UEFA Champions League Picks - 18 October 2011

Rob Alexander hunts out some value from Wednesday night's Champions League fixtures

London sides Chelsea and Arsenal are in action this evening as the third match week of the Champions League group stage comes to an end. Chelsea take on Racing Genk at Stamford Bridge and will be very confident of maintaining their position at the top of Group E with victory over the Belgian side. Also in Group E, Bayer Leverkusen host Valencia in what promises to be a keenly contested tie.

Arsenal on the other hand face a tough trip to Olympique Marseille, who have started well in the Champions League with two wins from two. This is in stark contrast to their Ligue 1 form, where Didier Deschamps side have won just one match in ten and sit just above the relegation zone. Arsenal are beginning to turn around their poor start to the season and will be hopeful of derailing Marseille's good start to the European campaign. Olympiakos host Borussia Dortmund in the other match in Group F.

Two of the most successful teams in European Cup and Champions League history are in action tonight and will be expected to ease to victory. AC Milan take on FC BATE Borisov in Milan, while FC Barcelona face Champions League new boys Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic. Anything other than wins for Milan and Barcelona will be the biggest shocks of the evening.

Group G is likely to be the tightest in the whole competition as all the teams involved seem pretty evenly matched. Shakhtar Donetsk host Zenit St Petersburg in a bid to win their first match of the group after losing to FC Porto and only managing a draw against group leaders APOEL. The Cypriots travel to Portugal in another intriguing encounter.

Wednesday Picks

Olympiakos v Borussia Dortmund

Olympiakos take on Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund in a bid to get their first points in Group F. Their opponents had a stuttering start to the season, but with three victories in a row in their domestic league they are back in the title race.

Dortmund did lose 3-0 away to Olympique Marseille last time out but will be determined to claim victory and get their Champions League campaign back on track. A draw in this match would probably see both sides end up competing for third place in Group F so it is a must win for both sides if they realistically want to qualify for the next round.

OIympiakos are always tough to play at home and will not be easy to break down but I fancy Borussia Dortmund to start their challenge to Arsenal and Olympique Marseille with a slim victory in Greece.

Bet 2 points on Borussia Dortmund -0.5 at 2.15 with bet365.

Bayer Leverkusen v Valencia

Valencia travel to Germany to take on Bayer Leverkusen in what promises to be a keenly contested Group E clash. With Chelsea expected to win their match against Racing Genk, both sides will be determined to claim all three points to keep their quest for qualification in good shape.

Surprisingly, Bayer Leverkusen are firm favourites to win the match, perhaps due to Valencia's previous away result (a 0-0 draw at Racing Genk). One has to remember that Valencia were yet to play a La Liga match at this stage, whereas Genk were already well into the start of their season.

Both sides have had decent starts to their Champions League campaigns, with Bayer Leverkusen defeating Genk last time out, while Valencia managed to salvage a draw at home to group leaders Chelsea.The Spanish side are yet to win a match so far but victory this evening will see them move to at least second in the table.

I fancy Valencia to have too much for Bayer Leverkusen and claim second spot in the group as their own. Leverkusen's home form hasn't been brilliant so far this season and with Roberto Soldado on fire for Valencia, the Leverkusen defence faces a tough test.

Bet 1 point on Valencia -0.5 at 3.0 with bet365