Chelsea, Barca and Juventus Face Tough Tests As Champions League Play Begins

For many, the international club soccer season doesn’t truly start until the group stage of the Champions League. It’s the ultimate opportunity to claim interleague bragging rights by the best clubs in all of Europe. Minus a couple of marquee names, most of the usual suspects are here. Defending champion Liverpool, runner-up Tottenham, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, PSG, among others. All of these clubs will relish the chance to prove that not only their club, but their respective league as well, are the best on the continent. Round 1 kicks off with several interesting clashes, so let’s take a look at a few of them, shall we?

Chelsea (-125) vs Valencia (+350), Draw (+285)
Chelsea is coming off of a surprisingly easy trouncing of Wolverhampton, 5-2. Chelsea had been spinning wheels since the start of the 2019-20 campaign, but the international break must have done them some good as they were firing on all cylinders vs Wolves in their runaway victory. Maybe gaffer Frank Lampard has finally found something in his squad, as Blues fans hope the form they showed on Saturday isn’t of the fickle variety. On the opposite side of the coin you have Valencia, who has come out of the La Liga gates stumbling, off to a 1-2-1 start. In their last five away UCL games, they are 0-3-2 with zero goals on the scoresheet in all five. Valencia is also currently on a four-game away losing streak vs top seeds of a UCL group. Of note, Chelsea hasn’t lost a UCL (UEFA Champions League) match at Stamford Bridge in the group stage to a lower-seeded side since September 2013. Chelsea found something last week, and they should run away with this one (-125). ​Another good value play is Home Team to Win & Over 2.5 goals (+175).

Borussia Dortmund (+205) vs FC Barcelona (+125), Draw (+270​)
Both Dortmund and Barca come into this clash of European giants in fantastic form. Dortmund have begun their Bundesliga campaign winning three of four domestic matches and sit in second place in the league standings. Their offense has been running on all cylinders, especially in the second half of their three wins as they’ve scored at least three times after halftime in all three victories. Not to be outdone, Barcelona have also jumped out to a more than solid start to their 2019-20 La Liga campaign. Offense isn’t a concern for them either, as they have netted twelve goals, and they too abide by the notion of “better late than never” as nine of their last eleven league goals have come after the halftime whistle. Barca’s last away UCL game was something to forget, as they fell 4-nil to Liverpool, so they will be champing at the bit to get that taste out of their mouths. Dortmund is a home underdog, and they will certainly be up to the challenge to prove they belong on the same pitch as Lionel Messi (questionable to play) and company. Dortmund straight up (+205) is a good play here, but we absolutely love Total Goals over 3.5 (+120); both of these teams love wide open play, so we expect plenty of goals. If you’re the type that loves a parlay, Home Team to Win & Both Teams to Score (+340) is a meaty play as well.

Atletico Madrid (+150) vs Juventus (+225), Draw (+205)
Atletico and Juventus both come into this matchup on good form. Atletico are off to a 3-1-0 start to their La Liga season, and Juventus have started their Serie A campaign with three wins to no losses and a draw. Atletico are absolute La Liga beasts on their home pitch, as they’ve won eight and drawn once in their last nine league home games. They have also beaten Juventus in this very same tournament as recently as this past February, a 2-nil Round-of-16 victory in Madrid. Juventus avenged that defeat in Italy just a couple of weeks later with their own to-nil victory, a 3-0 result. The two clubs again clashed in early August during the Champions Cup, Madrid again claiming victory, 2-1. All of this to say, these clubs know each other very well, and with a little familiarity comes a bit of contempt, which could lead to a very physical, tightly-wound match in Madrid. The value plays for me here are: ​Atletico Madrid straight up (+150)​, ​Home Team to Win & Under 2.5 Goals (+350)​, and Joao Felix, the Portugese international wunderkind, ​to score a goal (+250). ​We wouldn’t be mad at you either if you threw a dart at ​Felix to score the first goal of the match (+525).

The next couple of days will be a virtual feast of international club soccer. Enjoy the matches, and good luck!

Credit for the main photo in this article goes to Joan Monfort/Associated Press