SOCCER FOOTBALL 24H

Augsburg v Partizan Belgrade Thursday October 1, 18:00 Live on BT Sport Extra Augsburg are gearing up for their first ever home game in continental competition, but the excitement is tinged with anxiety about the Bavarian club's awful start to the season. Not only did FCA blow a lead in a 3-1 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in their group stage opener a fortnight ago, but they have taken just four points from their first seven games in the Bundesliga. After Saturday's 3-1 home defeat to Hoffenheim, Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl bemoaned his team's defensive errors, imploring players like South Korean international Jeong-Ho Hong to show greater concentration. Augsburg have leaked 16 goals in nine games in all competitions, and in attack the usually reliable Halil Altintop and Tobias Werner simply aren't putting their chances away. Although Partizan Belgrade don't have a good away record in the Europa League of late, they do have more experience at thi...

Liverpool v Sion Thursday, 20:05 Live on BT Sport Europe With his constant references to "outstanding character" and his love of phrases that even David Brent would reject, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers isn't a hard guy to parody, but no-one at Anfield is laughing much these days. Although Rodgers appears to have the unflinching support of the club's owners FSG, his recent suggestion that there is a conspiracy to oust him smacks of a man who is feeling the heat. Liverpool's 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday has repaired some of the damage done this season, but only a string of successes will now placate a disaffected block of the fan base. Given the febrile atmosphere surrounding the club, and the fact that Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw at Bordeaux a fortnight ago, this clash with Sion must be regarded with the utmost seriousness. Luckily for Liverpool, their Swiss visitors are also having a tumultuous campaign. Sion have lost their l...

Monaco v Tottenham Thursday, 18:00 Live on BT Sport Europe One of the great things about football is that when things go wrong, an opportunity to put things right swiftly arrives. Having endured the ignominy of losing a League Cup tie at home to bitter rivals Arsenal, not to mention the embarrassment of allowing Mathieu Flamini to score twice (that's the fourth sign of the Apocalypse), Tottenham bounced back by dismantling Manchester City 4-1. After a run of four wins in five games, a stuttering start to the campaign is suddenly looking like a strong one, and the Lilywhites have only lost two of their first nine matches this term. Heung-Min Son has hit the ground running after his move from Bayer Leverkusen, and Harry Kane is finally off the mark after a goal drought that was starting to move past the "just a blip" phase. A tricky test awaits at the Stade Louis II, but Monaco have stumbled off their starting blocks this term. Having flogged attacking tyro...

Borussia Monchengladbach v Manchester City Wednesday September 30, 19:45 Live on BT Sport 2 Borussia Monchengladbach Progress in football can be a fragile thing. For example, Liverpool came within touching distance of winning a Premier League title, but now appear a million miles away from repeating that performance. Borussia Monchengladbach fans are enduring a similar recalibration of their expectations.  Having finished third in the Bundesliga last season, thus qualifying for the Champions League group stage for the first time, hopes were high amongst Foals fans that the team could kick on under the wise guidance of veteran coach  Lucien Favre.  Less than two months into the campaign, Favre is gone, having convinced himself he couldn't turn around a season that had begun with five consecutive Bundesliga defeats. Gladbach were hit hard by two key departures in the summer. Indefatigable midfielder  Christoph Kramer  returned to Bayer Leverkusen upon the complet...

Barcelona  1.41  v Bayer Leverkusen  9.20 ; The Draw  5.30 Live on BT Sport Extra 2 Bayer Leverkusen have won four of their opening seven Bundesliga matches and their first Group E tie, but their insistence on  treating the formbook like a religious text  ensures that Barcelona shouldn't be too concerned. Roger Schmidt's Duracell bunnies have beaten the four bottom-half domestic foes that they have faced, conceding just once in the process, yet have lost all three meetings with top-half adversaries, leaking seven goals without a reply. Barcelona won each of their six home Champions League group games over the past two seasons and, even more impressively,  led at the interval in every single one . Leverkusen were 2-0 down at the break on their previous Camp Nou visit in 2012, being thrashed 7-1. Recommended Bet: Back Barcelona/Barcelona @  2.10 Bayern Munich  1.09  v Dinamo Zagreb  42.00 ; The Draw  14.50 Live on BT Sport ...

