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TACKLING THE £2,000,000 PICK6
Tackling the £2,000,000 Pick 6
After a brief hiatus, European football returns with a bang.
The second round of Champions and Europa League games are upon us and this week’s Pick 6 has some mouth-watering ties for you to get your teeth into.
Remember that just a minimum two pound spend allows you to play for the lottery-sized £2m jackpot.
Let’s take a look…
Porto vs. Chelsea
Porto sit proudly atop the Primeira Liga with an unbeaten record that includes a recent win over their biggest rivals Benfica.
10 goals scored in five games is a healthy return and whilst not the best in the league, just two conceded hints at where Chelsea could find it difficult.
The Blues themselves have conceded 12 in the English top flight. Only bottom placed Sunderland have let in more.
That isn’t what Jose Mourinho teams are about and against the first side that he took to Champions League glory via an epic win at Old Trafford that really announced the Portuguese to the English public, the Special One won’t want his homecoming to end in defeat.
Iker Casillas will have entirely different reasons for ensuring that Chelsea don’t leave with all three points!
Cristian Tello, Aly Cissokho and Bruno Martins Indi are just three other Porto players with points to prove.
It promises to be a fight to the finish, and I’m sitting on the fence here. Neither team is well-equipped enough to beat the other.
1-1 or AOD are my first selections.
Lyon vs. Valencia
The bubble has finally burst for Nuno Santo and Valencia.
As brilliant as they were last season, they have been well under par this. So much so that the locals are already demanding that Nuno is replaced.
Nothing like a successful campaign to heighten unrealistic expectations eh?!
After five games Los Che are in ninth position. Not too bad on the face of it. However, just two goals scored with the same attack that ran teams ragged last year is a sure sign that something isn’t quite right.
Not only that but Valencia have stuttered through games rather than grabbing them by the scruff of the neck, a hallmark of Nuno’s first season.
Lyon have the players to trouble the Spaniards, especially the diminutive Mathieu Valbuena, a summer signing from Marseille.
The French international had to run a gauntlet of hate on his return to the Stade Velodrome, eventually resulting in play being suspended. Yet he will have emerged the stronger for the chastening experience.
Alexandre Lacazette has yet to hit the heights from 2014/15 too. Form which made him the hottest property in European football. He has to come good at some stage. Why not now?
A comfortable home win here; 2-0 or 2-1.
Borussia M’gladbach vs. Man City
The team with the best name in the history of the game have had an interesting start to the season.
Borussia Monchengladbach started with four losses from four and then went and promptly put four goals past Augsburg in the opening 18 minutes – a feat that has never been achieved so quickly in Bundesliga history.
An insipid performance against Sevilla, themselves without a league win this season and bottom of the pile in Spain, hints at just how poorly the Germans have performed so far in this campaign.
Aside from a couple of reverses against Juventus and West Ham, Manchester City have looked every inch champions-elect in England.
Kevin de Bruyne is already showing that he’s worth every penny of a £55m transfer spend, and Raheem Sterling is beginning to turn in the kind of performances that won him the transfer to the Etihad in the first place.
Sergio Aguero will relish to space afforded him so ‘gladbach should be afraid. Very afraid.
This could get embarrassing.
Nothing but an AOA here.
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Man Utd vs. Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg have enjoyed a reasonable start to their Bundesliga campaign. Or at least they did until a certain Robert Lewandowski decided to join the party.
His five-goal blast will have knocked the stuffing out of a side that can boast Andre Schurrle, Bas Dost and Julian Draxler in their ranks.
Indeed, the Germans do have staff to trouble United and Louis Van Gaal needs to do his homework. Before the Bayern debacle, the visitors had not conceded in four matches.
Anthony Martial in particular can continue his fine personal form and it would be a surprise if the youngster didn’t get on the scoresheet at least once against a centre-back pairing in Naldo and Dante who have a combined age of 64.
Home advantage could be key – the Germans haven’t won away yet this season. Two draws and a loss the return whilst on their travels in 2015/16.
1-0 or 1-1 for your coupon.
Monaco vs. Tottenham
The north Londoners get some respite from the bread and butter of the Premier League with a trip to the principality.
Harry Kane in particular is struggling under the weight of expectation and hasn’t come close to hitting the heights of last season.
Unfortunately for the Lilywhites, no one else has stepped up to the plate in his place and four goals in all competitions, other than the expected 3-1 demolition of FK Karabakh in the last Europa League group game, is a testament to a lack of spark in an attacking sense.
Monaco have conceded three in their last two home games but are unbeaten three away, scoring just once each time.
The hosts need to translate that away steel to a home performance. Jeremy Toulalan, Joao Moutinho and Stephen El Shaarawy in particular need to produce what they are capable of.
It’ll be backs against the wall for Tottenham and they could settle for a score draw. Kane could also tip the balance against an ageing Ricardo Carvalho.
1-1 and 1-2 are my selections.
Celtic vs. Fenerbahce
There’s trouble ahead for Ronny Deila at Celtic.
It’s a given that his experienced side should be walking the Scottish Premier League, but after just eight games, they are already five points behind pace-setters Aberdeen.
Two poor performances against Malmo saw them knocked out of the Champions League and they couldn’t turn domination against Ajax in their first Europa League game into a win.
Only slopping play by the Dutch saw the Scots in with a chance of taking all three points, and a Robin Van Persie inspired Fenerbahce are unlikely to be so forgiving.
Just one loss in six has seen Vitor Pereria’s side deservedly at the Turkish SuperLig summit.
Raul Meireles and Nani have struck up a wonderful partnership down Fener’s left-hand side, with Lazar Markovic raids on the right bearing fruit.
Scott Brown needs to energise his troops or else the likes of Saidy Janko and Efe Ambrose will get run ragged here.
Celtic Park won’t hold any fears for the visitors, used to the white hot atmosphere of their fixtures with Galatasaray.
There’ll be some good old Scottish grit on show but it won’t be enough.
0-1 and 1-2 are my final selections this week.
