Champions League continues this week as round 5 kicks off. The top two games are in London, one on Tuesday and the following on Wednesday. First, Chelsea hosts Barcelona, and later Arsenal meets Bayern Munich.

These matches are the most interesting, but don’t think others won’t bring excitement. There are plenty of potential thrillers all across Europe.

Stay tuned and see some of our picks and predictions, along with UCL odds.

Chelsea VS Barcelona

Now, the Blues don’t play attractive football, and their wins aren’t convincing, yet Maresca’s team triumphs almost all the time. It’s no wonder that they sit high in the Premier League standings. So far, they have two wins, a loss, and a draw, the same as Barca, and are near the top of the top eight zone. In the previous 10 games, this team won 8 times, with one defeat and one tie.

As for Barcelona, they are accelerating. Over the past 4 matches, Hansi Flick’s unit has scored 18 goals, which proves their fantastic offensive potential. Though the defense is fragile, and Blaugrana struggles to protect its net. The most recent triumph was 4-0 over Bilbao in the return at Camp Nou, which was the first clean sheet after 10 straight games.

This game will be open and offensive-minded because Barca plays that way, and Chelsea won’t have many options. It’s why we pick both teams to score and over 2.5 goals.

Pick: Both teams to score & Over 2.5 goals

Arsenal VS Bayern Munich

The Gunners look pretty tough, and after a long time, we are finally witnessing them as a genuine title contender across all competitions they participate in. The mix of physicality and tactical and technical equipment makes Arsenal one of the best teams in Europe. It seems that Arteta finally got what he wanted, and the most recent win over Tottenham, 4-1, is absolute proof of that.

On the other hand, there is Bayern Munich, which casually rolls over all its rivals in the Bundesliga. Last weekend, we saw them crush Freiburg 6-2, even though the guests had a two-goal lead early into the first half. The team from Munich still hasn’t lost since the season started, having 17 victories and only one tie. In all the games we saw them netting at least twice.

This will be the battle of two tough teams, though we have to give a slight edge to the hosts. One reason is home-field advantage, and the other is that the Gunners faced tougher rivals, as they play in the Premier League. We wouldn’t say Bayern hasn’t been tested enough, but let’s just put it that Arsenal had more tests than the Germans.

Pick: Arsenal

Liverpool VS PSV

We strongly believe this is it for Aarne Slot, who is under heavy pressure now. He not only missed all the transfers this summer, but completely lost the handle on the team. Liverpool is falling apart, and that’s a fact. The slap in the face vs. Nottingham at home, 0-3, will hurt for a long time, and another defeat would be the last straw for the fans and the board, probably.

Meanwhile, PSV is winning in a series, and for the moment, this unit hasn’t lost in 11 straight games, triumphing in 8 of them. Though just one victory in the Champions League suggests they aren’t so competitive outside the Dutch championship, that one came against Napoli, whom they defeated 6-2.

Anyway, we have to bet on Liverpool here, because this is a “do or die” situation for them, and there’s no room for error.

Pick: Liverpool

 

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