Arsenal

Olympiacos v Arsenal

The Gunners go to Greece to take on Olympiacos safe in the knowledge they are already through to the last 16 but their opponents on Tuesday can still qualify as runners-up if Marseille fail to win at Dortmund. The Greek side will also progress if the Bundesliga outfit win by win by four goals or fewer so it’s no surprise to see the home side 20/21 favourites in the match odds.

The Gunners (3/1 to win) claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory in the corresponding fixture at the Emirates earlier in the group but it likely to be a much-changed Arsenal side on Tuesday.

The very best the Londoners could hope for from this game is a draw, on offer at 5/2, but even that looks optimistic given the context of the game.

Boss Arsene Wenger will rest plenty of his top stars with qualification assured so expect a young Gunners side to get beat in Greece.

Wenger’s men are on a fine run of form in the Premier League, with the 4-0 win at Wigan on Saturday their seventh in eight league games, and it’s fair to say this clash is not the Frenchman’s priority – even though he is bound to talk up the benefits of maintaining momentum and form with a win beforehand.

Olympiacos to win 2-0 looks tasty at 13/2 while it is also worth taking them at 7/2 in the half-time/full-time market.

Borussia Dortmund v Marseille

The French giants head to Dortmund knowing second place and qualification for the knock-out stage is in their hands and they will be looking for the victory that assures them of second spot in the group on Tuesday.

Even a draw could be enough if Olympiacos fail to beat Arsenal in the other game as they prepare to take on the Bundesliga side – who know qualification for them is possible – but extremely unlikely.

Dortmund need to beat Marseille by four goals or more and hope Olympiacos lose, or by five goals or more should Olympiacos draw – but those scenarios look remote bearing in mind the Greek side entertain the already-qualified Gunners.

Dortmund’s Mats Hummels has admitted his side’s chances of securing second are “nearly impossible” and they have underperformed in the Champions League so far – picking up just four points from their first five matches.

With what’s at stake, Marseille look great value at 9/2 to win the game while draw/Marseille – HT/FT at 8/1 is also very tempting.

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City have been more than impressive on the domestic front this season and are unsurprisingly installed as the favourites in the match betting, although punters can get 13/8 about the side that has won 6-1 at Manchester United and 5-1 at Tottenham.

The Blues have won 11 and drawn one of their opening 12 games to establish a five-point cushion at the top of the Premier League but history is against them in the big match on Sunday.

Liverpool have only lost once at Anfield in 22 games and 30 years against City and that came in 2003, while they coasted to a 3-0 win in this fixture last year.

City have strengthened since then but it was still a squad capable of finishing third in the table last time around, while the Reds have also spent big to improve the options available to boss Kenny Dalglish.

Although Liverpool boast an unbeaten home record in the league this term, they have drawn four of the six games, whilst finding the back of the net has also been a problem with just eight goals scored in front of their own fans.

The defence has been miserly though so the star-studded forward ranks of the leaders may not find it as easy – despite amassing 42 goals in the 12 games so far, and scoring at least three goals in their last six top-flight games.

Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko have both hit double figures this term and need to be considered in the goalscoring markets, although Mario Balotelli (5/1 First/Last Goalscorer, 11/8 Anytime) could be the one to side with after scoring nine in his last 10 games.

It may pay to wait for team news on that front while Liverpool have plenty of options of their own so who starts up front is open to question – with the exception of Luis Suarez, although he has scored just four goals in the Premier League this term.

City’s is by far and away the best attack and their defence has not been too shabby either, but with the Reds’ defence in good form as well, this could turn out to be a tight one (Under 2.5 Goals 10/11, Over 2.5 Goals 4/5).

What may work in Liverpool’s favour though, not withstanding the recent record in the fixture, is the fact that City’s Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread after the 2-1 defeat at Napoli in midweek and they may struggle to put those troubles behind them.

The Reds have also gone nine matches unbeaten, won 2-1 at Chelsea last week, have not lost in eight (W6 D2) against the Manchester clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea, while they have had a full week to prepare.

Swansea have made a promising start to their first season in the Premier League, not least because of their home form, and they have been installed as 5/4 favourites to pick up another three points against Aston Villa at the Liberty Stadium.

The Swans have been beaten just once – by Manchester United – on home soil, winning three and drawing two, and have only let in two goals, the best home defensive record in the division.

Villa are yet to win away this season – their worst start since 2003 – and are available at 12/5 to make it a first on Sunday, with the draw on offer at 9/4.

There was no disgrace in losing at Tottenham last Monday but the manner of the defeat would have been a little worrying as they offered little threat, mustering just three shots in the 90 minutes.

In fairness to boss Alex McLeish, the Villans have been tough to beat on the road in the sense that they have drawn four of their six games and with a tough run of fixtures in December coming up, one should expect a response from the West Midlands  giants.

It is difficult to see this one being full of goals given the scoring record of the two sides so a draw could be the best way to go at 9/4.

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Pep Guardiola

The Catalans notched up a 12th win under Guardiola’s tenure on Friday when they lifted the Uefa Super Cup thanks to a 2-0 win over FC Porto in Monaco – one month after seeing off bitter rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup.

The smart money suggests the 4/7 outright favourites will again be the team to beat but Guardiola said his players should take nothing for granted.

He said: “We’ve won two titles and we are very happy with that, now the league will show us if we continue to be as competitive as we have been in recent years.

“This team have to show again what we have shown over the last few seasons. We have made a good start and now we have to get down to the day-to-day work.”

He added: “There’s always room for improvement. I have to be on alert – that’s an obligation of the manager. It takes a long time to build a team and just a moment for it to fall apart.”

The Camp Nou boss faces a selection headache in defence because of injuries and suspensions biting hard.

Gerard Pique, Dani Alves and Adriano are all out while captain Carles Puyol remains a doubt, but new signings Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez could be in line for their Primera Division debuts.

Barca last lost an opening day fixture at home in December 1939 against local rivals Espanyol at Les Corts and completed a La Liga double over the Yellow Submarines last season.

Santi Cazorla and Joan Capdevila have both left the club but coach Juan Carlos Garrido has managed to keep hold of star strikers Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar, who between them netted 50 goals in all competitions last term.

Regarding Monday’s clash, Garrido told the official club website: “Barca have won everything and have won with almost insulting ease against great opponents, but we have high hopes and will try to win.”

Jose Mourinho’s 11/8 second favourites Real Madrid beat Zaragoza 6-0 on Sunday to kick-start the capital club’s chase for a first Primera Division title since 2008.

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