than fourth place in this competition.
Cluj vs. Manchester United 2
Cluj is decent and has been perfect in their Champions League outings so far, but Manchester United will be looking to wash away the bitter taste left by that loss to Tottenham. They’ll play with maximum focus. It might not be a blowout, but United should pull it off.
Galatasaray vs. Braga 1
From what I can see, Galatasaray is on an upward trend. Even though they dropped their last domestic match, they’ll likely be extra motivated against a Braga side dealing with injuries, especially since this is their first Champions League appearance in six years. A handicap isn't out of the question here.
It's a solid breakdown, though I would suggest that Bayern won't perform quite as flawlessly as everyone expects, which is exactly why I'm skipping them in favor of Barcelona, who I think will shine today.
My picks:
United
2 - I don't think there's any guarantee this is a sure thing following that mess against Tottenham.
Barcelona
2 - A clear two; they're motivated by last weekend's lackluster performance and shouldn't miss any opportunities today.
Chelsea
2 - With Hazard and Oscar in such good form, they'll tear through the midfield quite easily. It would be an easy handicap bet, but I'll stick with the straight win.