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Euro midweek football bonanza

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There may be no Champions League or Europa League action this week but there are a few games taking place in Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga throughout the week so we thought we’d take a look at the midweek fixtures.

There is a full programme in Serie A with most of the games taking place on Wednesday, but on Tuesday Fiorentina host defending champions Juventus in what could be an intriguing contest.

La Viola have won their last two home fixtures, against Udinese and Catania respectively, scoring four goals and conceding just once, while Juve sit at the top of the table having won all four of their league fixtures to date.

The Old Lady also demonstrated their resolve and desire with a 2-2 draw at Chelsea in the Champions League, having fought back from 2-0 down to seal a share of the spoils.

Juve have won convincingly in both away games to date, beating Genoa 3-1 and Udinese 4-1 and the Turin outfit appear to be the team to beat in Italy in these early stages of the season.

Fiorentina do have goals in them, however, and have found the net in each of their last five games, losing just once against Napoli.  The hosts will provide a stern test for Juve but the reigning champions should just about edge this tie and the best bet in this particular fixture could well be the away victory, which is priced at 11/10.

If you think Fiorentina can dent Juventus’ title charge they’re priced at 13/5 to take maximum points and the draw is 11/5.

Bayern Munich failed to secure any silverware last season for a second successive campaign and the giants of German football have begin the 2012-13 season with real purpose, winning all seven of their games to date and scoring 22 goals in the process.

Wolfsburg visit the Allianz Arena on Tuesday and Bayern should stroll to victory against a side who have drawn their last two games and sit 10th in the Bundesliga table.

Bayern are 1/5 to win the match but it may be worth considering a Bayern/Bayern result in the half-time/full-time market, which is priced at 4/9.

Eintracht Frankfurt also have a 100% record in the Bundesliga after four games but they face their biggest test yet on Tuesday when they host reigning champions Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund are yet to win on the road this season, with one defeat and one draw, yet they’re considered the 4/5 favourites to take all three points ahead of this fixture.

Dortmund undoubtedly have a stronger squad on paper than their opponents on Tuesday but they did lose a key player in Shinji Kagawa in the summer and could struggle to take maximum points on Tuesday.

Frankfurt look good value at 3/1 to seal the win on Tuesday and continue their fine start to the season, but the best bet could be the draw, which is priced at 13/5.

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Tangerines to tame Terriers

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Blackpool have the chance to reclaim top spot in the Championship table when they host Huddersfield Town in a roses clash on Monday night (Blackpool 4/6, draw 14/5, Huddersfield 4/1 Match Betting).

The encounter at Bloomfield Road will be a return for Simon Grayson to the club who he promoted to the second tier of English football before moving to Leeds United and now the Terriers.

Huddersfield make the trip across the Pennines on the back of two straight victories, over Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday, so confidence will be high in the side from West Yorkshire. The recent results have been all the more impressive after the side sold star striker Jordan Rhodes for £8m in the summer transfer window.

Grayson will be looking to strengthen his attacking options either in the emergency loan market or in the January transfer market, but for the trip to Bloomfield Road he will have to look to the likes of Lee Novak (8/1 first goalscorer), James Vaughan and Sean Scannell for goals.

The worry for the Huddersfield faithful is that only two goals have been scored between the three attackers, with the current topscorer being midfielder Adam Clayton, who followed Grayson from Leeds.

Huddersfield will be without John Lynch, as the defender is suspended for Monday night’s game having been shown a red card in the derby win over Wednesday in midweek. Lynch’s absence will see Anthony Gerrard fill the void alongside Peter Clarke in the heart of the Terries defence.

If those two players do start alongside each other they will certainly have their work cut out against a free-scoring Blackpool outfit, who have scored 15 goals in six games so far this term.

Tangerines boss Ian Holloway has the luxury of a full squad to select from and the tactician certainly has some talented players to choose from. Tom Ince (9/2 first goalscorer) has been the standout performer for the Seasiders and he will be a prime candidate for first goalscorer on Monday.

With the likes of Kevin Phillips, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Nathan Delfouneso, who scored two goals in midweek, Holloway’s side have plenty of attacking options.

Huddersfield have performed above expectation in the Championship so far and Grayson has really been showing his experience at this level. However, the Terriers look like they need one or two extra players just to bring that bit of quality to a hard working side, who will have no problem in avoiding relegation this term.

