FC Astana 2.46 v Celtic 3.50; The Draw 3.20
Wednesday, 15:00
Live on Premier Sports
Brendan Rodgers did a good job of summing up the challenge confronting Celtic in Kazakhstan, quipping that: "It's a six-hour flight, five-hour time difference, 35C+, a plastic pitch with no water, but apart from that..."
FC Astana are unbeaten in 15 home games, winning 12 of their latest 13, and it isn't just in domestic competition that they dominate. Their six Champions League fixtures in front of their fans last term delivered victories over Maribor, HJK, APOEL and draws with Galatasaray, Benfica and finalists Atletico Madrid and not a single defeat.
Celtic have lost seven of their last 11 Champions League road trips, with the first reverse in that sequence occurring 2-0 against inferior Kazakhstani opposition in Shakhter Karagandy and the most recent being inflicted by Gibraltarian adversaries in Lincoln Red Imps.
Recommended Bet: Back FC Astana to win @ 2.46
Astra Giurgiu 3.40 v FC Copenhagen 2.42; The Draw 3.35
Wednesday, 18:30
This is a clash between Champions League debutants and veterans of this qualifying process, with the latter fancied to put their experience to good use, even though it has only seen them through to the group stage once in their past four attempts.
A better option than investing in the outcome is betting on a high-scoring contest, especially with the odds on over 2.5 goals as appetising as 2.58.
Astra Giurgiu's final four Europa League matches last summer against West Ham and AZ Alkmaar served up 14 strikes, with three of those breezing past the 2.5 barrier. The opening encounter of their domestic title defence at the weekend produced five as they fell 4-1 to Dinamo Bucharest.
As for FC Copenhagen, they fired nine times past Northern Ireland's Crusaders in the last round, with their previous double header in the competition against Bayer Leverkusen delivering the same number of goals. Their last five league outings also shot past 2.5, usually by a distance.
Recommended Bet: Back over 2.5 goals @ 2.58
Fenerbahce 2.88 v Monaco 2.88; The Draw 3.25
Wednesday, 19:30
Punters may struggle to pick a winner from a showdown which, at the time of writing, has co-favourites, but there is an interesting trend indicating that the advantage is with Monaco.
Fenerbahce haven't scored a single goal in their last four Champions League assignments and, proving that it wasn't a result of facing vastly superior sides, each of those blanks was incurred in the qualifiers, with Arsenal shutting them out twice in 2013 and Shakhtar doing likewise last year.
Monaco have won three of their previous five away days in the tournament, with the Gunners one of their victims, yet even more surprising is the fact that they have conceded less than a goal per game on average across their past ten on their Champions League travels.
Recommended Bet: Back Monaco to win @ 2.88
Wednesday, 15:00
Live on Premier Sports
Brendan Rodgers did a good job of summing up the challenge confronting Celtic in Kazakhstan, quipping that: "It's a six-hour flight, five-hour time difference, 35C+, a plastic pitch with no water, but apart from that..."
FC Astana are unbeaten in 15 home games, winning 12 of their latest 13, and it isn't just in domestic competition that they dominate. Their six Champions League fixtures in front of their fans last term delivered victories over Maribor, HJK, APOEL and draws with Galatasaray, Benfica and finalists Atletico Madrid and not a single defeat.
Celtic have lost seven of their last 11 Champions League road trips, with the first reverse in that sequence occurring 2-0 against inferior Kazakhstani opposition in Shakhter Karagandy and the most recent being inflicted by Gibraltarian adversaries in Lincoln Red Imps.
Recommended Bet: Back FC Astana to win @ 2.46
Astra Giurgiu 3.40 v FC Copenhagen 2.42; The Draw 3.35
Wednesday, 18:30
This is a clash between Champions League debutants and veterans of this qualifying process, with the latter fancied to put their experience to good use, even though it has only seen them through to the group stage once in their past four attempts.
A better option than investing in the outcome is betting on a high-scoring contest, especially with the odds on over 2.5 goals as appetising as 2.58.
Astra Giurgiu's final four Europa League matches last summer against West Ham and AZ Alkmaar served up 14 strikes, with three of those breezing past the 2.5 barrier. The opening encounter of their domestic title defence at the weekend produced five as they fell 4-1 to Dinamo Bucharest.
As for FC Copenhagen, they fired nine times past Northern Ireland's Crusaders in the last round, with their previous double header in the competition against Bayer Leverkusen delivering the same number of goals. Their last five league outings also shot past 2.5, usually by a distance.
Recommended Bet: Back over 2.5 goals @ 2.58
Fenerbahce 2.88 v Monaco 2.88; The Draw 3.25
Wednesday, 19:30
Punters may struggle to pick a winner from a showdown which, at the time of writing, has co-favourites, but there is an interesting trend indicating that the advantage is with Monaco.
Fenerbahce haven't scored a single goal in their last four Champions League assignments and, proving that it wasn't a result of facing vastly superior sides, each of those blanks was incurred in the qualifiers, with Arsenal shutting them out twice in 2013 and Shakhtar doing likewise last year.
Monaco have won three of their previous five away days in the tournament, with the Gunners one of their victims, yet even more surprising is the fact that they have conceded less than a goal per game on average across their past ten on their Champions League travels.
Recommended Bet: Back Monaco to win @ 2.88