The Sporting Life football team look ahead to Tuesday's Champions League action, and have best bets from across Europe.
Recommended Champions League bets
1pt Tottenham to win and over 2.5 goals in the match at 10/3
1pt Ben Nabouhane to score anytime in Crvena Zvezda v Napoli at 19/4
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Inter Milan v Tottenham Hotspur (Group B, 1755 kick-off BST - BT Sport 3)
It's the unfamiliar feeling of football at 17:55 for Tottenham, with their Champions League campaign getting underway against Inter at the newly introduced time for the elite European competition.
Mauricio Pochettino's men have struggled since a fantastic 3-0 away win over Manchester United. They were defeated 2-1 by Watford before losing by the same scoreline at home to Liverpool.
That said, they can take comfort in the fact that Inter's start hasn't been much better. They drew their first home encounter of the season against Torino and then lost to Parma, who were 9/1 shots pre-match.
It's always a risk backing a side who are seemingly so uncomfortable in front of their own supporters, which is why Tottenham look decent value to wrap up all three points.
A reoccurring theme throughout the opening five games for Spurs is goals. Every game has seen over 2.5 goals, with one having over 3.5.
Dele Alli may be missing, but Harry Kane broke his August curse and has proven he is a top forward in Europe. There are questions surrounding recent form, but you know he has the ability to pounce at crucial points.
They topped a group containing Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund last season, and they know that they can make a real statement by bettering both Inter and Barcelona this time around.
Best bet: Tottenham to win and over 2.5 goals in the match at 10/3
Opta match facts
- Both Inter Milan and Tottenham have won their two previous home games against the other, with neither side managing to pick up a victory on the road against their counterparts.
- There have been 19 goals scored in the four previous meetings between Inter Milan and Tottenham, with the Italian side netting nine times, compared to Spurs’ 10.
- The most recent meeting between Inter Milan and Tottenham came in the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League; with Spurs winning on away goals after the two ties ended 4-4 on aggregate in their Last 16 tie.
- Inter Milan have not drawn at home in the Champions League since a 2-2 draw with Dynamo Kyiv in October 2009, winning nine and losing four of the last 13 such games.
- Tottenham have won just one of their previous nine European matches away from home against Italian opposition (D4 L4), but that victory did come at the San Siro against AC Milan thanks to a Peter Crouch winner (1-0).
- Tottenham only lost one of their eight Champions League games last season (W5 D2), the second leg of their round of 16 match against Juventus (1-2).
- Tottenham striker Harry Kane has scored nine goals in 10 Champions League appearances so far in his career. The fastest players to 10 Champions League goals are currently Adriano, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino (11 apps) – Harry Kane could equal this if he scores in his first UCL appearance of 2018-19.
Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain (Group C, 2000 BST - BT Sport 2)
This has all the hallmarks of a cracker with two of the most devastating attacking forces in Europe colliding at Anfield but Liverpool could be without one of their main men with Roberto Firmino’s eye possibly keeping him out of the contest.
Daniel Sturridge will likely start if Firmino can’t go, but it may be more of a case of keeping Edinson Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe out at the other end that’ll be the key to Liverpool’s success – this is by far the biggest test of their new defensive capabilities.
PSG have swept teams aside as usual this season, scoring at least three in all six wins, with all their main men getting involved. Neymar was rested from their latest win while Mbappe was suspended so both will be fresh to face a famous European night at Anfield.
Neymar has been brought in for nights like this as PSG have consistently come up short against Europe’s better teams – possibly as a result of not being tested enough in domestic action, so this will also be a good yardstick for Jurgen Klopp’s old foe Thomas Tuchel and his side.
Despite scoring four goals in five Sadio Mane is still the least fancied of the goalscorers on show but he's been Liverpool's best and most threatening attacker in evey game so far so with 2/1 anytime on offer that's one of the safer plays in what could be an all-action encounter.
Best bet: Sadio Mane to score anytime at 2/1
Opta match facts
- Liverpool have faced Paris Saint-Germain only twice before - over two legs in the semi-final of the 1996/97 Cup Winners' Cup. Both sides have one victory each, but PSG managed to progress on aggregate (3-2).