But it’s that lack of goals which could be their undoing on Monday night, as the home side will have attacking threats in so many areas of the field and on the substitute’s bench.

Holloway managed to change things around in midweek and the fact he can bring Barry Ferguson and Stephen Crainey back in the team shows how far they have come. It should be a competitive game but the Tangerines should come out on top as they head to the top of the Championship table.

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Rivals ready to go again

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Liverpool entertain bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield and champions Manchester City play host to Arsenal on a busy day of Premier League action and Totesport betting opportunities on Sunday.

Liverpool v Manchester United

These two great rivals meet upon a backdrop of emotion following the release of Hillsborough documents last week. Both clubs have appealed to the fans to end the unsavoury chanting that have dogged these fixtures in recent years, but not to lose the great rivalry that makes this game so special. Liverpool (7/4) have the recent edge in this fixture, having won four and lost none of their last five games in all competitions at home to United (13/8). However, the Reds have made a stumbling start to life under Brendan Rodgers and are yet to register a league win this campaign. They have struggled for goals and with Wayne Rooney also absent for the visitors, chances should be at a premium. The best bet appears to be the 1-1 draw priced at 11/2.

Newcastle v Norwich

Chris Hughton will be guaranteed a warm reception by the Newcastle fans when he makes his first return to St James’ Park since being controversially sacked in December 2010. His successor, Alan Pardew, is equally popular after guiding the Magpies (8/11) to fifth place last season. They face a Norwich (4/1) team who are showing signs of ’second season syndrome’. After a magnificent 12th place finish upon their return to the top flight last year, the Canaries have struggled for goals this time around and are still searching for their first win. With Toon striker Demba Ba showing signs of getting back to his best with a brace at Everton on Monday, it’s unlikely City will get the points here. Back a 3-0 Newcastle win priced @ 12/1.

Manchester City v Arsenal

Both Manchester City (8/11) and Arsenal (9/5) have made solid starts to the season and will put their early title credentials to the test at the Etihad Stadium. City were taught a harsh footballing lesson at Real Madrid on Tuesday, conceding two last minute goals to lose 3-2. Meanwhile Champions League veterans Arsenal won 2-1 at Montpellier. Don’t expect goals on Sunday though, there have been just six goals scored in the last six league meetings between the two sides. All three fixtures finished 1-0 last season and history looks likely to repeat itself here, back 1-0 to City priced @ 6-1.

Tottenham v QPR

Spurs (1/2) will go hunting for their first home win of the season at the fourth time of asking against QPR (6/1) on Sunday. After a shaky start, Andre Villas-Boas’ men have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks, defeating Reading 3-1 last weekend and drawing with Italian side Lazio in the Europa League on Thursday. Despite a summer of heavy investment QPR have yet to really get going this season, though they will be encouraged by a solid display in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea last weekend. They are very poor travellers though, taking just three points from their last 45 available and that run looks unlikely to improve here. Back the 2-0 win to Spurs priced @ 6/1.

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Tigers out to maul Foxes

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Hull City have got that all important winning momentum behind them which will be put to the test when they make the trip to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester City (Leicester Evs, draw 12/5, Hull 11/4 Match Betting) on Sunday.

The Tigers have enjoyed their best start to a season in 19 years under manager Steve Bruce, who has seen his side win their last three outing in the Championship.

A 3-2 victory over Yorkshire rivals Leeds United at Elland Road in midweek will have given the squad plenty of confidence, for what will be a difficult trip to the East Midlands against another promotion contender.

Hull have shown plenty of resilience in the league this term and their three recent wins saw the side come back after going behind to claim the victories in two of the encounters.

If Bruce’s side go behind at the King Power Stadium, don’t rule out the Tigers still getting something out of the game, as they look to strengthen their position in the top six (28/1 Leicester HT/ Hull FT).

Hull are still without the likes of Matty Fryatt, Jack Hobbs and Tom Cairney through injury but so far they have been able to fill the void left by the trio.

In better news for Bruce, he has been able to welcome back Paul McKenna into the fold and the influential midfielder will be able to add plenty experience in the middle of the park to contrast with the likes of Robert Koren.

