Oppose Dortmund but support its Revierderby rival

Back Manchester City at around 5-6 to get its UEFA Champions League campaign up and running at the second time of asking with a home win over Borussia Dortmund at Etihad Stadium.

Odds of around 5-6 about the Citizens would be appropriate if they were facing Bayern Munchen but they are generous given Dortmund is unlikely to keep pace with its German Bundesliga rival following the sale of its best player.

Manchester United snapped up Shinji Kagawa during the off season and the expensive transfer of the Japan midfielder from Signal Iduna Park to Old Trafford has weakened Dortmund considerably. In a strange way, Sir Alex Ferguson has assisted the Roberto Mancini-managed noisy neighbours.

Manchester City`s recent home record is phenomenal. Last term, it won 18 and draw the other one of its 19 English Premier League matches at Etihad Stadium and took seven points from a possible nine in its three UEFA Champions League games versus Bayern, Napoli and Villarreal.

The only team to beat the Citizens fair and square at any venue this season is Real Madrid and it required two last-gasp goals to get up 3-2 in Spain. Mancini`s men may have lost 2-4 to Aston Villa but the scores in that English Capital One Cup tie were level at the end of normal time.

Dortmund is third in the German Bundesliga with 11 points following six rounds but its away form would have to be concerning Jurgen Klopp greatly. Of its four road matches versus top-flight sides, it has drawn two and lost two. That does not bode well for a trip to the strongest team in what is, in terms of depth, the strongest league in Europe.

Wednesday`s game is a pivotal one with, it seems, Manchester City and Dortmund fighting over one qualification spot in a tough section that includes Ajax and Real Madrid as well. If Dortmund tries to park the bus at Etihad Stadium, which is possible given it would regard a draw as a great result, City will be able to attack with disregard for the spaces that it leaves. Dortmund`s mindset may prove its undoing.

The other UEFA Champions League home side that appeals at the odds available on Wednesday`s matches is Dortmund`s deadliest rival, Schalke. The Gelsenkirchen-based team is around 8-13 to beat French struggler Montpellier and put itself in a good position to qualify for the next phase.

What makes Schalke interesting is not so much its form but that of its opponent. Montpellier is only 13th in French Ligue Un and its UEFA Champions League debut, at home to Arsenal two weeks ago, resulted in a 1-2 defeat. Rene Girard`s side is not travelling anything like as well as it did in its championship-winning campaign and Schalke is a top home team backed by some of Europe`s most fervent fans.

If one is looking for an odds-against UEFA Champions League bet then backing Anderlecht and Malaga to draw in Belgium should be of interest at around 9-4, with a goalless game attractive at 9-1 because of the Spanish side`s excellent performances in keeping four straight away clean sheets versus teams just as good or better than the Belgians.

Odds-on punters could do a lot worse than take the general 4-5 about Anderlecht and Malaga combining for fewer than three goals. The match has 0-0 or 1-1 written all over it.

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04/10/2012     © Frixo 2024