After landing a winner in Arsenal's Women's Champions League opener last week, Joe Rindl is back with another best for the Gunners' match with Hoffenheim on Thursday.
Football betting tips: Women's Champions League
1.5pts Arsenal to win at 8/11 (Sky Bet)
Last week, Arsenal learned the hard way that a fantastic record in the Women’s Super League doesn’t mean much when facing European football’s elite.
The Gunners, up against the holders Barcelona, were thrashed 4-1 - with the match landing a 5/6 winner for Sporting Life readers.
That result came despite Arsenal sitting top of the WSL table after big wins over Chelsea, Reading, Manchester City and Aston Villa.
With Barca in blistering form the Gunners are likely to be playing for second in Group C as Jonas Eidevall's side target a place in the knockout stages.
To do that though they’ll need a good showing when they host the current group leaders, Hoffenheim.
Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Thursday
TV channel: DAZN, YouTube DAZN (Free to watch)
Arsenal 8/11 | Draw 11/4 | Hoffenheim 13/5
Hoffenheim finished third in the Frauen-Bundesliga last season with this campaign being their first with European football.
Their Champions League journey started way back in August with narrow qualifying wins over Iceland’s Valur (1-0) and AC Milan (2-1) before a 6-3 aggregate victory over Sweden’s Rosengard.
At home to Danish side Koge in their group-stage opener last week they were ruthless, smashing their opponents 5-0, having had 27 shots and 78% of possession.
Former winners Arsenal are certain to be a far greater challenge.
Hoffenheim haven’t exactly set the world alight domestically, sitting fifth in the Bundesliga table and scoring seven goals from their opening five games.
Last time out they lost 3-1 to champions Bayern Munich, with a crunch match at home to last year’s runners-up Wolfsburg to come next weekend.
Matches against Bayern, Arsenal and Wolfsburg in eight days is one hell of a tricky run. Will Gabor Gallai’s side go with a full strength line-up in Europe, or will he decide to hold something back for Sunday?
Arsenal’s average price in the WSL this season works out at roughly 4/6, and they have already faced last season’s top two.
Obviously, the Champions League is a different level, but stepping up to this grade is rarely an issue for the Gunners.
They cruised through qualifying, beating Okzhetpes, PSV and Slavia Prague, scoring 10 goals and conceding one, and their recent defeat to Barcelona, one that was expected it is worth adding, seems to have caused an overreaction as far as the bookmakers are concerned.
In effect, 8/11 is just too big a price for an ARSENAL WIN, and one worth getting on side while it is still available.
Arsenal v Hoffenheim best bets and score prediction
- 1.5pts Arsenal to win at 8/11 (Sky Bet)
Score prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Hoffenheim (Sky Bet odds: 17/2)
Odds correct at 1015 BST (05/10/21)
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