Jay Simpson was largely quiet against Leeds but he is a threat at Championship level and Leicester will have to keep an eye out for the striker, who has bagged three goals this season.

As for the Foxes manager Nigel Pearson he will be determined to get one over on his former employers who he joined in June 2010 before returning to Leicester just over a year later.

The home side will be pleased to welcome back playmaker and talented goalscorer Andy King who has been out of action with a hamstring injury but will return for Sunday’s encounter.

Leicester themselves are on a decent run at the moment, having secured wins over both Wolves and Burnley in their last two outings.

Looking at both sides, this game should certainly have goals in it, as Hull have only failed to score once against the Foxes in their last 18 league meetings.

With King returning and the likes of Jamie Vardy and Ben Marshall at their disposal, Leicester have the ability to score goals and backed by their home crowd they will be a tough proposition.

However, Hull have looked very impressive in recent weeks and Bruce and his men may well be heading back to Yorkshire with all three points on Sunday evening (11/1 Hull 2-1 win – correct score).

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Blues to get back on track

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The Premier League action continues on Saturday with six games in total and the one that stands out most is the meeting between Chelsea and Stoke, which sees a true clash of cultures (Match Betting – Chelsea 1/3, draw 4/1, Stoke 19/2).

The Blues will go into the match full of disappointment, having squandered a two goal lead in the Champions League against Juventus and will be looking to get straight back on track after their superb start to the campaign.

One of the only bright spots to come out of Wednesday’s draw was the performance of Brazilian youngster Oscar, who will be desperate to continue his progress following his brilliant display in his first start for the club.

Unlike last year when they visibly struggled, the Potters don’t have European football to deal with this time around and should be fresh ahead of the game at Stamford Bridge.

Tony Pulis’ men will surely be looking to use their physical advantage over the Blues and, after seeing their defensive frailties in midweek, are likely to try and expose their opponents at the back.

This one really does have the potential for an upset but Chelsea may feel they have a point to prove and should come through comfortably (Chelsea 5/1 to win 2-0).

The other game that really stands out on Saturday is the clash between Southampton and Aston Villa at St Mary’s (Match Betting – Southampton 7/5, draw 12/5, Villa 2/1).

This may not be the most glamorous tie but with both sides struggling so far this term, three points could prove vital come the end of the campaign. Southampton truly were a breath of fresh air in the opening weeks, as their cavalier style saw them come agonisingly close to wins over both Manchester clubs.

However, they were outclassed by Arsenal last Saturday and it will be interesting to see how they respond to that drubbing.

Despite the positively brought to the club following the summer appointment of Paul Lambert, Villa unfortunately look set for another long and difficult season. Now bereft of the talent that saw them look set to go on and challenge for the title under Martin O’Neill, the Villains currently have to rely on seasoned veterans and unproven youngsters.

Despite this though, they earned a surprise win against Swansea last time out and will be looking to kick on after their sluggish start to the season.

Like the first game, this looks almost too close to call but the Saints will be desperate to win and should come through in what may turn out to be a thriller (Match Betting 28/1 to win 3-2).

In the other games, Swansea will be confident of continuing their fine home form against injury-plagued Everton, while West Brom will fancy themselves to carry on Reading’s dismal return to the Premier League.

Elsewhere, West Ham will be hopeful of earning another home win against Sunderland while Fulham will see their trip to Wigan as a superb chance to earn their first away points of the campaign.

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Boro seek away-day cure

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Blackburn Rovers will attempt to stretch their unbeaten run in the Championship to seven games when they entertain Middlesbrough at Ewood Park on Friday (Blackburn 8/11 draw 5/2 Middlesbrough 3/1 – 90 minutes).

Wins for the 9/2 favourites in the Championship outright betting against Hull, Leicester and Barnsley on home soil already means this represents a big ask for Tony Mowbray’s men and a poor record on the road, carried over from last season, suggests it is difficult to build a case for the away win even at a not-too-shabby price.

Boro have lost against Barnsley, Millwall and, last time out, Blackpool away from the Riverside Stadium and only won 10 out of 23 road trips in the Championship last season.

Steve Kean’s side proved they can win from behind on Tuesday when recovering from a Jacob Mellis goal to collect maximum points with efforts from marquee signing Jordan Rhodes and Nuno Gomes five minutes from the end, although the outcome could have been different had Marlon Harewood not missed a fine chance for Barnsley with the score locked at 1-1.

