[Mario]

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
10/22/2014

Bayern Leverkusen vs Zenit St. Petersburg

Home - Bayern Leverkusen
Last away matches - D-D-L-L-W-W

Through two matches, Bayer has won once and lost once. The German outfit lost 1-0 away to Monaco, but then responded by beating Benfica 3-1 at home in the second playday. Domestically, Leverkusen has gone unbeaten over four consecutive matches, though three of those encounters have ended in draws. In the Bundesliga table, Bayer can currently be found in sixth place, only one point back of the top four.Leverkusen was last in action on October 18th in a 3-3 draw against Stuttgart. Heung-Min Son scored twice and set up Karim Bellarabi for the other in an all-around stellar performance. Along with Son and Bellarabi, who have eight league goals between them so far, Stefan Kiessling is another player to watch come Wednesday. If those three are on form, it's going to be hard for anyone to beat them, especially on in their own stadium.

Away - Zenit St. Petersburg
Last away matches - D-W-W-W-W-W

Currently on top of Group C, Zenit know how important Wednesday's trip to Leverkusen will be. The Russian side has picked up four points through two fixtures, beating Benfica 2-0 away and then holding Monaco in a 0-0 away draw.On the domestic front, Zenit is enjoying another splendid showing. They're tops of the table, two points clear of CSKA Moscow at time of writing.That being said, Hulk and company had to settle for a 2-2 draw in their latest league meeting against Krasnodar. After going down 2-0 in the first half, Zenit was able to fight back, with Hulk and Javi Garcia both getting their names on the scoresheet.Despite only getting a point, Zenit has been on an incredible run, having gone unbeaten in 16 consecutive matches. They haven't tasted defeat in months, so you know they'll be motivated to keep that streak going this Wednesday.

Asian Handicap
Home - (-0.50)
Away - (+0.50)
Pick - Zenit St. Petersburg (+0.50)
Odds - 2.12
Stakes - 8/10
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
10/22/2014

Galatasaray vs Borussia Dortmund

Home - Galatasaray
Last away matches - D-D-L-L-W-W

After the 2:1 win over Fenerbahce at home, Galatasaray climbed onto the top two of Turkish Super Lig but was overtaken by Besiktas on Sunday evening. However, Cesare Prandelli’s side have picked up just one point from their two Champions League fixtures this season. So the turks are in danger of falling short to Galatasaray’s target of reaching the Champions League round of last sixteen after the 4-1 away defeat against Arsenal. Before that, Galatasaray were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Belgian club Anderlecht in the opening group game. The Italian coach Prandelli has declared that he will select a full strength side because he has no injury worries ahead of the game.

Away - Borussia Dortmund
Last away matches - D-W-W-W-W-W

Borussia Dortmund continued their poor run of domestic form in the Bundesliga with a truly harrowing 2-1 defeat to the hosts 1. FC Köln. Jürgen Klopp’s men created numerous chances and had sixteen shots against Koln’s five. Ilkay Gundogan returned to action for Borussia Dortmund‘s, but couldn’t prevent his side from conceding two goals. BVB dropped to 14th on seven points after their third consecutive defeat. They are just three points above bottom club Werder Bremen. In contrast to their recent Bundesliga performances, Dortmund have six points from possible six in UEFA Champions League. Erik Durm could switch to left-back, meaning Kevin Großkreutz could start on the bench alongside Jakub Blaszczykowski, who is back from injury.

Asian Handicap
Home - (+0.75)
Away - (-0.75)
Pick - Borussia Dortmund (-0.75)
Odds - 2.09
Stakes - 9/10
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
10/22/2014

Liverpool vs Real Madrid

Home - Liverpool
Last away matches - W-L-L-W-L-L

Liverpool have struggled in the early portions of their 2014/2015 campaign, but they seem to finally be getting their foot in the door with back to back Premiere League wins. Their last Champions League match resulted in a 1-0 loss to FC Basel (whom Real Madrid trounced 5-1). A very important issue for Liverpool will be the absence of Daniel Sturridge. The British forward is said to be out for up to two weeks with a calf injury. This is very grim news for the Reds, as they will require a strong offensive presence to maintain any hopes at taking points from Wednesday’s match. So far, Mario Balotelli has been nothing but a very expensive disappointment for Liverpool. The Italian striker’s bleak form has not improved since his first appearance; he is showing zero goals in six Premiere League appearances for Liverpool. In the absence of Sturridge, Balotelli must find some sort of confidence and connect with the Red’s young gun, Raheem Sterling, for their squad to take even a single point from this match.

Away - Real Madrid
Last away matches - W-W-W-W-L-L

Real Madrid have not lost in eight games and Cristiano Ronaldo is already setting goal-scoring records in La Liga. Madrid are at the top of Group B with six points, while Liverpool are tied for second place with FC Basel. Gareth Bale has been left out of Wednesday’s squad with buttock injury. This will be a blow to Real Madrid, but their bench is so deep with talent that it most certainly will not be a crushing blow. Ronaldo has surprisingly never scored at Anfield, but when taking note of his unabated goal-scoring form of late, Wednesday could prove to be yet another hurdle conquered by the Portuguese phenom. The key to Madrid taking the three points in this match is to get Liverpool on their heels early. They must make things hectic for the Liverpool defense and not let them sit back with any comfortability. This will stir up an already frantic Liverpool squad and create even more goal-scoring chances for Real.

Asian Handicap
Home - (+1.00)
Away - (-1.00)
Pick - Real Madrid (-1.00)
Odds - 2.42
Stakes - 10/10