Champions League Best Bets – September 11

Manchester United are chasing a winning return to the Champions League when they host Sabah Baku in their opening game of the campaign. Their start to the competitive season has been an inconsistent one, with United securing one win along with a draw and a defeat. Their 2-0 loss to Hull on the opening day was quickly followed by a 5-2 win over Ipswich and a 2-2 draw with Everton. Their inability to keep the ball out of their own net is a major concern for the home side, especially when considering the visitors will arrive with little on the line as they chase a major scalp. Backing United to keep a clean sheet after conceding six goals in three competitive matches is risky. Instead, there are better odds to be found when backing the travelling side to stun Untied and score a goal.

Sabah Baku will arrive for their opening Champions League match chasing one of the great results in the competition. Across qualifying, Sabah Baku have gone through an incredibly long campaign that started with a 4-1 aggregate win over TNS back in July. They have since eliminated KuPS, Aarhus and Hapoel Beer-Sheva. In the league, Sabah Baku boast two consecutive wins heading into this one, while they have scored at least once in each of their last 17 across competitions. While I do not back the travelling side to secure the result they so dearly want, I do predict that they will have their moment as they hit the back of the net.

Bayern Munich were handed a shock result at the weekend as they were kept scoreless by Schalke in the Bundesliga. Their 0-0 draw saw their run of scoring in their previous 59 matches brought to an end and means they will feel they have a point to prove in midweek. Harry Kane only managed 45 second-half minutes against Schalke as he looks to return to scoring goals for his side. Interestingly, the English striker has not found the back of the net since scoring against Mexico for England back on July 6, with five scoreless matches coming and going since then. I am backing Kane, who scored 14 goals in the competition last year, to find the back of the net in this one as Bayern get back to scoring goals.

Bodo/Glimt have battled through two qualifying rounds to take their place in the Champions League group phase as they eliminated Royale Union SG and Nijmegen over the course of a pair of two-legged ties. Each game saw them hit the back of the net three times, while they also conceded six goals across these four games. The issue for Bodo/Glimt will be that while they could outscore their opponents in qualifying, they are now taking on one of the best sides in Europe in a game they will need a miracle to outscore their hosts in. With a single clean sheet across their last four Champions League qualifiers, I worry for Bodo/Glimt in this one.