Champions League Best Bets – August 5

Aarhus secured one of the results of the round last time out as they came back from losing 4-1 to Lech Poznan at home by hammering their opponents 5-1 on the road. This incredible game saw Aarhus secure a 6-5 aggregate win that few would have seen coming following the first-leg. Sandwiching this stunning win is a pair of draws in the league against Brondby (1-1) and Lyngby (2-2). Clean sheets have been tough to come by of late, but they have also proved tough to beat. The home side are the favourites in this one, but they have failed to win either of their last two home games in all competitions, and I predict they will struggle again to land the killer blow. 

Fenerbahce were far from convincing in the last round as they battled to a 2-1 aggregate win over Gornik Zabrze. Their triumph was largely thanks to a 1-0 win at home in the first-leg, with a shaky 1-1 draw in the second-leg enough to see them into the next round of qualifying. Despite this questionable two-legged performance, Fenerbahce arrive having avoided defeat since a 3-0 loss to Galatasaray back on April 26. Since then, they have won six matches and drawn twice. While I do not see them storming to a big win in this one, I do back them to head into the second-leg on the back of a win.