Wednesday's Champions League betting tips: Ajax to pile more misery on Klopp; Spurs to go goal crazy
- Matty Briggs
- 25 October 2022
Check out our key stats and suggested bets for Wednesday's Champions League fixtures as Liverpool travel to Ajax, Spurs host Sporting, while Frankfurt could get their first home goal.
Ajax vs Liverpool
Liverpool had to rely on a late Joel Matip header to give them all three points in the home fixture against Ajax in September.
The Reds created a number of chances after bouncing back from what Jurgen Klopp labelled a "horror show" at Napoli.
The 4-1 defeat was a hint of what was to come for Liverpool as losses to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest have set them back further in the Premier League.
The 1-0 reverse to struggling Forest at the weekend left Klopp "as low as possible". And the German coach will have to find a way of lifting himself and his side for the trip to Amsterdam.
Liverpool wasted a glut of chances from set-pieces against Forest and they looked vulnerable to Forest's counter-attacking, and that may well be the same against Ajax.
Klopp's 4-4-2 was not as effective as he would have liked at the City Ground and a return to a midfield three is likely in the Netherlands.
Fabinho has been struggling for form, while Curtis Jones and Fabio Carvalho will do well to keep their places.
The Reds will travel without Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Joel Matip due to injuries, but they could welcome back Darwin Nunez, Thiago Alcantara and Ibrahima Konate.
Ajax meanwhile are unbeaten at home in domestic competitions, but they were thumped 6-1 by Napoli in Europe.
Their 4-0 home win over Rangers now seems like a long time ago after three straight Champions League defeats. But a win over Liverpool will keep their qualification hopes alive at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
A point would be good enough to see Liverpool progress to the knockout stages with one match to spare, while Ajax must go for broke.
It will be interesting to see how both teams approach the game, because Ajax may well consider playing on the counter-attack their best chance of winning.
Liverpool are a best-priced 5/6 and that seems rather short considering their recent form.
Ajax have been full of attacking threat in their last three league games, scoring a combined 15 goals in wins over Volendam, Excelsior and Waalwijk.
Ajax have been full of attacking threat in their last three league games, scoring a combined 15 goals in wins over Volendam, Excelsior and Waalwijk.
Despite scoring twice at the weekend Brian Brobbey is likely to make way for Mohammed Kudus in attack. Kudus hit a brilliant equaliser at Anfield last month and will be hoping for more of the same at home.
It's a game that could well see plenty of goals with over 2.5 goals scored in nine of Ajax's last 10 Champions League games. And Ajax may just be on the right side of a high-scoring game to keep alive their qualification hopes in Group A.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting
Defeat to Newcastle on home soil at the weekend ended a 10-game winning home run for Tottenham.
They have been pretty reliable at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but emerging Newcastle had all the answers and more on Sunday.
Antonio Conte's men are top of Champions League Group D though and another home win will see them qualify for the knockout stage. And that seems like the most likely option with
Spurs scoring in all of their home games so far this term.
In fact Spurs have not drawn a home fixture in the Champions League since March 2011.
Both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (thigh) and Cristian Romero (calf) missed the 2-1 defeat to
Newcastle, but both could return against Sporting to add some steel to Spurs' spine.
Sporting, despite seeing off Spurs 2-0 in the corresponding game last month, have not been in great form.
A shock Taca de Portugal defeat to third-tier side Varzim has rocked Ruben Amorim's side. Sporting did bounce back with a 3-1 success over Casa Pia at the weekend, but back-to-back defeats to Marseille has left them in a delicate position in Group D.
The 4-1 reverse in the south of France was a particularly poor showing with OM recording 20 shots on goal to Sporting's six.
Sporting are also on a seven-game run without a clean sheet and another defeat in north London will end their Champions League hopes for another season.
Sporting will be buoyed by their 2-0 win over Spurs on September 13. It was a defeat which Conte thought was unjust; Sporting scored two goals in added time to give them a crucial home win.
Spurs had a number of chances to have won it, but they seemed to fall to the wrong players, although Harry Kane and Richarlison missed good opportunities.
Conte certainly did not expect 22 shots to go unrewarded and if they create anything like that at home then Sporting could be on the end of a big scoreline.
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Marseille
It's now or never for Frankfurt and their Austrian boss Oliver Glasner.
The Bundesliga side are currently bottom of Champions League Group D, but they are only three points adrift of Spurs at the top. They know they must register a home win over
Marseille to keep themselves in the hunt for the knockout stage.
Their domestic form is good with four wins in their last five matches, including back-to-back wins over Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach. That has left Glasner's side in fourth spot in the Bundesliga and they were beaten narrowly by Spurs in London earlier this month.
Frankfurt managed a goalless draw in their last home Champions League game against Spurs and that performance will give them hope of a win over OM.
Hugo Lloris produced a fine save to deny Ansgar Knauff's volley and Jesper Lindstrom shot over when well placed in an even tussle with Antonio Conte's men.
Marseille meanwhile will travel to Germany in poor form domestically and the away win, which is a best-price 9/4 looks a long shot.
Three successive Ligue 1 defeats to Ajaccio, Paris Saint-Germain have seen Igor Tudor's side fall to fifth in the 1 table. They have been better in Europe though and have chalked up home and away wins over Sporting.
Marseille defender Eric Bailly is a doubt due to a dead leg, but the likes of Gerson, Dimitri Payet, Luis Suarez and Cengiz Under, who were all rested, are likely to return.
The Deutsche Bank Park atmosphere will be fiery after the corresponding game saw trouble between the two sets of fans and the hosts look primed to feed off that energy.
Lindstrom's strike, after a defensive error, handed Frankfurt the win in France last month in a game in which the German side dominated the opportunities despite relinquishing a lot of possession.
Another repeat could well be on the cards with Frankfurt in the type of form to capitalise on any OM mistakes.
Key stats
Liverpool have scored at least two goals in 14 of their last 17 CL matches
There have been over 2.5 goals scored in nine of Ajax's last 10 CL games
Ajax have lost their last three CL matches
Liverpool have won their last three CL matches
Liverpool scores 33% of their goals between the minutes 76-90
Ajax wins the first half in 64% of their matches
Sporting Lisbon have received three red cards this season - the highest number in CL
Sporting Lisbon have conceded a goal in each of their last seven matches
Eintracht Frankfurt have not scored a home goal in the CL so far this season
Eintracht Frankfurt have won their last three matches against Marseille in all competitions
Suggested bets
Ajax vs Liverpool over 2.5 goals
Ajax to beat Liverpool
Ajax to win and BTTS
Tottenham to win to nil
Eintracht Frankfurt to beat Marseille
