Finland vs England Predictions & Betting Tips
11 October, 2024
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After a tough 2-1 loss to Greece on Thursday, England face Finland in Matchday 4…
Champions League Betting Tips & Predictions 11 & 12
Barcelona v Tottenham
To start off our Champions League betting tips for Dec 11 & 12 we look at Barcelona v Tottenham. It’s the final round of matches from this season’s Champions League group stages and football fans and punters have some fascinating contests to enjoy, none more so than this. It’s an all-or-nothing set-up for Tottenham. To earn themselves a place in the next round they must beat one of the giants of European football, on their own patch no less. Barcelona will win Group B at a canter; they are already six points ahead of Spurs in second, showing stats of four wins and one draw.
Will they take their foot off the gas now the job is done? That doesn’t sound like the Barca we all know and love, especially at the Nou Camp. If this match was played at Wembley and the Spaniards had already guaranteed their progress, you’d feel more comfortable about Tottenham’s chances; however, that’s not the case and we fear the worst. The locals beat PSV 2-1 in Holland to finish as champions of the pool, Messi and Pique scoring the goals that mattered.
It’s all on the line
Tottenham must be given credit for the way they have saved their Champions League skin; previously, they looked dead and buried at the half-way point of the campaign with just one win taken from the first nine available to them. The Premier League side battled back with a hard-fought victory over PSV at Wembley last month; they doubled up when securing a surprise win at the same venue when Inter Milan came calling. That has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons.
Eriksen scored the only goal of the game to down the Italians and help his side gain revenge; he netted the winner on 80 minutes. Although it was a tight match that could’ve gone either way, Inter were seemingly happy to play for a point, there could be no real arguments over the result at the final whistle. Pochettino oozed confidence in his post-match interview, assuring the media and fans his band of brothers can go and finish the job with an away win over Barcelona.
What the bookies say
This is a fascinating group heading into the final leg and there’s a couple of ways Spurs can go through. However, the easiest is by winning in Spain to finish second. They’d rather do without a favour, but if PSV beat Inter Milan then this result will not matter. A big ask, considering Eindhoven have a record of one draw and four defeats from five, losing each of their last two.
That makes it a two-way shoot-out between Spurs and Milan; however, bookies have Tottenham written off for the away win with Unibet confident enough to offer a chunky 3/1. With Barca having nothing to play for that may just catch the eye of value hunters looking to nick a profit. One for small stakes, if you’re going to take it.
The draw has been written off by Bet365 who trade 14/5, with 3/4 on a home win the general idea. Unromantic, of course, but we’re with the favourite. Both score and Barca win is our bet at 15/8 (Bet365).
What the stats say
Barcelona and Tottenham have met three times before in recorded competitive action and the head-to-head doesn’t make for great reading with Barca winning 2-0 with one game ending as a draw. Neither result would do the away dressing room any favours on Tuesday. The aggregate score in those three games is Barcelona 6-3 Tottenham, which adds confidence to our bet.
The pair first met in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1982 when grinding out a 1-1 in England before Barca edged a 1-0 on their own patch. Tighter than many expected but there was nothing close about the most recent face-off, Barcelona storming to a 4-2 away win earlier this season, thanks to goals from Countinho, Rakitic and a Messi double. The beaten side hit back through Kane and Lamela. Fans could do without the same drama this time if their side is able to get the points.
