Football betting tips: Champions League
2pts Mohamed Salah 1+ assist at 23/10 (Ladbrokes, Coral)
0.5pt Mohamed Salah to score anytime and 1+ assist at 4/1 (bet365, William Hill)
BuildABet @ 15/4
- Mohamed Salah to score anytime
- Mohamed Salah 1+ assist
This clash at Anfield pits an unstoppable force against an immovable object.
Hosts Liverpool continue to set the pace in the Premier League, six points clear of their nearest rivals with a game in hand.
In the Champions League, the Reds boast a 100% record, they have won the most points and have conceded the fewest goals of all 36 sides.
Arne Slot’s men have only lost twice all season and their boss has a knack of keeping their squad fit and firing.
A point guarantees the Reds a spot in the knockout stages and although the odds suggest otherwise, Lille are no pushovers.
The Ligue 1 outfit start the gameweek in eighth looking to make it six games unbeaten on the continent and 22 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus have all dropped points against Les Dogues, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see Liverpool drop points, especially with a draw suiting both parties.
What are the best bets?
MOHAMED SALAH has not had a hand in a goal in 270 minutes of action. Sound the alarm.
Dire straits for a man with just 23 goals and 17 assists in 33 appearances for club and country this season.
I fancy the drought to end on Tuesday and at the prices available, the ASSIST market is the way in.
Salah has four assists in the Champions League, setting up at least one goals in half of his six appearances and the majority of those assists have come in Merseyside.
If you are slightly greedy, I would recommend doubling 1+ ASSIST with Salah TO SCORE ANYTIME at 4/1 via the Bet Builders with bet365 and William Hill.
This bet has clicked in a third of Salah’s Reds appearances this term which makes the price quoted value, and that is without considering the Reds are also even money to score 3+ goals.
Team news
Joe Gomez is the only confirmed absentee for the Reds but Slot is expected to rotate on Tuesday.
After his injury time brace at Brentford on the weekend, Darwin Nunez could lead the line. Federico Chiesa could also rotate into the XI for only his second start since joining and Curtis Jones should get the nod in central midfield.
As for the visitors Nabil Bentaleb, Ethan Mbappe, Mathias Fernandez-Pardo, Tiago Santos and Samuel Umtiti are unavailable.
Dangerman Jonathan David will spearhead Lille’s attack, he has netted four times on the continent this term.
Predicated line-ups
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Endo, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Chiesa; Nunez
Lille: Chevalier; Meunier, Diakite, Ribeiro, Ismaily; Andre, Bouaddi; Bakker, Cabella, Sahraoui; David
Match facts
- Liverpool and Lille’s only previous meetings in Europe came back in the 2009-10 UEFA Europa League, with the Reds progressing from the Last 16 with a 3-1 aggregate victory (lost 0-1 away and won 3-0 at home).
- Lille have only won one of their 10 games against English sides in the UEFA Champions League (D2 L7), losing each of the last six in a row. Their only victory against an English opponent in the competition was in November 2005, beating Manchester United 1-0 in a home game.
- Only two French sides have ever won away to Liverpool in major European competition (Marseille in 2007 and Lyon in 2009), with 12 of their 15 combined trips ending in defeat (D1). Indeed, the only side to keep a clean sheet there from the 15 attempts was Marseille in their 2007 victory (1-0).
- Liverpool have won each of their last 10 group/league phase games at Anfield in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 22 goals and only conceding three times. The last team to avoid defeat or keep a clean sheet there in the group/league phase was Atalanta back in November 2020 (a 2-0 win).
- Liverpool have won all six of their UEFA Champions League games this season, including the last five without conceding a single goal. They could become just the second team in European Cup/Champions League history to win six in a row and keep a clean sheet in each, after Leeds United in 1969-70 (6).
- Lille are unbeaten in their last five matches in the UEFA Champions League (W4 D1), their longest run ever in the competition. Indeed, the only side on a longer current unbeaten streak in the competition are their opponents Liverpool (6).
- 13 different Liverpool players have either scored or assisted a goal in the UEFA Champions League this season; the most by any team in the competition. Indeed, of the 15 outfield players who’ve made 3+ UCL appearances for the Reds this term, only two of them are yet to score or assist a goal (Ryan Gravenberch and Joe Gomez).
- Mohamed Salah has already assisted four goals for Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League this season; the joint-most by any player in 2024-25. If he provides an assist in this game, he will equal Samuel Eto’o from 2010-11 for the most assists by an African player in a single edition of the tournament (5).
- Among players to have contested 20+ individual duels in the UEFA Champions League this season, Lille defender Bafodé Diakité has the highest success rate in the competition (76% - 16/21).
- Lille’s Benjamin André has won possession more times than any other midfielder in the UEFA Champions League this season (42). 28 of those have come in the middle third of the pitch, which is the most of any player across all positions.
Odds correct at 1500 GMT (20/01/25)
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