Arsenal  1.42  v Olympiakos  9.20 ; The Draw  5.30 Tuesday, 19:45 Live on BT Sport 2 Arsenal It was an uncomfortable mid-September for Arsenal as they returned from their Champions League trip to Dinamo Zagreb with nothing and then became only the second team to lose a Premier League match against Chelsea this season, but one thing that they are always good for is a punchy reaction. The Gunners put the Stamford Bridge setback behind them with a 2-1 Capital One Cup triumph at Tottenham, before reinforcing that they were back in business by crushing Leicester's optimistic pursuit of Invincibles status with a  5-2 victory  at the King Power Stadium. It will be left to Theo Walcott to lead the line against Olympiakos following Olivier Giroud's dismissal in their Group F opener. Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck are long-term absentees, though Arsene Wenger will hope that one of Francis Coquelin or Mathieu Flamini recover in time. Olympiakos ...

Luis Enrique’s reigning European champions Barcelona continue the defence of their Champions League crown with a visit from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, but must overcome their latest clash without the mercurial Lionel Messi. The Catalan giants were held to a 1-1 draw in their opening encounter with Serie A giants Roma, but will be confident of getting back on track against German opposition which they have lost to on just one occasion in six ever meetings since 2001. Messi has again been instrumental so far this campaign for Barca, but they will have to do without their star man at the Nou Camp for up to two months, though the hosts are still favourites and 11/5 with Coral to win both halves. Injured Argentine attacker Messi had to withdraw early in the first-half of last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Las Palmas, with the club later confirming he had a knee ligament tear, but defender Marc Bartra has called for his team to prove its strength without their ta...

Manchester United v Wolfsburg Wednesday September 30, 19:45 Live on BT Sport Europe Manchester United For all the criticism that has come chief executive Ed Woodward's way regarding transfer policy, and for all the carping about Louis Van Gaal's sometimes cloying style of play, Manchester United are in pretty good shape. Saturday's 3-0 home win against Sunderland put them top of the Premier League for the first time in over two years, and Van Gaal says he is proud of that, and that his team is far better balanced than it was last season. It's hard to disagree with that assessment. United have only lost one of their first seven Premier League matches, no team in the English top flight has conceded fewer goals, and the Red Devils have failed to hit the net in just one of their 11 games in all competitions. Van Gaal's predecessor David Moyes was unable to maintain the fear factor that visiting teams used to feel when visiting Old Trafford, but t...

Barcelona  1.41  v Bayer Leverkusen  9.20 ; The Draw  5.30 Live on BT Sport Extra 2 Bayer Leverkusen have won four of their opening seven Bundesliga matches and their first Group E tie, but their insistence on  treating the formbook like a religious text  ensures that Barcelona shouldn't be too concerned. Roger Schmidt's Duracell bunnies have beaten the four bottom-half domestic foes that they have faced, conceding just once in the process, yet have lost all three meetings with top-half adversaries, leaking seven goals without a reply. Barcelona won each of their six home Champions League group games over the past two seasons and, even more impressively,  led at the interval in every single one . Leverkusen were 2-0 down at the break on their previous Camp Nou visit in 2012, being thrashed 7-1. Recommended Bet: Back Barcelona/Barcelona @  2.10 Bayern Munich  1.09  v Dinamo Zagreb  42.00 ; The Draw  14.50 Live on BT Sport ...

Arsenal  1.42  v Olympiakos  9.20 ; The Draw  5.30 Tuesday, 19:45 Live on BT Sport 2 Arsenal It was an uncomfortable mid-September for Arsenal as they returned from their Champions League trip to Dinamo Zagreb with nothing and then became only the second team to lose a Premier League match against Chelsea this season, but one thing that they are always good for is a punchy reaction. The Gunners put the Stamford Bridge setback behind them with a 2-1 Capital One Cup triumph at Tottenham, before reinforcing that they were back in business by crushing Leicester's optimistic pursuit of Invincibles status with a  5-2 victory  at the King Power Stadium. It will be left to Theo Walcott to lead the line against Olympiakos following Olivier Giroud's dismissal in their Group F opener. Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck are long-term absentees, though Arsene Wenger will hope that one of Francis Coquelin or Mathieu Flamini recover in time. Olympiakos The la...

After Fiorentina thrashed favourites Inter Milan 4-1 to reach the Serie A summit for the first time since 1999, Coral writers contemplate what this surprising campaign could have in-store and how Paulo Sousa’s side stacks up against that last table-topping Tuscan team. It was not yet the new Millennium when the vivacious Viola (20/1 with Coral to lift Europa League) last scaled these heights, just to hammer home this eyebrow-raising achievement. “Football is like this in Latin countries, it goes from zero to 80,” said Sousa of Fiorentina’s first place fireworks. “I already said there were other teams who invested heavily for that, but I won’t hold back either, as we have the quality to face every match knowing we can win.” Strong words. To put it into context, until now the Northern Italians had failed to clinch pole-position in over two-and-a-half decades, after those famous Florentine representatives fluffed their best chance to snatch a Scudetto since the 1960s. Having parted wa...