We’re just one step away from the coveted Champions League, but the big question is, who will make it through? Will it be sensational underdogs or experienced favorites? We’ve prepared a breakdown of this week’s most interesting matchups for you.
Rangers vs Club Brugge
Russell Martin’s side has thrown all their efforts into reaching the main stage of Europe’s top club tournament. In the Scottish Premiership, the Glasgow team started with two draws against unimpressive opponents but managed to get past a strong Czech side, Viktoria Plzeň, on aggregate. The home team has no major injury setbacks, aside from a misunderstanding with Dessers, and Rangers are traditionally successful in the Champions League at Ibrox Stadium.
Club Brugge has started the new season well and found the resources to compete on all fronts at once. The “Blauw-Zwart” have already won the Belgian Super Cup, started the Pro League with three wins in four matches, and defeated RB Salzburg in both legs of their European tie.
The guests’ vast experience in the Champions League makes them a serious opponent for almost any team, but Club Brugge is slightly less confident on the road. Therefore, it’s logical to keep Rangers as the home favorite.
Betting pick: Rangers Asian Handicap (0) with odds of 2.15
Crvena Zvezda vs Pafos FC
Both teams are in excellent form heading into the match. In their last ten official matches, Crvena Zvezda has nine wins and just one draw. Pafos has won seven, drawn two, and suffered one defeat.
The Serbs have had a strong start to the season, completely dominating their domestic league, where they often field a second-string squad against weaker opponents. At the same time, the Balkan side also has problems: suspensions for key central defender Rodrigo and star midfielder Rade Krunić, as well as injuries to three other important players. Unlike Pafos, Crvena Zvezda doesn’t have a reliable defense—the team regularly concedes goals, even in the Serbian league.
The Cypriots have already created a small miracle by reaching this stage, but they will find themselves in an unaccustomed and uncomfortable environment at the Serbs’ packed home arena—and will most likely be defeated.
Betting pick: Crvena Zvezda to win + Over 1.5 Goals with odds of 1.75
Basel vs FC Copenhagen
Basel is not in the best form heading into the first leg of the Champions League play-offs. In the league, Joël Magnin’s men have only picked up six points from four rounds, losing twice to their opponents, and a 6-1 victory in the cup over third-division side Biel doesn’t add much optimism. They are not always able to compensate for their defensive problems with goals: the Swiss team has conceded in every official match this new season, and their attack, led by Shaqiri, isn’t always effective.
FC Copenhagen, on the other hand, has confidently navigated the previous qualifying rounds, not conceding a single goal in four matches. In the Danish league, the “Lions” are also among the leaders, winning four of five matches (scoring 12 and conceding 6 goals).
Given the difference in form and defensive solidity, the Danish club looks like the favorite for the two-legged tie, although the Swiss side can hold their own for at least a draw at St. Jakob-Park thanks to their experience and crowd support. Basel doesn’t usually play defensively in home games. I suggest a bet specifically on shots from the Swiss team.
Betting pick: Basel Total Shots Over 14.5 with odds of 1.99
Celtic vs Kairat Almaty
Celtic has some squad issues—two of last season’s attacking leaders have left the team, and proper replacements have not yet been found. That’s where the difficulties end. The “Celts” have significantly more experience: last year they reached the Champions League play-offs and gave a real fight to Bayern (1:2, 1:1). The Scots are in great form right now: after seven friendly matches, the team has won three consecutive official matches in the domestic championship.
Kairat defeated Slovan on penalties and became only the third representative from the Kazakhstani championship in history to reach the final stage of the Champions League play-offs. This is already the club’s best-ever result, but it will be extremely difficult to advance further. An additional blow is the suspension of Hromyko, and the first match will be away, where the Almaty side has had poor results: in three away games in the current Champions League qualifiers, they have lost twice and drawn once. So, it’s logical to assume that Celtic will come out on top.
Most likely, Kairat will once again have to rely on a home comeback, as they did against KuPS. However, the scoreline in Glasgow could be bigger than 2-0: the difference in class is too great, and the incredible crowd support will be a serious factor against the visitors. It’s likely that the Almaty side will play defensively and hope for counter-attacks. In such a defensive scenario, the most probable outcome will be many corners for the Scots.
Betting pick: Celtic Total Corners Over 7.5 with odds of 2.0
Fenerbahçe vs Benfica
Fenerbahçe was not fazed by the away defeat in the first leg against Feyenoord. At home, the “Canaries” proved to be highly effective, scoring five goals against their opponent to advance to face Benfica. José Mourinho’s team, in both friendlies and official matches, shows how versatile they can be in attack. The Turkish giant knows how to ruthlessly punish opponents for sloppy possession near their own goal, and Benfica recently fell victim to this very mistake in a friendly match.
Benfica has had a perfect start to the season: they won the Portuguese Super Cup after a victory over Sporting, secured a confident win against Nice in the Champions League, and began their domestic championship with a win over Estrela. The main secret to this success is their solid defense and a lack of conceded goals. Bruno Lage has thoroughly worked on the compactness of the midfield and defense since the Club World Cup.
But will this defensive wall withstand the furious pressure from the Turkish giant? A tense clash between two equally matched opponents is expected and could very well end in a draw, though a narrow win for Fenerbahçe is not out of the question.
Betting pick: Fenerbahçe Asian Handicap (0) with odds of 1.86