Free Champions League betting tips including Roma v Chelsea, Man Utd v Benfica & Celtic v Bayern

19:40 · TUE October 31, 2017

Our Andy Schooler is backing Celtic against Bayern Munich at fancy prices, while we go in again on Roma against Chelsea.

Roma v Chelsea (1945 GMT, BT Sport 2)

If this one is as open as the reverse fixture, you should be entertained.

Roma caused a Chelsea side, fresh from winning away to Atletico Madrid, all sorts of problems and will have felt somewhat aggrieved at only leaving with a point.

Frankly the defending by both sides was far from great with Chelsea particularly susceptible to Roma’s runners from deep.

If the Blues manage to get N'Golo Kante fit enough to return, perhaps things will change on that front but Roma still look tempting here at their 17/10 price.

The bookies can’t really split the two but with home advantage now on their side, Roma look the bet.

The only side to have beaten them in their last 11 are Serie A leaders Napoli (remarkably Roma sit fifth in the division despite having won eight of their 10 games so far).

Chelsea, on the other hand, have struggled over the same period. Yes, they’ve won their last three but they were somewhat fortunate to see off Watford, while I'm not reading too much into victories over Everton and Bournemouth, two of the worst teams in the Premier League.

This will be a real test and given what we saw at Stamford Bridge I’m not convinced the Londoners will be up to the task.

There’s an interesting bet in one of the side markets which catches the eye, namely Antonio Rudiger to be booked.

The German joined the English champions from Roma in the summer, one of the reasons being racial abuse he suffered during his time in the Italian capital.

Roma fans targeted the defender again in the fixture two weeks ago and it looks sure to be a testing night for Rudiger in the Stadio Olimpico.

While he is not guaranteed to start, it’s notable that he has made Antonio Conte's XI in all three of their mini-revival wins.

Rudiger has picked up three yellows in eight appearances in blue. Throw in a bit of needle (to say the least) on and off the pitch and 3/1 about him picking up another looks a decent shout.

Prediction: Roma 2-1 Chelsea (Sky Bet Odds - 9/1)

Manchester United v Benfica (1945 GMT, BT Sport 3)

The goals have dried up for United in recent weeks.

Romelu Lukaku’s drought now stands at five games; the team as a whole has scored only five times in their last five outings.

One of those was the reverse fixture in Lisbon when United huffed and puffed their way to a 1-0 victory against a team which had struggled badly at the highest level – a 5-0 lost in Basel being of particular concern to their fans.

With that result in mind, and buoyed by another 1-0 success over highly-rated Spurs on Saturday, maybe this is an ideal chance for United to rediscover the scoring touch.

However, you'd probably be better served relying on United's defence which has now kept 11 clean sheets in their last 15 games. That's very Jose Mourinho.

And with a vital domestic trip to Chelsea to come on Sunday – when defeat could leave United eight points off the pace of Manchester City after just 11 matches – there's every chance that functional, not flamboyance, will be the order of the day again at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.

This is not a vintage Benfica side and I'd expect a fairly routine United win, achieved without some of their stars.

Odds-against about a home win to nil looks perfectly acceptable.

Prediction: Man Utd 2-0 Benfica (Sky Bet odds - 5/1)

Celtic v Bayern Munich (1945 GMT, BT Sport ESPN)

If anything highlights how the Champions League has become about the haves and the have-nots it is this: five of the eight games on Tuesday have one team on offer at a double-figure price simply to win the game.

It's hard to make a case for most of them but one can be made for Celtic. At least, I'm going to try. Hear me out.

This is not a Bayern team running amok as we've seen in many recent years. In fact, it is one very much in transition and one which is getting used to a new manager with Jupp Heynckes having being parachuted back into the hot-seat to clear up after the dismissal of Carlo Ancelotti.

In terms of this specific game, several stars are missing. Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Franck Ribery are all sidelined and one of Europe’s deadliest marksmen, Robert Lewandowski, is not risked due to a thigh strain.

Some interesting comments from chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge regarding the Pole won’t have gone down well in Glasgow.

"If we had played against Real Madrid, he might have gone," said the German legend. "The coach does not want to risk anything as Saturday's game, which is very important for us, is in the back of his mind."

That weekend clash, Borussia Dortmund away, looks to be being given more weight and any lack of focus could be capitalised upon at the cauldron which will be Celtic Park.

Yes, it may now be five years since Celtic were beating Barcelona on home turf, but last season they managed to bring Manchester City's winning run to a juddering halt with a 3-3 draw. Few saw that coming either.

The Bhoys would never have really envisaged getting out of this group, which also includes PSG who did run riot at Celtic Park back in September, but they have given themselves another free hit here by winning convincingly away to Anderlecht, a result which means they are very much on course for Europa League football after Christmas.

The lack of strength in the Scottish Premiership allowed Brendan Rodgers to rest some of his men on Saturday and it is also worth remembering that he's got the likes of Moussa Dembele and Dedryck Boyata back now. Neither of those played against PSG.

I may end up with egg on my face but I’'m tempted by big prices for them to win here.

Almost 6/1 is available in the draw-no-bet market is available and I'll place my small stake with that safety net below.

For those who like the theory but aren't fully convinced, perhaps 10/11 about Celtic (+2) on the handicap will be of interest.

Prediction: Celtic 2-1 Bayern (Sky Bet odds - 25/1)