Bayern, Shakhtar and Barca best of the home bankers

There are several home bankers in Wednesday`s UEFA Champions League matches, the best value of which is last season`s tournament silver medallist, German giant Bayern Munchen.

If one considers games to run for 90 minutes rather than go into extra time and/or penalty shootouts, Bayern Munchen has not lost at its Allianz Arena home for a very long time.

Nearly 12 months in fact. Not since Borussia Dortmund came away from the Allianz Arena in November 2011 with three German Bundesliga points has the club known in Germany by the nickname FC Hollywood tasted defeat on its own pitch.

Bayern Munchen has won its five competitive home matches since Chelsea robbed it of UEFA Champions League glory on penalties and if one collates normal-time results only, it has won 16 and drawn the other two of its last 18 games in the Bavarian capital. That is one really impressive record.

Valencia shapes as the latest lamb to the slaughter. The Spanish La Liga side has started its domestic campaign in the toughest possible way, with its first two road trips being to the Bernabeu and Camp Nou. And Valencia did well, drawing 1-1 versus Real Madrid and losing by the only goal of the game against Barcelona. But, on the whole, the team from Spain`s east coast boasts appalling away statistics.

March 2011 was when Valencia last won a meaningful match on its travels. Since then it has played nine competitive away games, losing seven of them and drawing the other two. That does not bode well for a visit to the Allianz Stadium.

Bayern Munchen is around 1-2 to collect maximum points from its UEFA Champions League opener versus Valencia and that is a more generous offer than the average punter may think. The average punter does not do his or her homework, though.

Shakhtar Donetsk is another very tough nut to crack in front of its own supporters. The Ukrainian title winner has won its last nine competitive home matches and welcome Danish minnow Nordsjaelland to Donetsk for what should be a routine kill. The Danish team lost 1-2 at FC Kobenhavn last time out and it has won only one of its last five away games. Even at around 30-100, Shakhtar Donetsk seems overpriced and worthy of including in accumulators to boost expected dividends.

Barcelona appears the mother of all UEFA Champions League home bankers at around 1-9 to defeat Spartak Moskva. Most away sides spend 90 minutes on the back foot at the Camp Nou and the Russian team seems poorly equipped to deal with the likes of Lionel Messi having conceded 14 goals in its eight Russian Premier League matches this term. No side outside the relegation zone has leaked more goals than Spartak Moskva so bet on an emphatic Barca victory.

Backing Barcelona to win 4-0 (around 15-2), 5-0 (around 11-1) or 6-0 (around 20-1) works out at just a little bit better than 3-1. Barca is around 1-9 to win the game.

Unlike Bayern Munchen, Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona, Chelsea and Celtic are UEFA Champions League home teams worth swerving at the odds. Juventus, the best side in Italy, is a decent bet to leave Stamford Bridge with a point, while Benfica has what it takes to avoid defeat at Celtic Park. The draws are paying around 12-5 and 5-2 respectively and both of them represent good value.

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20/09/2012     © Frixo 2026