Champions League Matchday 3 Preview
The third round of the Champions League is kicking off on Tuesday with several pivotal games taking place! Here`s what we`re keeping an eye on this week.
Manchester United vs. Copenhagen [Tuesday; 21:00]
All pressure is on Man United as they need a win here to maintain the hope of staying in the Champions League. The Red Devils have been underwhelming on both domestic and European fronts. Although they`ve beaten Sheffield United and Brentford, the victories came from heroic plays of individual brilliance, instead of a dominant performance. Nevertheless, they can now carry this momentum against a favourable opposition and improve their home record – having lost in 3 of their last 5 Old Trafford outings.
Copenhagen secured just 1 point in their 2 opening Champions League fixtures – having lost to Bayern and drew to Galatasaray. They now sit at the top of the Superliga table and go into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory against Vejle. The Lions have an incredible attacking form – having scored in 16 consecutive games away from home and considering United`s defensive lack of strength can certainly find several chances. However, both sides possess goal threats, and we are backing United to edge a victory at Old Trafford. Therefore, we expect both teams to score and Manchester United to win.
Sevilla vs. Arsenal [Tuesday; 21:00]
The Europa League kings are still trying to find momentum in the Champions League, having drawn their 2 UCL games. Sevilla`s domestic form does them no favours either, as they sit in 13th place, with just 9 points from 9 games and have won just 1 of their last 7 games in all competitions, which included 5 draws. Although they went into the game on the back of a draw to Real Madrid, they still lacked conviction as David Alaba`s own goal was the catalyst to Madrid dropping points. Overall, it is hard to see Sevilla have a comfortable night against Arsenal.
The Gunners pulled off an incredible comeback in the London Derby, having gone 2 goals down against Chelsea – keeping their unbeaten in the Premier League intact. They are now tasked with taking all 3 points from Sevilla, where the hosts have not lost in 7 consecutive European games. However, considering the Gunners have scored 25 goals in 13 games across all competitions, their attacking threat might be difficult to deal with for an inconsistent Sevilla side. We do expect a close game, therefore, Arsenal to win and under 2.5 goals.
Newcastle United vs. Dortmund [Wednesday; 21:00]
Newcastle shocked many with their mesmerising performance in the 4-1 victory against PSG at St. James` Park. They`ve gone on to draw 2-2 to West Ham and a 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace in their latest result. The Magpies are now unbeaten in 8 games across all competitions and seem to be scoring for fun nowadays, with 22 goals scored in just 8 games. They have also seemingly fortified St. James` Park, having lost just one out of their 7 home games this season, and beating the likes of Manchester City and PSG, and Dortmund are likely to have problems this time out.
Sitting 4th in Group F, the pressure on Dortmund to improve on their previous performances against PSG and Milan. Although they are struggling on the European front, BVB are only 2 points away from 1st in the Bundesliga and go into the game on an 8-game unbeaten domestic run. We do have 2 contrasting sides in this game – with BVB yet to score UCL goals, whilst the Magpies found their scoring form against PSG. The key aspect in this fixture is St. James` Park, with the Newcastle fans creating a 12th man on the pitch. We do expect many goals here, therefore, Newcastle to win and over 2.5 goals.