Free betting tips: Champions League including Napoli v Liverpool, Tottenham v Barcelona
The Champions League continues on Wednesday night with Liverpool and Tottenham in action. We're looking to corners for value.
Recommended Champions League bets
3pts Over 11.5 corners in Napoli v Liverpool at 21/10
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Napoli v Liverpool
Group C, Stadio San Paolo, 2000 BST, BT Sport 3
Liverpool will be looking to build on their strong start to their European campaign when they travel to Napoli, although the Serie A side could be problematic.
What this game should give us is goals, with Napoli games seeing a combined 23 goals in just seven games this season. They're also a strong outfit at home, beating Parma, Fiorentina and AC Milan this season to maintain an unbeaten start in front of their own fans.
Liverpool do boast an unbeaten record of their own, both in the league and away from home. Wins over Crystal Palace, Leicester and Tottenham go with a draw to Chelsea last time out.
The influential trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have been problematic for many defences across Europe, while PSG highlighted that they can come undone at the back even after the addition of Virgil Van Dijk.
Lorenzo Insigne, Arkadiusz Milik and Piotr Zielinski have all been key figures for the hosts so far as they have contributed ten goals between them so far.
The strength of these two attacks can also lead to a high corner count, as shown in the first round of group games.
Napoli's clash with Red Star Belgrade saw a total of 16 corners, while Liverpool's contest against PSG had 14. The teams involved here took a combined 21 corners during those games.
Over 11.5 corners can be found at a best price of 21/10, which looks good value based on showings in their last European fixtures.
Best bet: Over 11.5 corners at 21/10
Napoli v Liverpool Opta facts
- This will be only the third match played between Napoli and Liverpool in European competition, with them last facing off in the 2010/11 Europa League group stage.
- In the last competitive meeting between these two sides in November 2010, Liverpool won 3-1 at Anfield courtesy of a Steven Gerrard hat-trick. The only previous meeting in Naples finished goalless in October 2010.
- Napoli have only won twice in their last nine Champions League games (W2 D1 L6), although both of those victories came at home.
- Liverpool lost just one of their six away games in the Champions League last season (W3 D2 L1), netting an impressive 20 goals – the only other team to have scored as many away goals in a single Champions League campaign was Real Madrid in 201314 (also 20).
- Napoli failed to score last time out against FK Crvena Zvezda; only the third time in 29 Champions League games they’ve failed to find the back of the net.
- Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti has never lost in the Champions League in four previous matches against Liverpool (W3 D1), however that one draw was in the 2005 final, when the Reds came from 3-0 down at half-time to Ancelotti’s Milan side to draw 3-3 before triumphing on penalties to win their 5th European Cup/Champions League title.
- In the only previous Champions League tie between Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, Ancelotti’s Real Madrid side knocked Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund team out of the 2013/14 quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.
- Roberto Firmino has been directly involved in 18 goals in just 14 Champions League appearances for Liverpool (11 goals, 7 assists).
- Dries Mertens has been directly involved in nine of Napoli’s last 14 Champions League goals at the Stadio San Paolo, scoring six whilst assisting three.
- Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in three goals in his last two starts against Napoli in all competitions (one goal, two assists), with these coming in Serie A whilst he was with Roma.
Tottenham v Barcelona
Group B, Wembley Stadium, 2000 BST, BT Sport 2
Tottenham threw away the opportunity to secure three points in their Group B opener, conceding two late goals to Inter in a 2-1 loss.
They now face their hardest test so far when they welcome Barcelona, who started with a 4-0 hammering of PSV.
One player who has featured heavily so far is Ousmane Dembele - scoring five goals in nine appearances.
The 21-year-old has enjoyed playing alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, and should prove to be a real problem for a Tottenham defence that has conceded five in their last three 'home' encounters in all competitions.
Barcelona may have suffered a shock defeat to Leganes last time out, but they still possess one of the better away records in LaLiga having picked up six points from six in their other two games.
Messi will be the main threat and Spurs will know that, meaning that someone like Dembele could flourish on the extra space allowed to him as they look to prevent the Argentinian superstar from finding the net.
Given his impact this season, a best price of 11/4 on Dembele to strike anytime with some firms looks good value with goals expected in this encounter.
In terms of the game itself, Barcelona should wrap up victory given the contrasting fortunes of these two last time out in this competition, although Spurs do have the talent to strike.
Over 2.5 goals is available at 8/15 which goes to show how the net is expected to be struck at the national stadium, which makes 11/8 on there being four or more an intriguing bet.
