Sports Blog 31/10/2017: Football Preview – UEFA Champions League, Tuesday 31st October 2017

Can the unbeaten start to the Champions League continue for the competition’s English clubs this Tuesday?

First up is Manchester United, who take on Benfica at 7.45pm on BT Sport 2. United are one of the teams to have won all 3 of their group stage games so far, putting them in firm command of Group A. Yet October has seen the United frontline become a bit sluggish, with only 5 goals in 5 games compared to the 33 in 11 across August and September.



Though he sits at a Super Mega PGM of 60-70 Romelu Lukaku has been a notable absentee from the score sheet, failing to find the back of the net all month. Marcus Rashford has stepped up during the Belgian’s drought, and heads into Tuesday night at 28-34.

As for Benfica, they’ve been abysmal in Europe, with one goal scored and no points collected. That’s highly unlikely to change this week, with Spreadex offering a hefty Manchester United/Benfica Goal Supremacy spread of 1.4-1.6 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.65-2.85.

Next up is Chelsea, who travel to Roma at 7.45pm on BT Sport 2. While not quite as flawless as Man United – who they actually face on Sunday – the Blues have 7 points from 3 games in a far tougher group, the one blemish being the thrilling 3-3 draw against the Italians. They’ve been a bit more inconsistent in the league, though they have won their last 2 games after back-to-back losses against Man City and Crystal Palace.



Both Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi have scored 7 goals in all competitions, though the latter has been more prolific in Europe, and sit at Super Mega PGMs of 33-39 and 27-32 respectively. Roma, meanwhile, have Edin Dzeko – who scored a brace at Stamford Bridge – on 10 goals, and at a Super Mega PGM of 51-59.

The Italians can usurp Chelsea at the top Group C with a win on Tuesday; they may be a bit weary, however, as the European fixture will be their 4th in 9 days. Still, after their last game it's too close to call, at a choice Roma/Chelsea Goal Supremacy spread-0.1-0.1 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.95-3.15.

Finally, and onto a side who certainly have not had an unbeaten start to this season’s European campaign, Celtic host Bayern Munich at 7.45pm on BT Sport ESPN. The Scots are effectively playing for 3rd place in Group B, and therefore entrance to the Europa League. Against PSG they were battered 5-0, while their trip to Bayern Munich ended in a 3-0 defeat; they did impress in Anderlecht, however, with a comfortable 3-0 win leaving them with a good chance of remaining in Europe in some capacity.



As for Bayern, they’ve looked strong since Jupp Heynckes replaced Carlo Ancelotti in early October. Under his watch the German champs have conceded just one goal in 5 games, while scoring 12. That latter figure should jump by quite a bit on Tuesday, with Spreadex offering a troubling Bayern Munich/Celtic (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 1.45-1.65 alongside a Total Goals spread of 3.3-3.5.