Football betting tips: Champions League
2pts Arsenal to win to nil at 6/5 (Sky Bet)
Nine points from a possible 12 in Group B means Arsenal only need one more to secure their place in the Champions League knock-out stages.
Lens head to the Emirates on Wednesday and although the odds suggest otherwise, the Ligue 1 opposition are more than capable of bloodying the hosts nose in the capital, as was the case in the reverse.
Franck Haise’s side beat the Gunners 2-1 in France and are 17/2 to repeat the trick here.
What are the best bets?
It is fair to say Mikel Arteta’s side rode their luck at Brentford last weekend.
The much scrutinised Aaron Ramsdale almost gifted the hosts an early lead after dawdling on the ball only to be bailed out by Declan Rice’s goal line clearance.
Kai Havertz won it late for ARSENAL to make it three wins in as many games and although the back-to-back defeats against West Ham and Newcastle will still be fresh in the memory, it is tricky to envisage anything other than a home win at the Emirates on Wednesday. Backing the Gunners TO WIN TO NIL boosts the odds to over evens .
Arteta’s side are four points clear of Lens and PSV Eindhoven, which affords the Spanish supremo some wiggle room with selection.
After what happened when these sides last met though, the hosts will not be blase and with David Raya expected to return in between the sticks, the hosts backline should be bolstered.
BuildABet @ 10/1
- Arsenal to win to nil
- Leandro Trossard to score anytime
- Facundo Medina to be carded
🗣️| Leandro Trossard on his time at Arsenal:
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) November 28, 2023
“I’m really enjoying it. I think I settled in pretty quickly. It’s a great team and they help you from the first day and try to get you involved in everything. That makes it so much easier to settle in & feel welcome.” [@arsenal] #afc pic.twitter.com/Tl7TOEkeLg
Leandro Trossard is enjoying his time in North London and his numbers reflect it.
The Belgian has had a direct hand in 10 goals for the Gunners this campaign, scoring two and assisting another in four appearances on the continent.
Given the state of play at the Emirates, he should get the nod ahead of Gabriel Jesus in attack on Wednesday and there is every chance he adds to his tally.
Team news
Raya was unavailable in between the sticks against his parent club at the weekend but should return in the place of Ramsdale.
Elsewhere, Havertz's match winning contribution should be enough to earn him a spot in midfield alongside Rice and Martin Odegaard.
As for the visitors, frontman Elye Wahi was sent off at the weekend in Ligue 1 but is available here. He grabbed the winner when these sides met back in October.
Kevin Danso should return in the heart of a three man defence.
Predicted line-ups
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
Lens: Samba; Medina, Danso, Gradit; Aguilar, Abdul Samed, Mendy, Frankowski; Thomasson, Sotoca; Wahi.
Match facts
- Arsenal have never beaten Lens in a UEFA Champions League match in three attempts (D1 L2). It is the most times they have faced an opponent without winning in the competition.
- All five of Lens’ previous European matches against English teams have come against Arsenal (W2 D1 L2).
- Their last away game against the Gunners was in April 2000 in a UEFA Cup semi-final, losing 1-0 at Highbury to a Dennis Bergkamp goal.
- Since losing his first European home game in charge of Arsenal in February 2020 (1-2 v Olympiakos in the UEFA Europa League), Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has only suffered one defeat in his last 12 such games at the Emirates Stadium (W8 D3), winning five of the last six (D1).
- In the last nine UEFA Champions League games between French and English sides played in England, the visitors have suffered eight defeats and only managed one victory (Manchester United 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain in December 2020) – each of the last six in a row have been won by the home side.
- All nine of Arsenal’s goals in the UEFA Champions League this season have been from open play, with only Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich scoring as often from open play in the first four matchdays (also nine).
- Bukayo Saka has assisted three goals in four appearances in the UEFA Champions League this season, providing one in three different matches (v PSV, Lens and Sevilla). No English player has ever assisted more than three goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign for Arsenal.
Odds correct at 1240 GMT (28/11/23)
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