Champions League / Mike Norman / 03 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Arsenal and Robin van Persie are in top form at the moment, so combined with Alkmaar's poor recent run, "Mystical" Mike Norman can see only one outcome. Best Bet: Back Robin van Persie To Score at around [1.8].

Best Bet: Back Robin van Persie To Score @ around [1.8] v AZ Alkmaar

Also: Back 0-10 Minutes @ [4.0] and 11-20 Minuets @ [3.8] in First Goal market (split stakes); Back 4-0 @ [12.5] and 5-0 @ [16.5] in Correct Score 2 market (split stakes)

I make no secret of the fact that ever since I started writing for Betfair (over three years ago now), Arsenal have been my favourite team to preview.

Why? Well quite simply because they are relentless. Arsene Wenger has put together a squad of youngsters who have an incredible desire to succeed, that can pass any football team in the world to death, and who never seem to take the foot off the pedal. Will all this be evident against AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday night? You bet it will.

In the Match Odds market Arsenal are available to back at just [1.2] for victory, Alkmaar at [21.0] and The Draw at [8.2].

It doesn't seem to matter than the Gunners always appear to have a catalogue of injuries - whoever's in the starting line-up knows exactly what is required of them. And unfortunately for Ronald Koeman's Alkmaar side, amongst the 11 lining up on Wednesday night will be a trio of world class stars - Cesc Fabregas, Andrei Arshavin, and Robin van Persie.

Van Persie in particular is on fire at the moment, so much so that if he were a jacket potato he would be way too hot to handle. The Dutch star has scored in each of his last five Premier League games and has notched seven goals in seven games in all competitions. It's impossible therefore not to consider him in both the First Goalscorer and To Score markets once they materialise. Odds of around [4.5] and [1.8] respectively should be on offer at some point.

Many (less informative may I add) football websites will point to the fact that Arsenal have a poor record against Dutch opposition in Europe and that Koeman is unbeaten as a coach against Wenger. Ignore these facts... Arsenal will win comfortably.

Arsenal/Arsenal should oblige at [1.65] in the Half Time/Full Time market, and unlike the game against Olympiakos (when Arsenal could have won ten nil but for some inspired goalkeeping), I fancy the home side to score within 20 minutes. To profit from this selection you will have to back both the 0-10 Minutes ([4.0]) and 11-20 Minutes ([3.8]) options in the First Goal market.

Alkmaar's victory over Groningen last weekend was only their second victory in 11 games (six defeats in that sequence), so despite the last minute draw they achieved in the reverse of this fixture, everything points to a big defeat against the Gunners.

Normally I'd be advising Any Unquoted in the Correct Score market (available to back at [3.6] this time) but Betfair have given the Correct Score 2 market a run out for this game so I feel obliged to (hopefully) take advantage by backing both the 4-0 ([12.5]) and 5-0 ([16.5]) scorelines.

Tags: Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, AZ Alkmaar, Cesc Fabregas, Champions League, Champions League Betting, Robin van Persie, Ronald Koeman