Chris Rivers has picked out four best bets for the Champions League on Wednesday in a 10/1 accumulator.
Best bets
Shakhtar Donetsk double chance v Royal Antwerp @ 1/1
Both teams to score in Crvena Zvezda v Young Boys @ 13/20
Both teams to score in RB Leipzig v Manchester City @ 13/20
Porto double chance v Barcelona @ 10/11
Accumulator 10/1
Royal Antwerp v Shakhtar Donetsk (17:45)
Royal Antwerp were given a harsh footballing lesson on their Champions League debut on matchday one when taken apart by Barcelona and the shock of that 5-0 defeat lingers on.
Since losing in Spain, the Belgian champions have failed to win their next three league matches, all of which finished as goalless draws.
Head coach Mark van Bommel is having to contend with a few injuries too and they are worth opposing when hosting experienced Champions League campaigners Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Ukrainians slipped to a 3-1 defeat to Porto in their opening game and were beaten at the weekend by Vorskla.
But that was Shakhtar’s first domestic defeat of the season and they are currently unbeaten in seven games away from home, while they avoided defeat in three of their five European away games last season, a run that included an impressive 4-1 win at RB Leipzig.
Crvena Zvezda v Young Boys (20:00)
With Manchester City and RB Leipzig taking up the other two spots in Group G, this is a key matchup in the likely race for a Europa League spot between Crvena Zvezda and Young Boys.
Both should take a positive approach to this fixture as the Serbian champions go in search of a first group stage win since 2019, while Young Boys are gunning for a maiden group stage away win.
Both sides lost their opening games 3-1, with Crvena Zvezda putting in a creditable performance at Manchester City as they scored for the 11th time in the last 12 Champions League matches, including qualifiers.
Both these sides found the net when they met in a qualifying tie in 2019 and Young Boys head into this clash in decent goalscoring form having netted in their last seven games in all competitions.
RB Leipzig v Manchester City (20:00)
Injury-hit Manchester City head to Germany bidding to avoid losing three on the bounce for the first time since 2018 after recent defeats at both Newcastle and Wolves.
That won’t be easy against an in-form RB Leipzig side that had won six on the spin before Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, a game they should have won after taking a 2-0 lead.
That match against Bayern showed the good and the bad of Marco Rose’s men as they scored for the 16th competitive game running, only to then concede for the fourth time in the last five home games.
Manchester City have kept three clean sheets in 11 games this season and have found the going tough on two previous visits to Leipzig, which have produced a 2-1 defeat and a 1-1 draw.
The reigning European champions have only failed to score once this season and can play their part in what promises to be an entertaining game.
Porto v Barcelona (20:00)
Barcelona made a statement with a 5-0 win over Royal Antwerp on matchday one but should find the going far tougher when they make the short trip to Portugal to face Porto.
Barca are unbeaten this season but have ridden their luck since the win over Antwerp, needing an own goal to beat Sevilla on Friday having had to come from behind against Celta Vigo and Mallorca previously.
They have lost four of their last six Champions League away games and with a few players missing through injury, they may find Porto a tricky opponent.
Porto have won five of the last seven meetings with Spanish sides and have a good record at this stage of the competition, losing only three of their last 14 home group-stage clashes.
