Seeley’s Selections – Wednesday’s Champions League

The top two teams in Champions League Group D clash at the Emirates on Wednesday night when Arsenal entertain runaway group leaders Borussia Dortmund.

Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund, Wednesday 7.45pm, Sky Sports 1
Dortmund have already qualified through to the knockout stages sitting five points clear of the Gunners, but they will want to go through as group winners and three points on Wednesday will secure that. Jurgen Klopp’s side are 2/1 with Boylesports to get it and on their form in the competition, there is a lot to like about that price.

They comfortably beat the Gunners 2-0 earlier in the group in Germany and have won all their Champions League matches so far scoring 13 goals in the opening four games.

Compare that to their domestic form though. Staggeringly they are lying in 16th place (relegation zone) in the Bundesliga with just two wins from their last 10 matches and at the weekend they threw away a 2-0 lead against SC Paderborn to draw 2-2. There is something about this competition that gets the best out of Dortmund and Klopp and it’s the perfect time to play Arsenal and despite their form in the Bundesliga, I would still get involved in the 2/1 on offer with Boylesports on Ze Germans.

Klopp indicated at the weekend that he would like to manage in the Premier League and this is a perfect opportunity for him to get his CV in early when Arsene Wenger moves upstairs at the end of the season (you heard it here first).

A win for the Gunners will yet again see them progress through to the knock-out stages and I’m surprised that they are as short as 7/5 with Boylesports to get it.
They really should have had qualification sewn up by now after throwing a 3-0 lead away against Anderlecht only to capitulate in the last half an hour and draw 3-3 in the last Champions League outing.

Wenger is a man under pressure after the weekend’s 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester United, which leaves his side sitting in eighth place in the Premier League table after back-to-back defeats. Wenger has problems all over the pitch his side have only kept two clean sheets in their last 10 games against the mighty Burnley and Sunderland. Jack Wilshere and Wojciech Szczęsny picked up knocks in the United game which make them injury concerns for this match and they failed to register Olivier Giroud in time to play which makes him ineligible…doh.

With the way these two sides defend, I really do fancy goals in this one and “Both Teams To Score” looks a good thing at Boylesports’ quote of 11/20. Star man Marco Reus is ruled out for Dortmund along with some key Arsenal players but the player who tormented the Gunners all evening in Germany – Ciro Immobile, will start and at 6/1 with Boylesports to open the scoring, the Italian international is well worth a play.

REMEMBER – DOUBLE BUBBLE – if your first goalscorer nets the opener inside the opening 20 minutes, Boylesports will double the odds on your winning selection so if the Italian scores early we will get a whopping 12/1….”Bellissimo”.

Seeley’s Selections:
Both teams to score @ 11/20
Ciro Immobile First Goalscorer @ 6/1 (12/1 Double Bubble)

Ludogorets Razgrad v Liverpool, Wednesday 7.45pm, Sky Sports 5 & RTE 2
Liverpool have their biggest game of the season on Wednesday night when they make the long trip to Bulgaria to take on Ludogorets in a massive Champions League Group B clash.

Defeat for the Reds will see them dumped out of the Champions League at the first hurdle and if it happens, it could also spell the end of Brendan Rodgers’ reign in the Anfield hot seat. Rodgers came within a whisker of the Premier League title last season and now with four successive defeats and their worst start to a campaign in 22 years, this is a “must” win for him.

Many Liverpool fans will point to the loss of “SAS” which would be a massive blow to any team in Europe but the problems on Merseyside don’t just lie in the absence of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. Their defending has been shocking this season and the £20 million capture of Dejan Lovern has to be one of the worst Premier League signings of all-time; they’ve only kept two clean sheets in 17 games and Rodgers is a man under massive pressure.

They will arrive here in 12th place in the Premier League, in shocking recent form and team morale shot to pieces, yet Boylesports have them odds on at 20/21 to get three valuable points. They may get the win they need, but if you are playing at those odds you are doing it all wrong.

They were awful on Sunday against Crystal Palace and they weren’t allowed to play at a tempo which suited their game expect more of the same in this one. Ludogorets are great value for me here at 16/5 with Boylesports to inflict a fifth successive defeat on the Reds. In their earlier group meeting at Anfield they were so unlucky not to come away with at least a point after a 91st minute penalty gave Liverpool a 2-1 win but at the intimidating Ludogorets Arena they are a match for anybody.

They are unbeaten at home in the Bulgarian A-PFG and have only conceded two goals, and I really can’t see a powder-puff Liverpool troubling them.

I’m of the belief that it could all implode in Bulgaria for Rodgers on Wednesday night and I think it could get rather embarrassing for the five times Champions of Europe.

Ludogorets only defeat at home this season was in the 2-1 reverse against European champions Real Madrid and in the last Champions League home match they defeated Basle 1-0. They boast six wins to nil at home already this season and at Boylesports’ 6/1, that’s another bet I like and if you really want to get the crown jewels, then a couple of quid on a 2-0 home win is the way I will be heading at a Boylesports monster odds 20/1.

B Lucky!

Seeley’s Selections:
Ludogorets to win @ 16/5
Ludogorets to win to nil @ 6/1
Ludogorets to win 2-0 @ 20/1