Champions League: Cluj's turn to get bitten in Group A

Champions League / Mike Norman / 30 September 2008 / 1 Comments

Having watched Cluj create one of the biggest Champions League upsets ever away to Roma, "Mystical" Mike Norman's crystal ball tells him that the tide is about to turn as Chelsea come to town.

If you thought Count Dracula was the only Romanian capable of a nasty bite then think again - CFR Cluj have already put a huge dent in AS Roma's chances of qualifying and now have their sights firmly set on Chelsea.

Just six years ago Cluj were in the third tier of Romanian football - on Wednesday they face the Champions League runners-up in arguably the biggest game ever staged at the 25,000 all-seater Gruia Stadium. CFR Cluj are [9.4] to win, The Draw can be backed at [4.6] and Chelsea are the red hot favourites at [1.47].

When I strongly fancy a team to win I always look at how they've fared at the half way stage in previous games they've won. In Chelsea's case they've won six games this season and have led at half-time in five of them. This is more than an acceptable percentage for me to play Chelsea/Chelsea in the Half Time/Full Time market - the odds are [2.28].

Big Phil Scolari has been a breath of fresh air since he arrived at Stamford Bridge and regardless of the competition or opposition, he has always fielded a strong side. This is bad news for Cluj I'm afraid and it's impossible to see them pulling off another shock similar to that against Roma. From what I've seen they play some attractive football however, and with a partisan crowd behind them a goal for the home team certainly isn't out of the question. The "No" option in the Chelsea Clean Sheet market can be backed at [1.92], the Yes option is available at [1.98].

The Over/Under 2.5 Goals market is a difficult one to call. Chelsea are brilliant at seeing games out once they go one or two goals ahead, but with the knowledge that they have scored an average of exactly 2.5 goals this season, and with Cluj having some sketchy league form (just four wins from nine games), then Over 2.5 Goals ([2.06]) is my tentative selection - Under 2.5 Goals can be backed at [1.92].

Under Jose Mourinho Chelsea had an uncanny knack (especially in his first season) of finishing a game with either one goal or four goals scored. So far under Scolari this pattern is being repeated (six times out of eight they've finished with either one or four goals scored) so you could do worse than back 1-0 to Chelsea in the Correct Score market at [7.0] or Any Unquoted Score at [7.8] which will cover you for any scoreline that has a four or higher in it.

Didier Drogba is the [5.0] favourite in the First Goalscorer market, but until he starts scoring regularly he is someone I'm looking to avoid. As an alternative I'm quite keen on Michael Ballack at [11.5]. With Joe Cole and Deco set to miss the game, the German star has his chance to add to the already impressive list of free-scoring midfielders at the club.

Comments (1)

1. free bet | 01 October 2008

   no upsets for Man U at least....