Category: Live Matches

There will be fireworks when West Ham United and Chelsea square off against each other in the London derby on Saturday. The Hammers showed character in a 1-1 draw with Fulham, with substitute Danny Ings scoring a late equalizer and, no doubt, that goal gave them a confidence boost. Lucas Paqueta is widely expected to return to the starting XI, while Emerson should recover in time to face the Blues. Summer signing Niclas Fullkrug is a major doubt. 

Enzo Maresca’s men, on the other hand, proved their worth in a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bournemouth. Given Chelsea’s attacking potential, we believe that there is a big value in betting on both teams to score. Christopher Nkunku should be recalled to the starting eleven after scoring a late winner at Vitality Stadium, while all Malo Gusto, Reece James, and Romeo Lavia remain on the sidelines with injuries.

Score Prediction: West Ham 2 – 2 Chelsea

Atalanta and Arsenal take on each other at Gewiss Stadium in what is expected to be one of the most exciting games of Thursday’s program. The Orobici aim to build on a hard-fought 3-2 win over Fiorentina and we are positive that they will adopt yet another attack-minded approach in their Champions League opener. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be former Premier League ace Ademola Lookman, who is likely to prove a handful for the opposition back-line, while both Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini are sidelined with injuries. 

The Gunners, on the other hand, did well to beat Tottenham in the North London derby, with defender Gabriel scoring the only goal of the match. As Mikel Arteta can count on key attackers for Thursday’s showdown, both teams to score betting option should be considered. Declan Rice is back from the Premier League ban, while the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odeegard, Mikel Merino, and Takehiro Tomiyasu remain in the recovery room. Summer signing Ricardo Calafiori is a major doubt.

Score Prediction: Atalanta 1 – 1 Arsenal

Stade Louis II will be the centre of attention when Monaco and Barcelona square off against each other in the Champions League round 1. Les Rouges et Blancs made a promising start to the season and they must be brimming with confidence following a 3-0 win over Auxerre. Barca, though, will pose a much bigger threat for the Ligue 1 side than their previous rivals. Lamine Camara is a major doubt after limping off with injury at the weekend, with Wilfried Singo being ready to step up. 

The Catalans, on the other hand, will continue relying on star teenager Lamine Yamal, who has been scoring goals for fun in La Liga this season. As Hansi Flick has already put pieces of Barca’s puzzle together, we are tempted to bet on the high-flying visitors. The likes of Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Frenkie De Jong, Ronald Araujo, Gavi, and Andreas Christensen are injured for the visiting side, but Flick still has a number of top-class players to choose from, including Pedri, Lewandowski, and Raphinha.

Score Prediction: As Monaco 0 – 2 Barcelona

Buoyed by a 3-0 win over Valencia, Atletico Madrid will look to give fans yet another reason to celebrate when they take on Leipzig in their Champions League opener. Los Rojiblancos have been showing signs of improvement of late and there is every chance Diego Simeone will stick to his rotation policy. Julian Alvarez should be recalled to the starting eleven as well as Rodrigo Riquelme, while Reinildo Mandava has overcome his injury. 

The Red Bulls, on the other hand, failed to impress in a goalless draw with Union Berlin at the weekend. As Atletico Madrid are a real force to be reckoned with at home, we predict that the visitors are going to return to Germany empty-handed. In their last meeting in the elite competitions Leipzig defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1, meaning that the hosts are hungry for revenge. The good news for the visitors is that towering defender Willi Orban is back from the Bundesliga ban.

Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2 – 1 RB Leipzig

After surviving Brentford in the Premier League round 4, Manchester City will look to kickstart their Champions League campaign in style when they face Inter on Wednesday evening. Last year Man City defeated Inter in the Champions League final, meaning that the visitors are hungry for revenge. However, Pep Guardiola’s troops are seen as hot favourites to win this showdown due to their perfect start to the new Premier League season. Both Rodri and Josko Guardiol return to the starting XI, with Bernardo Silva pushing for a recall as well. Both Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb miss out with injuries.

The Nerazzurri, on the other hand, dropped two points in a 1-1 draw with Monza at the weekend and seeing that Man City have turned their Etihad Stadium into a real fortress, home win should be considered. Forward Tajon Buchanan should be the only absentee in the away team, while both Mehdi Taremi and Denzel Dumfries are pushing for a start.

