Champions League Tuesday

Last night was an average night for picks (my early Manchester City Asian Handicap bet was premature and ended in a push), however by kickoff the odds on City winning were as high as 1.81…more than enough to entice me in. They won (eventually), and my stack looks a little more swole now (that sounds disgusting).On to tonight’s festivities, and it looks like Europe will once again throw up some super betting potential.

Chelsea, top of Champions League Group B, face Schalke 04, knowing that a victory could see them safely through to the next round. Chelsea easily beat them two weeks ago at home, and are on a great run of form (they have won their last seven games, including two in the Champions League). Schalke, on the other hand, lost their last game to the Bundesliga’s bottom club, and are sweating on the status of two of their star players, and have a further five out definitely.

With all of this stacked up, why are Chelsea so far out at 2.14?

The main reason seems to be their defence, which has two noticeable gaps (Terry and Cole) and also Ferreira on the sidelines, and so punters seem to be being a little cautious about how Chelsea will approach this match. Is that enough to justify this price? I don’t think so. The back four that kept a clean sheet at Wigan at the weekend should be reunited, and with Schalke needing to press forward to take the three points, there should be ample space for Joe Cole, Lampard, Drogba and (even) Shevchenko to exploit.

My pick:
Schalke 04 v Chelsea – Chelsea (to win) @ 2.14