Sports Blog 16/09/2015: Match Preview – UEFA Champions League, Wednesday 16th September 2015

After both Manchester sides slipped to defeat last night, it is the turn of Arsenal and Chelsea (who, incidentally, play each other on Saturday) to try and fly the English flag in Wednesday’s Champions League group stage matches.

First up is a trip to Croatia for Arsenal, as they take on Dinamo Zagreb at 7.45pm on BT Sport Europe. Dinamo Zagreb are set to be much tougher competition than many would expect; they are currently on a 41 game unbeaten streak, something that extended throughout their entire 2014/15 Prva Liga victory, a victory that saw Dinamo win the Croatian title for the 10th year in a row. The new season is already well underway in Croatia, and Dinamo have won 5 and drawn 4 to sit atop the table, led from the front by Angelo Henriquez. For a 21-year old Henriquez, at a Super Mega PGM of 19-23, has already had an interesting career; the Chilean was bought by Manchester United at 18, but never played in red, seeing loan spells at Wigan, Real Zaragoza and, finally, Dinamo. Since arriving in Croatia he has been on fire, scoring 21 in his 25 games last season and is already on 4 in 6 this year.



The Gunners, meanwhile, appear to have slowly improved after their opening day defeat to West Ham, drawing with Liverpool and beating Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Stoke to now sit in 4th in the Premier League on 10 points. Yet they still haven’t been completely convincing, lacking the kind of emphatic, confidence building performance they seem to need; things were helped by the fact that both Theo Walcott (at a Super Mega PGM spread of 39-45) and Olivier Giroud (at 17/4 to get the first goal on Wednesday) scored in last weekend’s win over Stoke, but more still needs to be seen from Arsenal’s front men. Regardless, our Spreadex traders, at least, seem to think that the Gunners’ will be too much for Dinamo, despite their opponents formidable form, offering an Arsenal/Dinamo Zagreb (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 1.05-1.25 with a Total Goals spread of 2.75-2.95.

Much more so than Arsenal, Chelsea need a season-righting win on Thursday; they host Maccabi Tel-Aviv at 7.45pm on BT Sport 2. The current Premier League champions have gotten off to a pitiful title defence, the worst since the season after Blackburn won the league in the mid-90s; so far they have managed a sole win over West Brom, an opening day draw against Swansea and ignominious defeats to Man City, Crystal Palace and, most recently, Everton. It’s been a start to the season that has seen Chelsea conceded 12 goals in 5 games (more than a third of the 32 they conceded in 38 games in 2014/15) and one that has seen only 7 goals scored (one of which was an own goal). Yet, as is the strength of their squad, Chelsea still go into the Champions League at 11/1 to win the whole thing, the 4th best price out of the teams involved.



It helps that Chelsea should have a soft start to the European competition, in one of the easier groups in the draw. Despite being Israeli champions Maccabi Tel-Aviv are arguably one of the worst sides in the competition, progressing to the Champions League proper after beating FC Basel on away goals. The slim hopes Tel-Aviv have of a result will be pinned on Eran Zahavi; despite being ostensibly an attacking midfielder Zahavi has a phenomenal record for Maccabi Tel-Aviv, scoring 67 goals in 86 games since he arrived from Palermo in 2013. Such form saw him become the top scorer in Champions League qualifying with 7 goals, leaving him with a Super Mega PGM spread of 14-18. Yet for all of Zahavi’s records, and Chelsea’s dreadful start to the season, the Blues still go into Thursday evening as heavy favourites, at a Chelsea/Maccabi Tel-Aviv Goal Supremacy spread of 1.8-2 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.95-3.15.