It means it is the club’s longest unbeaten run at the start of a campaign since they won the Premier League in 1994/95, when they went seven games without a loss.

Scotland sharp-shooter Rhodes has now scored three goals in three games for his new club and should not be ignored in the Anytime Scorer market.

Boro make the trip to Lancashire having been spanked 4-1 by Blackpool, the 7/1 second favourites in the Championship outright betting, on Tuesday and Mowbray has demanded a “reaction”.

He said: “If we can win at Blackburn then that would be better than drawing two games – which happened at times last season.”

Injuries to key players and new signings struggling to find their feet have made for a difficult start to the new season for Mowbray, although the club’s impressive home form negates this argument.

Boro, sat in 11th, are just two points off Huddersfield Town in the last play-off place and yet just four points above Charlton in the final relegation spot, such is the tight nature of the Championship, and they have scored in two out of three away games in the league.

If they can click they could easily find themselves climbing the table and the way to go here might be to take the both teams to score option.

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Eintracht aim to preserve perfect start

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Looking across Europe’s top leagues on Friday evening, there are some tasty games in France and Germany to whet the appetite for the weekend’s action.

FC Nurnburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (7.30pm)

The first Bundesliga clash of the next few days sees two sides go head-to-head who have made impressive starts this season and this could well be the game of the weekend in Germany.

Eintracht (9/4) have, in fact, begun perfectly and boast a 100 per cent record after three games so Nurnburg (EVS), who themselves have won two out of three, will know they will be in for a tough evening.

Victories over Bayer Leverkusen (2-1), a thumping 4-0 triumph at Hoffenheim and a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Hamburg mean the visitors will surely approach this clash with plenty of confidence as they sit second in the table behind Bayern Munich, who have also started with three wins from three.

Early-season results can sometimes be misleading with teams firing out of the blocks before fading badly but Eintracht appear to have plenty of talent in their squad to realistically mount a top-five Bundesliga challenge.

Goals have been not been a problem so far with Alexander Meier and Stephane Aigner, who have two apiece, particularly catching the eye.

Nurnburg, however, will be no pushovers and, with home backing, may also fancy their chances of a victory to maintain their good start.

Two impressive away wins (1-0 against Hamburg and 3-2 over Borussia Monchengladbach) have been sandwiched by a decent 1-1 draw at home against champions Borussia Dortmund.

A lack of star names means both sides focus on hard work and team spirit first and, with results going well so far for both, expect a tight contest with a draw appealing at 9/4. Goals look on the cards too and an entertaining 2-2 is tempting at 14/1 in the correct score market.

Montpellier v St Etienne (7.45pm)

The big game in Le Championnat on Friday sees out-of-form champions Montpellier (11/10) hoping to kick-start the defence of their title with a win over St Etienne (9/4, draw 2/1).

Montpellier were surprise winners of Ligue 1 last term and many people will not be surprised to see them struggling at the start of the campaign as they wrestle with higher expectations and the added burden of Champions League football.

So far, Rene Giraud’s side have managed just one win from five domestically (a 1-0 victory at Sochaux) and have been held to draws by Lyon and Toulouse while they have been beaten by Marseille and Lorient.

Clearly, all is not well, and the midweek 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in Europe, while no disgrace, shows their fallibility, especially as they threw away an early lead against the Gunners.

St Etienne, though, have not made a particularly good start themselves and sit in 10th place after five games, winning just two and losing the other three.

However, on closer inspection, their defeats have all been by just the single goal whereas the two wins were a fine 3-0 triumph over Bastia and a 4-0 hammering of Stade Brest.

Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is someone Montpellier will have to keep a close eye on with the striker proving a real handful to opposing defences so far as he has managed three goals and generally caused havoc up front.

There’s a case to be made for both sides to come out on top in this, too, but we think the visitors can snatch it, to therefore continue the champions’ poor start. Go for 2-1 to St Etienne at 11/1.

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Easy does it for English clubs

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The Europa League group stages get underway on Thursday with a number of enticing matches involving English clubs, as Liverpool travel to Switzerland to face Young Boys, Newcastle meet Maritimo and Tottenham (14/1 third favourite Europa League outright) take on Lazio.