- This will be Liverpool’s first meeting in the Champions League with a side from France since the 2009/10 campaign, when the Reds lost 1-2 in Lyon before drawing 1-1 at Anfield in the group stages.
- Liverpool have won seven of their 12 previous European Cup/Champions League matches against French opposition (D1 L4) but have lost two of the last three such games at home (W1).
- PSG are winless in their last four Champions League matches against English sides (D3 L1) and have only kept one clean sheet in their previous 12 such games, a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge during the 2004/05 group stages.
- Last season, Liverpool’s James Milner (8) equalled the record set by current PSG star Neymar (8 in 2016/17) for the most assists by a player in a single Champions League campaign since 2003/04.
- PSG striker Edinson Cavani has scored eight goals in 14 appearances in the Champions League against teams from England, including exactly one goal in his last two such games (both v Arsenal).
- Last season, Liverpool became the first team to have three players with 10 or more goals in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign (Salah, Firmino, Mané, all with 10 goals each).
- Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has reached the knockout stages in four of his previous five Champions League campaigns as manager, losing two finals in 2013 with Borussia Dortmund and 2018 with Liverpool.
Best of the rest...
Crvena Zvezda v Napoli (Group C, 2000 BST, BT Sport 3)
Also in Group C action is Crvena Zvezda and Napoli, with the Serie A side odds-on favourites given the strong start they have made to the season.
The hosts sit top of the Serbian Super Liga, winning all seven of their games and scoring 22 goals in the process.
They have had a long season though, with their first game coming on July 11 against Spartaks in their first Champions League qualification.
If Belgrade are to progress from the group stages this season, home form is crucial and, with the greatest respect to their opposition, Napoli is probably their best hope of victory in a group containing Liverpool and PSG.
They are a side who know where the net is, and given the importance of the fixture, they can strike again here.
Ben Nabouhane looks great value at a best-price of 19/4 to score anytime in this one. The Comros international has had a storming start to the campaign, scoring nine goals in eleven games.
Six of those goals came in Zvezda's lengthy qualifying run to try and make the group stage, which shows he can perform on the big European stage.
Napoli are a side capable of edging this, but it might not be as straightforward as they would hope and will do well to keep a clean sheet.
Best bet: Ben Nabouhane to score anytime at 19/4
Opta match facts
- This will be the first ever meeting in any competition between Crvena Zvezda and Napoli.
- Crvena Zvezda are making their first European Cup/Champions League appearance since 1991-92, when they were eliminated in the group stage. They did win the European Cup in the previous season however, beating Marseille on penalties in 1990-91.
- Since 2011/12, only Juventus (7) have made more Champions League appearances than Napoli (5) among Italian clubs.
- Crvena Zvezda have not won any of their previous eight matches in the European Cup/Champions League against sides from Italy (D4 L4), including losing each of the last two, both to Sampdoria in the 1991/92 group stages.
- Excluding qualifiers, Crvena Zvezda were the last side from Serbia to defeat an Italian opponent in European competition, beating Roma 3-1 at home in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup group stages.
- Napoli have only won one of their five previous games in European competition against sides from Serbia (D2 L2), a 3-1 win against OFK Beograd back in March 1963 in a Cup Winners’ Cup second leg encounter.
- Crvena Zvezda have lost just one of their last 15 matches at home in the European Cup/Champions League (W11 D3) and have scored in every single one of those matches (39 goals).
- Napoli boast just three wins from their last 10 Champions League group stage matches (D2 L5) with their two wins from six games in last season’s competition meaning they were eliminated to the Europa League.
- Napoli were knocked out of the Champions League despite amassing 12 points in the 2013/14 group stages, the highest points total to see a side eliminated since the new format in 2003/04 (finished third behind Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund).
- Napoli are the eighth club managed by Carlo Ancelotti in the Champions League, a record in the competition. The Italian also holds the record for most European Cup/Champions League wins as manager, alongside Bob Paisley and Zinedine Zidane (3).
Odds correct at 1715 BST (17/09/18)