Score Prediction: Manchester City 2 – 1 Inter Milan

PSG play host to Girona at their Parc des Princes in the opening match of their Champions League campaign. Les Parisiens have been scoring goals for fun in the new Ligue 1 campaign and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play against the Champions League debutants on Wednesday afternoon. There are no fresh injury worries in the home team, but all Vitinha, Warren Ziare-Emery, Goncalo Ramos, Presnel Kimpembe, and Lucas Hernandez remain in the treatment room. Forward Randal Kolo Muani is pushing for a start.

The Catalans, on the other hand, experienced all sorts of problems at the back in a 4-1 loss to Barcelona and given their difficulties on the road, anything but a routine home win would be a big surprise. Ricard Artero and Garcia Jastin should be the only absentees in the away team, while pacey forward Portu is pushing for a start after providing a beautiful assist for Cristhian Stuani in the Catalan derby.

Score Predictions: PSG 3 – 1 Girona

High-flying Club Brugge will look to extend their winning run to five games when they take on Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League opener. Club Brugge have been scoring goals for fun of late and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play against the Yellow-Blacks. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be experienced midfielder Hans Vanaken, who scored a brace in a 3-0 win over Kortrijk at the weekend, while defender Bjorn Meijer remains in the recovery room.

Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, outplayed Heidenheim 4-2 in their last league match and given their attacking potential, both teams to score betting option should be considered. Club Brugge defenders should have pacey winger Karim Adeyemi at bay as the 22-year-old scored two goals in the last Bundesliga game. Both Giovanni Reyna and Kjell Watjen are injured for the visiting side.

Score Prediction: Club Brugge 1 – 1 Borussia Dortmund

Buoyed by back-to-back wins over Real Betis and Real Sociedad, Real Madrid will look to give fans yet another reason to celebrate when they take on Stuttgart in their Champions League opener. Summer signing Kylian Mbappe has been improving his game week by week and, no doubt, all eyes will be on the France superstar when the two sides face each other at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday. Brazil forward Rodrygo returns to the starting XI, while Brahim Diaz is a major doubt after limping off with injury at the weekend. All Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga, and David Alaba remain in the recovery room.

Die Schwaben, on the other hand, proved their worth in a 3-1 win over Borussia M’gladbach, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against the Champions League title holders. As Stuttgart suffered a 4-0 loss to Barcelona in their last away game in the elite competition, we are tempted to bet on los Blancos. All Al Dakhil, Kratzig, and Nartey are injured for the Bundesliga side.

Prediction: Real Madrid 3 – 1 VFB Stuttgart

Stadio San Siro will be the centre of attention when AC Milan and Liverpool square off against each other in the Champions League derby. The Rossoneri desperately needed a win against Venezia and they managed to get one, with the team regaining a much-needed confidence, but they do not want to stop now. Summer signing Alvaro Morata is a major doubt, while all Bennacer, Calabria, Florenzi, Sportiello, and Thiaw continue to miss out with injuries for the home side.

The Reds, on the other hand, produced an under-par performance in a shocking loss to Nottingham Forest and seeing that AC Milan are tough to beat at home, we do not believe that Arne Slot’s troops are capable of grabbing more than one point from Sunday’s clash. New recruit Federico Chiesa is unlikely to feature due to the lack of fitness, while midfielder Harvey Elliott has yet to overcome an ankle injury. Cody Gakpo is widely expected to return to the starting eleven.

Prediction: AC Milan 1 – 1 Liverpool

Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb face each other in a David-vs-Goliath clash at Allianz Arena in the Champions League round 1. The Bavarians made a promising start to the new Bundesliga campaign and they must be high on confidence following a 6-1 crushing of Holstein Kiel. As Vincent Kompany is doing a great job with the German powerhouse, anything but a routine home win would be a big surprise.

A man to watch in the home team will be Harry Kane, who scored a hat-trick at the weekend, while the likes of Buchmann, Ibrahimovic, Ito, Sane, and Stanisic remain in the recovery room. The Croatian champions, on the other hand, will have a mountain to climb in Munich. In their last meeting at Allianz Arena Bayern crushed Dinamo Zagreb 5-0 and we predict that history is going to repeat itself. The fact that the Dark Blues suffered a heart-breaking loss to their bitter rivals Hajduk Split at the weekend goes in favour of our earlier prediction.

Prediction: Bayern Munchen 4 – 1 Dinamo Zagreb