All three sides have been mentioned as possible winners of the tournament and it’ll certainly be interesting to see how they get on following fairly mediocre starts to their league campaigns.

In one of the early kick-offs, out-of-form Liverpool face perhaps the toughest test of the three sides when they take on Young Boys in Bern (Match Betting – Young Boys 2/1, draw 9/4, Liverpool 11/8).

Much has been made of Brendan Rodgers men’s poor form at the start of the season and the Northern Irish boss still has plenty of questions to answer before proving he’s the right man for the job.

Rodgers will see the Europa League as a chance to relax and will be urging his players to relax during the match at the Stade de Suisse.

However, they definitely won’t have it all their own way and despite their diminishing fortunes at home, the Reds are still seen as a massive draw in Europe and Young Boys will certainly be up for the game.

They also have plenty of experience, having beaten Tottenham on home turf in 2010, and will fancy their chances of getting the campaign off to a winning start.

Despite this Liverpool do still have a lot of class in their ranks and should just sneak it, possibly by a single goal.

The other six o’clock kick-off involving an English side sees Newcastle face Maritimo in Funchal (Match Betting – Maritimo 5/4, draw 11/5, Newcastle 9/4).

This is the first time the Magpies have appeared in Europe for the best part of a decade and it’ll be interesting to see how their relatively small squad can deal with the demands of competing both at home and abroad.

Maritimo should provide the perfect opposition to ease them into the tournament, as although it won’t be easy for Alan Pardew’s men, they should come through with the win.

Expect this one to be cagey affair early doors but for Newcastle’s extra class to eventually shine through and see them claim the three points.

The final English side in action on Thursday is Tottenham who take on Italian side Lazio (Match Betting – Spurs 5/6, draw 5/2, Lazio 10/3).

Despite only being in charge for a few months, Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas is already under pressure but having won this tournament with Porto in 2010, the young coach knows exactly what it takes.

His side will also be full of confidence after claiming their first league win of the campaign against Reading on Sunday and although AVB may opt to rest some of his stars, they will still field a strong team to lift the trophy.

After a few barren seasons, their opponents Lazio are currently enjoying somewhat of a resurgence and finished an impressive fourth in Serie A last term.

They currently have a number of top players in their squad, most notably striker Miroslav Klose, who was recently linked with a move to White Hart Lane and will be looking to prove he can still perform at the top level, despite his advancing years.

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Foxes to prove potential

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Leicester City were once again touted as one of the favourites to earn promotion to the Premier League over the summer but after a slow start to the season the Foxes will be looking to get back on track with three points against Burnley on Wednesday (Leicester 4/5, draw 5/2, Burnley 7/2 Match Betting).

Manager Nigel Pearson will have been frustrated by his side’s performances at the start of the campaign, which has not been easy for the East Midlands outfit. Defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers have shown that this Leicester side is going to struggle to compete for the title, but a win over high-flying Blackpool will give them hope of finishing in the playoff places.

With the likes of Jamie Vardy, Andy King and Ben Marshall in their ranks, Leicester (9/1 Championship outright) have some promising young players who will cause Burnley problems at the King Power Stadium.

As for Burnley, they will be buoyed by their 5-2 victory over Championship struggles Peterborough United on Saturday and will head to the midlands looking for their first points away from home. Striker Charlie Austin will be the main threat for the Lancashire outfit, having scored six goals this season so far, but on home soil Leicester should come out on top and climb up closer to the playoff places.

Wednesday will also see Ipswich Town host a Wolverhampton side who are starting to get into their stride in the Championship (Ipswich 11/8, draw 12/5, Wolves 15/8 Match Betting). Having suffered an opening day defeat to Leeds United and losing to Cardiff City before the international break, Wolves (11/1 Championship outright) have come back strongly with that 2-1 victory over Leicester.

Excluding the loss of Steven Fletcher and Matt Jarvis, Wolves have been able to keep many of their players from their Premier League campaign last term and they should be challenging for the Championship title this term.

Ipswich find themselves second from bottom in the table and manager Paul Jewell certainly has his work cut out for him if the Tractor Boys are to enjoy a successful season. Town have been guilty of leaking 11 goals in their first five games in the Championship and they look set to concede a few more, with Wolves likely to pick up the three points at Portman Road.

