Wednesday Football Tips: Back a 13/2 Brugge v Bayer Bet Builder

Club Brugge v Bayer Leverkusen
Wednesday 7 September, 20:00 kick-off
Live on BT Sport

Club Brugge have never qualified from the modern-day Champions League group stages, and are up against it again as they start their latest bid at home against Bayer Leverkusen.

It's a 10th Champions League campaign for Brugge, who hold the record for the most group stage appearances without reaching the knockouts.

The Belgians have won just one of their last eight home games in the competition and in five defeats they've conceded at least three goals.

Leverkusen are back in the Champions League group stages after three years away, and they're early form has been a worry having lost four of their first five Bundesliga games.

Callum Hudson-Odoi has joined Bayer on loan from Chelsea, and with just one defeat in 15 Champions League group stage outings he's got plenty of experience to offer if he plays.

Usually Leverkusen would be well fancied here, but they're only slight favourites due to the woeful start to the season they've endured.

Bayer have also failed to win their opening Champions League group game in their last six tries - losing four - so are renowned slow starters in the competition.

Brugge have been winning and scoring plenty so we have the genuine chance of a slight upset here, but I'll happily swerve the match result on this one given it's so tight.

The Germans do have the better squad with more quality, especially up front with Czech striker Patrik Schick a class act who Bayer did well to keep hold of this summer.

He's scored just twice this season so far though, and surprisingly has never scored in the Champions League despite played 14 times in the competition for RB Leipzig and Roma.

He won't get a better chance to open his account though than against a Brugge side well used to conceding goals in this competition, so even at 10/11 we'll back Schick to score anytime here.

Moussa Diaby hasn't scored for Leverkusen this season, but the French forward is the club's leading goal threat in European competition since he joined in 2019.

Diaby has scored nine and assisted seven goals in Europe, so for his dual threat we'll add him to our Bet Builder in the score or assist market at 8/11.

We can't ignore Brugge though, who should be able to get at this vulnerable Leverkusen side, and if not score then they should be able get a few shots in on target.

There's a couple of possibles on the short list, including Ferran Jutgla and Andreas Skov Olsen who have both scored five goals this season.

Instead, though we'll go for summer signing Casper Nielsen, who is an attractive 7/5 chance to just have 1+ shot on target in the match.

Nielsen is in a nice scoring run with three goals in his last four so his confidence is up, and even if he can't find the net he should at least find the target and net us a nice little profit.