Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen are one good result away from going straight through to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 and they will be hoping that already-eliminated Sparta Prague do not stand in their way.
Contents |
Prediction | BetSie Supercomputer % | Odds | Odds % |
Bayer Leverkusen to win | 83.3% | 87.5% | |
Bayer Leverkusen to win 3-0 | N/A | 14.3% |
Tips | Current Odds |
Bayer Leverkusen/BTTS - No | |
Jonathan Tah Over 0.5 Shots on Target | |
Over 3.5 Cards |
Bayer Leverkusen/BTTS - No - 5/6
Last-night jeopardy was always the hope of tournament organisers when they reshaped the UEFA Champions League group stage and they have got their wish at the BayArena.
German champions Bayer Leverkusen take on Sparta Prague knowing that a win in their eighth and final game will guarantee them a place in the top eight and ensure they go straight through to the Round of 16.
Lose, however, and it's not beyond the realms that they don't even finish in the top 16 and end up going into the play-offs as an unseeded team.
Xabi Alonso has been meticulous at every step of the way of the rebirth of Leverkusen as a domestic and European force, so don't expect him to leave anything to chance now.
Surely the clever money has to be on the Bundesliga giants winning and winning well against an opponent in Sparta with nothing to play for.
Of course Bayer needn't have been in this position. Last week they were 1-0 up at half time at Atletico Madrid, playing against 10 men, and heading for the top eight. But Atletico turned the game on its head in the second period, won 2-1, and left Leverkusen with work to do against the Czechs.
Other than that blemish in the Spanish capital, however, Leverkusen are going well.
They have 13 points courtesy of a 100 per cent home record - they have beaten AC Milan (1-0), Salzburg (5-0) and Inter Milan (1-0) - plus a 4-0 win at Feyenoord and 1-1 draw at Brest. Their other defeat came at Liverpool.
They haven't lost a league game since August and were on an 11-game winning streak as they flew out to Madrid last week.
Alonso should field his strongest available team - minus the suspended Piero Hincapie and wantaway striker Victor Boniface - which will mean Patrik Schick leading the line against the club where he started his career.
For Sparta, the tournament has been a real meltdown after taking four points from their first two games, a 3-0 win over Salzburg and 1-1 draw at Stuttgart.
Since then they have played five and lost the lot, shipping 18 goals. Last week they lost 1-0 at home to Inter Milan, managing just 30 per cent possession and two shots on target.
That was their first competitive game for a month and manager Lars Friis may now instead be looking at Sunday's Czech Liga resumption and the trip to Slovacka.
Sparta are third in the table, miles behind rivals Slavia so it has been a disappointing season for the Czech giants on both fronts.
Jonathan Tah Over 0.5 Shots on Target - 6/4
Leverkusen will be positive as they always are.
The Germans go into the final round of group games as one of seven clubs in the 36-team field to have racked up over 100 shots so far.
Florian Wirtz, one of the hottest forwards in Europe right now, has had more than anyone in the Leverkusen squad but they will score from all angles - and that includes set-plays.
And that makes someone like Jonathan Tah, their captain and set-piece target, a real threat.
The 6ft 5in centre-back has become a consistent goalscorer for the German champions with two in the Bundesliga this season, two less than last term.
With good delivery Tah is a danger and the 6/4 he has an effort on target is worth considering.
Over 3.5 Cards - Evens
Sparta Prague were out of the tournament even before they played Inter Milan last week. It may have been a dead rubber for them yet they still managed to collect yellow cards for Victor Olatunji and Ermal Krasniqi amongst four in the game.
Leverkusen's game at Atletico Madrid very definitely had stuff on the line and was, as expected, fairly feisty with referee Davide Massa showing eight cards, including a red to each side.
Bulgarian Georgi Kabakov is the official in charge at the BayArena and given there are stakes to play for, expect cards as well, certainly over 3.5.
Bayer Leverkusen | 83.3% |
Draw | 11.7% |
Sparta Prague | 5% |
The odds suggest that Bayer Leverkusen have a 87.5% chance of beating Sparta Prague on Wednesday night, while the BetSie Supercomputer believes there is a 83.3% chance of that happening.
The BetSie Supercomputer believes that Sparta Prague have a 5% chance of winning their upcoming game against Bayer Leverkusen.
A 3-0 victory for Bayer Leverkusen has a 14.3% chance of happening according to the betting odds.
Formation: 3-4-2-1
Team: Kovar; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Tella, Wirtz; Schick.
Formation: 3-5-2
Team: Vindahl-Jensen; Vitík, Panak, Sorensen; Wiesner, Sadilek, Kairinen, Laci, Rynes; Olatunji, Birmancevic.
Read more football betting tips and predictions on site
BETSiE is a projection model operated by bettingexpert and owned by Better Collective. The projections quoted are for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as definitive advice or predictions. The projections and the BETSiE name are the intellectual property of Better Collective. You may not copy, distribute, or modify the Content without prior written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use.By using this model, you acknowledge and accept that its projections are estimates and subject to inherent uncertainties, and the model owner will not be liable for any loss or damage, whether direct or indirect, arising from the use of this information in connection with sports betting or any other activity.
18+ | Gambleaware.org
Check out the bet365 betting hub for all the latest UEFA Champions League betting odds.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.