Champions League: Bettors back Klopp and Potter to get important wins

One is the longest serving manager in the Premier League, while the other is taking charge of his club for the first time, but Jurgen Klopp and Graham Potter both face big nights in the Champions League this week.

On Tuesday, Klopp will hope his Liverpool team can kickstart their campaign after last week's 4-1 defeat at Napoli.

That was a horrorshow for the Reds as they found themselves 3-0 down at half-time - the worst possible start in a competition in which they reached last season's final.

In southern Italy, their defence was run ragged and up front Mo Salah failed to fire before he was hooked with Liverpool chasing the game.

Liverpool have been dogged by injuries so far this season. Key men, like Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson have underperformed. It was hoped that big money summer signing Darwin Nunez would hit the ground running but instead he headbutted an opponent in his first match at Anfield and has looked unconvincing since returning from suspension.

Klopp exit odds shorten

In the aftermath of last week's humbling at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Klopp shortened to 12/1 in the next English top flight manager to leave betting.

It would be a shock if the German's seven year reign - which included winning the Champions League in 2019 - came to an end, and Liverpool are still the favourites to win their group at around even odds.

In fact, at 9.89/1 they are one of the frontrunners to go all the way in the competition, with only Man City 3.3512/5, PSG 7.26/1 and Bayern Munich 8.27/1.

Thomas Tuchel's sacking showed anything is possible when Chelsea dismissed him last week just 15 months after winning this competition.

While Liverpool are not Chelsea, and are always reluctant to fire bosses, the pressure is on for Klopp, with his team seventh in the Premier League after six games (W2L1D1).

They are 1.528/15 to beat an Ajax team that gave Rangers a football lesson in last week's 4-0 win in Amsterdam. That price is down to the Anfield factor as much as anything else, as Liverpool have only lost their first home match in two of their previous 46 major European campaigns (W35 D9).

But Ajax have won their last seven Champions League group stage matches, scoring 24 goals and conceding just five. Only Bayern Munich are on a longer current run of group stage victories.

Some punters - including our match previewer - will think twice about backing the Reds. They needed a last gasp winner to beat Newcastle at home a fortnight ago and Crystal Palace earned a point there last month.

Liverpool v Ajax pits two of Europe's great clubs against each other and home fans will want a magical Anfield night. If Liverpool underwhelm again, though, some will wonder if Klopp, who reconjured the good times for the Reds, has lost his touch and those odds an unlikely exit will shorten.

Potter makes Champions League debut

Potter's first match in charge of Chelsea will also be his first as a manager in the Champions League. He's worked his way up from Swedish club Ostersund, through Swansea and his excellent three year stint at Brighton.

Now he arrives at Chelsea on a five year contract and with a promise from the owners that he will be given time to implement his methods.

Three points against Red Bull Salzburg under the Stamford Bridge lights would be a great start and the Blues are 1.374/11 to get it.

They do look disjointed though and, while some of the tactical chaos (Chelsea played three formations in their 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb last week) may have left with Tuchel, the Austrians will try to exploit any lingering confusion.

The good news is that Chelsea have only lost one of their last 20 home games in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (W13 D6), with that lone defeat coming against Valencia under Frank Lampard in September 2019, so the Bridge is something of a blue fortress.

They are still favourites to win Group E, which also features AC Milan. The last time Chelsea changed manager with the season underway they went on to win the Champions League. That was in 2021 under Tuchel and, for that reason, he will always have a place in Chelsea fans' hearts. This season, under Potter, they are 28.027/1 to repeat that feat.