If you are a keen sports betting fan and especially for football, then this week offers you some of the most exciting games of the season.
That’s because this week is Matchday 5 in all the main UEFA Competitions with of course the main focus being on the Champions League.
Matchday 5 is a crucial week because it is often the set of games where many teams clinch their spot in the knockout phase, or perhaps a third-place finish for a spot in the Europa League playoff after Christmas.
As such, there is often plenty at stake in many of the games being contested on this particular game week which makes it all the more exciting.
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Let’s now take a look at the eight Champions League Groups this week, together with the fixtures to be played and what is required for each team to progress to the knockout phase or win the group or secure third place for a place in the Europa League.
We will then follow that with our tips for each game this week with odds provided by bet365 Sport and correct at the time of writing (but they may have changed in the run up to each game).
Teams qualified for the knockout phase are shown in Italics and marked with a ‘Q’.
If the team is also in bold it means they have clinched the top spot in the group.
Champions League Matchday 5 Preview
Group A Standings
- Napoli – 12pts (+13) Q
- Liverpool – 9pts (+6)
- Ajax Amsterdam – 3pts (-4)
- Rangers – 0pts (-15)
Napoli have already qualified from Group A.
Liverpool need one point from their remaining two games in order to clinch qualification to the knockout phase.
Group A Fixtures
Wed 26th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Ajax v Liverpool
- Napoli v Rangers
Correct Score Tips
- Ajax 1-1 Liverpool – 15/2
- Napoli 4-0 Rangers – 10/1
Tue 1st November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Rangers v Ajax
- Liverpool v Napoli
Group B Standings
- Club Brugge – 10pts (+7) Q
- FC Porto – 6pts (-0)
- Atletico Madrid – 4pts (-3)
- Bayer Leverkusen – 3pts (-4)
Club Brugge have qualified from this group as they have a better head-to-head record over Atletico Madrid, who can only match their points total.
Group B Fixtures
Wed 26th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Club Brugge v FC Porto (5.45pm)
- Atletico Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen
Correct Score Tips
- Club Brugge 0-0 FC Porto – 10/1
- Atletico Madrid 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen – 13/2
Tue 1st November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Bayer Leverkusen v Club Brugge (5.45pm)
- FC Porto v Atletico Madrid (5.45pm)
Group C Standings
- Bayern Munich – 12pts (+11) Q
- Inter Milan – 7pts (+1)
- Barcelona – 4pts (+1)
- Viktoria Plzen – 0 pts (-13)
Bayern Munich have qualified for the knockout phase. A win over Barcelona this week, or an Inter Milan draw or defeat, would see them clinch the top spot in the group.
Inter Milan will join them if they win against Viktoria Plzen this week as they have a better head-to-head record against Barcelona.
Group C Fixtures
Wed 26th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Inter Milan v Viktoria Plzen (5.45pm)
- Barcelona v Bayern Munich
Correct Score Tips
- Inter Milan 3-0 Viktoria Plzen – 5/1
- Barcelona 2-3 Bayern Munich – 20/1
Tue 1st November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Viktoria Plzen v Barcelona
- Bayern Munich v Inter Milan
Group D Standings
- Tottenham Hotspurs – 7pts (+1)
- Marseille – 6pts (+2)
- Sporting Lisbon – 6pts (0)
- Eintracht Frankfurt – 4pts (-3)
Nothing can be decided in this group this week.
Group D Fixtures
Wed 26th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Eintracht Frankfurt v Marseille
- Tottenham v Sporting Lisbon
Correct Score Tips
- Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Marseille – 11/2
- Tottenham 2-0 Sporting Lisbon – 13/2
Tue 1st November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Marseille v Tottenham
- Sporting Lisbon v Eintracht Frankfurt
Group E Standings
- Chelsea – 7pts (+4)
- Red Bull Salzburg – 6pts (+1)
- Milan – 4pts (-3)
- Dinamo Zagreb – 4pts (-2)
If Milan and Zagreb draw their fixture, then the winner of the other game would qualify for the knockout phase.