Wednesday also presents a Yorkshire derby as Sheffield Wednesday prepare to host Huddersfield Town at Hillsborough (Wednesday Evs, draw 5/2, Huddersfield 11/4 Match Betting).

Having made a fine start to the season, the Owls are running the risk of stalling after a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and a 3-0 drubbing by Brighton in their last outing.

Huddersfield, who were promoted with Wednesday from League One last season, are still looking to adapt to life without star striker Jordan Rhodes, who completed an £8m move to Blackburn Rovers last month. A 1-0 win over Derby in their last outing will have pleased manager Simon Grayson, whose side look set to share the points with the Owls in what should be an exciting Yorkshire derby clash between two evenly matched sides.

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Tricky ties await Brit trio

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Manchester United, Chelsea and Celtic get their Champions League group campaigns underway on Wednesday and, despite all three being at home, it could be a tricky evening for the British sides.

Manchester United v Galatasaray

United look to have the easiest task of the British sides on Wednesday as they welcome Turkish champions Gala to Old Trafford. Not that Sir Alex Ferguson will be taking anything for granted following last season’s disappointing group stage exit (United 2/7, Galatasaray 11/1, draw 9/2).

The Premier League runners-up were uncharacteristically sloppy in front of their own fans in this competition last term, drawing 3-3 at home to Benfica and 2-2 with Basel as well as just about seeing off minnows Otelul Galati 2-0.

Fergie has warned he will not tolerate those sort of below-par performances and results this season and, with that in mind, back United to kick off with a fairly convincing home win.

Saturday’s 4-0 success over Wigan was more like it from the Red Devils after a rusty start to the campaign which had seen them lose to Everton and then scramble wins over Fulham and Southampton. They have added firepower this year in the shape of Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa so Wayne Rooney’s continued absence should not be much of a problem.

Gala will approach the game determined to claim a point but the Turkish side are notoriously poor travellers and will not relish the trip, as their huge odds of 11/1 to win on the night prove.

Go for 2-0 to United in the correct score market at 5/1.

Chelsea v Juventus

The Blues appear to have a much-more daunting opener with the visit of Italian champions Juve a tougher one to call (Chelsea 11/10. Juve 11/4, draw 23/10).

Roberto Di Matteo’s side surprised many with their Champions League triumph last season and they will not want to give up their crown easily. At least progressing through the group should be fairly straightforward, with minnows FC Nordsjaelland in Group E along with Shakhtar Donetsk and Juve.

The European champions come into Wednesday’s clash in good early-season form, too, and they are unbeaten so far with the hard-fought 0-0 draw at QPR on Saturday the only blip domestically.

However, the 5-1 thumping at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the Super Cup is a reminder of how vulnerable they can still be and Di Matteo’s side, who finished last season sixth in the Premier Leauge, are very much a work in progress with several new arrivals bedding in.

Eden Hazard has looked a class act already, though, and will relish this test against one of Europe’s heavyweights so the Belgian is well worth backing in the score anytime market at 9/4.

Overall, Di Matteo’s men may well view a point as a decent outcome considering what lies ahead and a cagey 0-0 (11/2) could well be on the cards.

Celtic v Benfica

It has been a very strange start to the season in Scotland as Celtic have stumbled their way through their opening SPL games, not quite sure what to do with themselves now arch-rivals Rangers have left the top flight.

The Bhoys will surely come good in the league after a start that has seen them draw twice, scrape two narrow wins and then lose to St Johnstone at the weekend.

That last result may just have given away the fact that Celtic’s focus was on this tie rather than their early SPL struggles as they look to see off the Portuguese giants (Celtic 11/4, Benfica 11/10, draw 23/10).

Expect a passionate home support to lift Neil Lennon’s side and a home win is not out of the question, especially when you consider Benfica’s record away from home. They have also lost their two Champions League trips to Celtic to date, conceding four goals and failing to score a single one in the process, while they have only won four of their 26 Champions League away games in total.

Despite those stats, this remains a big test for the Hoops and another draw is predicted in what looks like being a tight encounter. 1-1 at 5/1 appeals to ensure a solid, if unspectacular start to Celtic’s European Cup campaign proper.

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