Ten number-based stats to help you bet on tonight’s semi

Man Utd/Arsenal, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 2, Free Bets, Best Odds

0 - The number of losses Manchester United have suffered in their last 23 Champions League games.

1 - The number of victories Arsenal have claimed on their last six trips to Old Trafford. They have lost the other five.

2 - The number of times that Arsenal have faced fellow Premier League opposition in the Champions League prior to this - Chelsea in 2003-04 and Liverpool last season. On both occasions they were eliminated.

Posted: April 29th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Will Chelsea be able to finish the job in Turin?

Juventus/Chelsea, 7.45pm, ITV4, Free Bets, Best Odds

Only 58% of teams who win the home leg of a Champions League knockout clash 1-0 have progressed to the next round, meaning that Juventus are priced far too high at 3/1 with 888sport to qualify. But while the hosts may offer good value, is Guus Hiddink’s honeymoon period really going to end in the worst way imaginable? Here are all the key statistics:

THE FORM GUIDE
Chelsea have won six successive games since sacking Luiz Felipe Scolari. The wins since Hiddink took charge have come by narrow margins though, with three of the last five finishing 1-0, one ending 2-1 and the other being their 2-0 triumph away to Coventry at the weekend. Since losing the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Juventus have beaten both Napoli and Torino 1-0 in Serie A. However, a reasonably weakened Bianconeri side lost 2-1 away to Lazio last week in their Coppa Italia semi-final.

CHELSEA IN ITALY
The Blues hadn’t played away to Italian opposition for five seasons before their 3-1 defeat to Roma in November. What made the manner of the loss even more surprising was that their previous match in Italy had been played at the same ground and they had thrashed Lazio 4-0 on that occasion. Chelsea have made five trips to Italy in the Premier League era and have a mixed record: winning one, drawing two and losing two.

JUVENTUS AGAINST ENGLISH OPPOSITION

Posted: March 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Aston Villa meet the form side of this season’s UEFA Cup

Stats on three interesting European matches taking place tonight

Photo Credit: Misha Japaridze, AP Photo

Aston Villa v CSKA Moscow
Consider how much they have acheived this season, it is surprising just how poor Aston Villa’s home record is. Over the last six months they have won just six of their seventeen games at Villa Park, which is a 35% success rate. However, over that period they have only lost three times, while they have drawn at home on a massive eight occasions. Their opponents CSKA are the only team to have won all of their games to date in this year’s competition and are strong away, having lost just two of fifteen league games on the road last season. Villa’s defence will have their hands full against Vagner Love, who has scored seven goals in CSKA’s three away games in the competition.

Dynamo Kiev v Valencia

Posted: February 18th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Captain Fabregas should get off to a winning start

Arsenal/Dynamo Kiev, ITV4, 7.45pm, Best Odds, Free Bets

By refusing to comment in detail about the appointment of Cesc Fabregas as Arsenal’s new captain, Arsene Wenger has ensured that there is no sense of great anticipation surrounding tonight’s game, nor no sense that the corner is about to be turned under the Spaniard’s leadership. The good news though for Arsenal is that new captains normally get off to a winning start in North London:

BEGINNER’S LUCK
Arsenal are entering this game in terrible form with one win in five and having failed to score in three of their last four. However, the Gunners’ last three permanent captains - Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and William Gallas - all tasted victory in both their first home match after inheriting the armband and their first European match.

KIEV FORM CURBED
Dynamo Kiev’s twelve match domestic winning streak was finally ended in their last outing when they were beaten 1-0 by Shakthar Donetsk, the reigning champions who have started the season in a very similar fashion to Arsenal - stuck in fifth having won just seven (of sixteen) games. The Ukrainian side have also lost their seven-match unbeaten run this season in Europe after being beaten 2-1 at home to Porto having held a half-time lead.

GALLAS MAY REDEEM HIMSELF

Posted: November 25th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

England’s worst Champions League week in over five years

A few facts and figures on the Premier League’s poor performance

This was the first time since September 30-October 1 2003 that none of the Premier League’s participants in the Champions League group stage managed to pick up three points.

On that occasion, there were only three English teams in action because Newcastle lost in the qualifiers. Arsenal were the only side to pick up a point, drawing 0-0 away to Lokomotiv Moscow, while Chelsea lost 2-0 at home to Besiktas and Manchester United 2-1 in Stuttgart.

All three of England’s Champions League goals this week - John Terry’s against Roma, Steven Gerrard’s against Atletico Madrid and Ryan Giggs’ against Celtic - came in the final sixteen minutes with the English team already trailing. At no point this week did one of the Premier League teams lead while Arsenal, despite being the only ones not to score, were the only of the four who never fell behind.

Posted: November 6th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Why Arsenal may bounce back in style against Fenerbahce

Arsenal/ Fenerbahce, 7.45pm, Sky Sports Xtra, Free £10 bet

The Emirates doesn’t look like the ideal place for heavy backing tonight. Arsenal should win because they haven’t lost at home to European opposition in over five years, Fenerbahce have won just one of their last seven away games and the Gunners thumped them 5-2 in Turkey a fortnight ago but at 1/3 they offer little value, especially considering they have already defied the formbook five times this season by dropping points when expected to triumph. Here’s why it might be worth keeping hold of your notes and instead betting a pound or two on Arsenal bouncing back in style with a 4-0 victory, available at 14/1 with 888sport:

» Arsenal’s two previous defeats this season – against Fulham and Hull – have come prior to their home Champions League games, both of which they won 4-0, first against FC Twente and then Porto.

» Incredibly, Arsenal had gone ninety-nine games without a 4-0 win before winning three matches by that scoreline in the last seventy days.

Posted: November 5th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment