Champions League Betting – Arsenal at Olympiakos

Arsenal (-105) at Olympiakos (+275), Draw (+300)

Even after a terrible start to their Champions League campaign (2-0-3), Arsenal are one win away from getting to the Round of 16 as the second seed in Group F. The Gunners just need to beat Olympiakos today (2:45 PM Eastern at Karaiskaki Stadium) to eliminate the Greeks and advance to the next stage.

Bayern Munich lead Group F through five fixtures with 12 points (4-0-1) and have already booked their place in the knockout phase.  Olympiakos (3-0-2) are second with nine points, while Arsenal’s six points are good enough for third. Dinamo Zagreb are bringing up the rear with just three (1-0-4).

Despite trailing the Greeks in the table, Arsenal have a better goal differential (-1 versus -4). With a win today, Arsenal and Olympiakos would be tied on points and goal difference would function as the tiebreaker.

“We play against a side that is, at the moment, qualified but they can lose what they have very quickly and that can create a fear factor,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said in a press conference before the game. “The best way for us to achieve … qualification is to believe in our quality.”

Arsenal have advanced to the second stage in each of their last 15 UCL campaigns, but they’ve never won the tournament.

“Our record [of 15 straight qualifications] is very important. There is nothing more to say than that – it is very important. We want to do well in Europe and the only way to do well is to do it tomorrow against Olympiakos. They are a good side but we know we can do it. The team will be highly focused. It is a big significance for us,” Wenger added.

Arsenal have never won in Greece, but Olympiakos’ overall record against English teams is a poor 7-3-15. The time is right for the Gunners, who boast the superior roster.

Pick: Arsenal (-105). 

(Photo credit: Ronnie Macdonald [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)