Best bet: Ousmane Dembele to score anytime at 11/4
Tottenham v Barcelona Opta facts
- This will be only the third ever match between Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona, and the first since April 1982 in the semi-finals of the Cup Winners’ Cup, which Barcelona won 2-1 on aggregate.
- Barcelona have lost just one of their last 11 Champions League matches against English clubs (W8 D2), however they are without a win in their last two visits to England in the competition (D1 L1), a 1-1 draw with Chelsea last season and a 3-1 defeat at Manchester City in 2016/17.
- Tottenham won all three of their home games in last season’s Champions League group stage, scoring exactly three goals in each match.
- Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has won only once in nine previous meetings with Barcelona as a manager in all competitions (D3 L5), all with former club Espanyol.
- Away from home, Barcelona have won just one of their last seven Champions League games (D3 L3), a 1-0 win over Portuguese side Sporting CP in last season’s group stage.
- Spurs have only drawn one of their 12 home games in the Champions League (W7 D1 L4), with that coming back in March 2011 against AC Milan (0-0).
- Tottenham forward Harry Kane has scored nine goals in 11 Champions League appearances, however only 33% of those have come in home games (3/9).
- Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi has scored more goals (20) and provided more assists (6) against English clubs in the Champions League than against sides from any other nation.
- Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has been directly involved in six goals in his last three appearances against Tottenham in all competitions (four goals, two assists), all with Liverpool in the Premier League between March 2013 and March 2014.
- Gerard Piqué could make his 100th Champions League appearance in this match, becoming the 10th Spaniard to reach this landmark. In fact, more Spanish players have played 100+ games in the Champions League than any other nationality.
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco
Group A, Signal Iduna Park, 2000 BST, BT Sport Extra 2
They sit top of the Bundesliga after six games and Dortmund should make it two wins from two in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Borussia have been in sensational form in recent weeks. They beat Nurnberg 7-0 at home before beating Leverkusen 4-2 on the road.
One thing that is clear is that this Dortmund team have goals, with Marco Reus leading the scoring charts with four so far.
Someone who is challenging him for the top scorer tag is Paco Alcacer - who have three goals already despite playing just 50 minute of domestic football.
The 23/20 best price on Reus striking anytime looks good value based on the fact that he should be involved heavily in Dortmund attacks, with plenty of those expected.
A name worth keeping an eye on is Jadon Sancho, with the 18-year-old grabbing one goal and six assists already this season in just eight games.
23/10 is available on him scoring here, and he has shown that he is more than capable of getting amongst the goals. An assist is more likely out of the two given the position he is playing and the impact the youngster has already made.
He can adapt to either left or right wing roles, battling Christian Pulisic for a spot in the starting XI.
Dortmund should wrap up the points here, as reflected in their 1/2 price for them to secure victory. A win with over 2.5 goals boosts that to a general price of 4/5.
Best bet: Marco Reus to score anytime at 23/20
Borussia Dortmund v Monaco Opta facts
- This will be the second season of the last three that Borussia Dortmund and Monaco have met in the Champions League; Monaco won 6-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals of the 2016/17 tournament, including a 3-2 win in Dortmund in which teenager Kylian Mbappe, now of PSG, scored twice.
- Borussia Dortmund have lost five of their last seven games against sides from Ligue 1 in the Champions League (W2), including both of their last two against Monaco.
- In the Champions League, Monaco have lost just twice in 10 games against German opponents (W5 D3), albeit they did lose their most recent such match 1-4 at home to RB Leipzig in the group stages of last season’s competition.
- Borussia Dortmund are winless in their last four Champions League games at Signal Iduna Park (D1 L3), their worst ever run in the competition on home soil.
- Monaco are looking for their first win in the Champions League since the quarter-final stages of the 2016-17 tournament, when they won both legs against Borussia Dortmund. Since those two victories, the French side have gone nine games without a win in the competition (D2 L7).
- Borussia Dortmund are looking to record consecutive victories in the Champions League for the first time since November 2016 (a run of three).
- Monaco’s last 13 games in the Champions League have seen a total of 51 goals scored (20 for and 31 against), at an average of 3.9 per game.
- Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus has been directly involved in 12 goals in his last nine home appearances in the Champions League (eight goals and four assists).
- Only Fernando Morientes (9) has scored more Champions League goals for Monaco than current club captain Radamel Falcao (8).
- Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho could become just the fifth English player to score a Champions League goal for a non-British club, after Michael Owen, David Beckham, Jonathan Woodgate and Steve McManaman (all for Real Madrid).
Odds correct at 1610 BST (01/10/18)
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