Chelsea would qualify as group winners with a win should they win and the other game be a draw.
Group E Fixtures
Tue 25th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Red Bull Salzburg v Chelsea (5.45pm)
- Dinamo Zagreb v AC Milan
Correct Score Tips
- Red Bull Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea – 15/2
- Dinamo Zagreb 1-1 AC Milan – 6/1
Wed 2nd November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- AC Milan v Red Bull Salzburg
- Chelsea v Dinamo Zagreb
Group F Standings
- Real Madrid – 10pts (+6) Q
- Red Bull Leipzig – 6pts (-3)
- Shakhtar Donetsk – 5pts (+2)
- Celtic – 1pt (-5)
Real Madrid have qualified from the group as they cannot be caught by Leipzig and Donetsk, who both face each other on Matchday 6.
Group F Fixtures
Tue 25th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Red Bull Leipzig v Real Madrid
- Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk
Correct Score Tips
- Red Bull Leipzig 1-2 Real Madrid – 9/1
- Celtic 0-1 Shakhtar Donetsk – 12/1
Wed 2nd November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Shakhtar Donetsk v Red Bull Leipzig (5.45pm)
- Real Madrid v Celtic (5.45pm)
Group G Standings
- Manchester City – 10pts (+10) Q
- Borussia Dortmund – 7pts (+5)
- Sevilla – 2pts (-7)
- Copenhagen – 2pts (-8)
Manchester City have qualified from this group and will secure top spot in the group with a win this week in Dortmund.
Dortmund will qualify from the group with a win over Manchester City.
Group G Fixtures
Tue 25th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Sevilla v Copenhagen (5.45pm)
- Borussia Dortmund v Manchester City
Correct Score Tips
- Sevilla 1-0 Copenhagen – 11/2
- Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Manchester City – 12/1
Wed 2nd November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Copenhagen v Borussia Dortmund
- Manchester City v Sevilla
Group H Standings
- Paris St Germain – 8pts (+3)
- Benfica – 8pts (+3)
- Juventus – 3pts (-2)
- Maccabi Haifa – 3pts (-4)
If PSG win or draw, then they will qualify from the group.
If Benfica win or draw, then they will qualify from this group.
Group H Fixtures
Tue 25th October (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Benfica v Juventus
- Paris St Germain v Maccabi Haifa
Correct Score Tips
- Benfica 2-0 Juventus – 17/2
- Paris St Germain 3-0 Maccabi Haifa – 6/1
Wed 2nd November (8pm Kick Off Unless Stated)
- Maccabi Haifa v Benfica
- Juventus v Paris St Germain
Champions League Predictions
Group Winners (Top Seeds in Round of 16 Draw)
- Napoli
- Club Brugge
- Bayern Munich
- Tottenham
- Chelsea
- Real Madrid
- Manchester City
- Paris St Germain
Group Runners Up (Unseeded in Round of 16 Draw)
- Liverpool
- FC Porto
- Inter Milan
- Marseille
- Milan
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- Borussia Dortmund
- Benfica
In the Round of 16 draw, teams from the same countries cannot be drawn together and teams that played in the same group in the Group Stages cannot be drawn together.
Therefore, this would mean that Napoli would not be able to be drawn against Liverpool (also in Group A) as well as Inter Milan and AC Milan in the Round of 16 in the example shown above.
Group 3rd Place Teams (Europa League Playoff Qualifiers)
- Ajax Amsterdam
- Atletico Madrid
- Barcelona
- Sporting Lisbon
- Red Bull Salzburg
- Red Bull Leipzig
- Sevilla
- Juventus
These eight teams join the eight second placed teams from the Europa League Group Stages in the Playoff Stage of the Europa League knockout phase. The eight winners from those ties then go on to be drawn against the 8 Group Winners from the Europa League in the Round of 16.
Good luck this week and let’s hope that some of these tips prove to be winners!
