(Getty)
Arsene Wenger isn’t an oddsmaker, but he’s not far off when he calls Barcelona the “super-favorite” to advance past Arsenal in Champions League. Barcelona come to the Emirates on Tuesday, where they are favored to take a lead in the first leg of play.
Barcelona are -155 to win today, according to oddsmakers featured at OddsShark.com. Arsenal are a respectable underdog at +375, with a first leg draw valued at +325. Barcelona are still the favorite to win the competition at +225, with Arsenal a longshot at +3300.
Arsenal was able to rest players over the weekend, but it may cost them later in the season. The Gunners rested Mezut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Petr Cech over the weekend, but were unable to put away Hull City during a 0-0 contest. That adds a Replay to Arsenal’s already crowded schedule, which includes league fixtures against Tottenham and Manchester United in the coming weeks.
This game has all sorts of betting potential, as the squads have played entertaining contests in previous meetings. The two teams have combined for 27 goals in their last seven meetings, an average of 3.86 per match. None of those meetings included Alexis Sanchez, who will start for Arsenal against his former team.
There are tons of potential scorers to wager on, but Luis Suarez has a habit of showing up in big contests. Suarez made headlines earlier this week for forgetting his passport for the trip, and is valued a +400 to respond with the game’s first score. If Arsenal need a late goal it could come on a set piece, and Olivier Giroud is the target man. He’s valued at +200 to score anytime.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-1
Best Bet: Suarez (+400) to score first
Find out how to watch this game in Spanish at AhoraMismo.com:
