Club football across the major leagues in Europe begins this month. However, the qualifying series for the UEFA Champions League for clubs outside of the top five European leagues have begun.
26 out of 32 teams have qualified for Europe’s premier competition with six teams remaining.
PSV, Shakhtar Donetsk and Monaco defeated their opponents in the first leg of the third round of qualifying. Rangers lost surprisingly to Malmö.
The winners from this series will progress to the playoffs where six teams will now qualify for the group stages.
More first leg matches will be played today with the second legs billed for next week.
Here are four teams and exciting bet options for the UEFA Champions League qualification.
Over 1.5 Goals In Matches Involving Benfica
The Portuguese giants finished third in last season’s Primeira Liga behind Sporting Lisbon and Porto.
The Eagles will take on Spartak Moscow today at the Otkrytie Bank Arena for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League qualifying
It is a particularly safe option for punters to stake on at least two goals in this encounter. The Russian side seems the more competitive side having begun the league season. However, Jorge Jesus’ men have also been decent in the pre-season friendlies.
They also tend to play with a back three, allowing for plenty of offensive fluidity with Diogo Gonçalves and Alex Grimaldo flying down both flanks.
Spartak Moscow will also want to get the job done at home before travelling to Portugal.
Three out of the five friendlies involving Benfica have ended with over 1.5 goals scored.
Dinamo Zagreb To Win
The Croatian Champions will face off against Legia Warsaw at home.
Both teams eased through their first and second rounds of qualifying matches. However, this will be keenly contested.
The hosts could only manage a draw in their first league match. Yet, they are experienced campaigners in Europe, reaching the quarterfinals of last season’s Europa League.
Arijan Ademi will be key for Damir Kznar in this tie. The captain has scored two goals so far in four UEFA Champions League qualifying matches.
Dinamo has won all four qualifying matches and they will also look to make their home advantage count before travelling to Poland.
This is a must-have option for every smart punter interested in the UCL qualification series.
Slavia Prague To Keep A Clean Sheet
This option looks sure to deliver sweet rewards for punters.
The Czech powerhouse will meet lowly Ferencvaros tonight at the Groupama Arena in Hungary.
The visitors have qualified for this stage of the UEFA Champions League qualifying having won the league. They will look to ease past their current opponents for an opportunity to play in the playoffs.
Jindrich Trpisovsky went as far as the quarterfinals of the Europa League last season where they lost to Arsenal.
They have kept a clean sheet in three of their last five matches. The gulf in quality between both teams will also prove the difference.
Over 2.5 Goals In Games Involving Shakhtar Donetsk
The Ukrainian club will look to round off the third round of the UEFA Champions League qualifying encounter on home soil next Wednesday.
They have a healthy 2-1 away advantage from the first leg against Genk in Belgium courtesy of goals from Tete and Alan Patrick. Genk has been largely unimpressive since the start of the season with Paul Onuachu facing plenty of criticisms.
New coach, Roberto de Zerbi will be keen to impress by leading his new side to the playoffs. The Italian also oversaw a 3-0 win against Lviv in the league.
The experience of the Miners should be enough to see them past Genk while scoring more than two goals.
Punters interested in the UCL qualifiers can take advantage of this bet option.
