The Champions League group stage gets underway on Tuesday night as Chelsea make the trip to Dinamo Zagreb. George Gamble picks out a best bet.
Football betting tips: Champions League
2pts Over 2.5 Goals at 4/5 (VBet)
Getting off to a fast start in the Champions League group stage is important, but Chelsea have been the masters of that in recent years having lost just one of their previous five opening clashes in this competition and scoring 11 goals in that period.
Chelsea have been underwhelming so far this campaign and when you look at their form domestically, it’s clear to see that something is not quite right within the team.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have been far too easy to score against, as evidenced by the fact that they haven’t managed to keep a single clean sheet across their previous five league outings and have conceded an average of 1.3 expected goals against (xGA) over their last four matches.
According to Infogol's performance-based expected goals against (xGA) table, of the big six in the league, only Manchester United have conceded a higher number of quality chances and they have been fortunate not to have shipped more goals.
Meanwhile, hosts Dinamo Zagreb have gotten off to a flying start in the Croatian top flight, winning all of their home matches so far. They should be applauded for scoring a colossal 19 goals in five home matches, but they have also conceded in every domestic match this term.
Dinamo Zagreb have been the entertainers, with matches at the Stadion Maksimir producing an average of 5.2 goals per game. The hosts can cause plenty of problems to Chelsea’s backline.
They’ve started their campaign well and have only lost once across their previous 13 home matches (including qualifiers) in this competition. This one is likely to be competitive but with neither side looking assured defensively, OVER 2.5 GOALS at 4/5 looks the standout pick.
Most other firms are priced up at 3/4 - also a fair price - which means this pick makes even more appeal.
Dinamo Zagreb v Chelsea score prediction and best bets
- 2pts Over 2.5 Goals at 4/5 (VBet)
Score prediction: Dinamo Zagreb 1-2 Chelsea (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Odds correct 1615 BST (05/09/22)
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