Champions League Qualifiers Top Betting Picks

Bodo/Glimt vs Dinamo Zagreb

Dinamo Zagreb has just too much quality to suffer the same fate as Bodo/Glimt’s previous European opponents in what promises to be a Champions League playoff round first leg with plenty of goalmouth action.

The Norwegian outfit has been superb of late sweeping KI, Linfield and Zalgiris aside with some crushing performances on home soil. Reaching Europe’s elite competition proper for the first time in their history would be a remarkable achievement. Bodo/Glimt continued their surge to the top of the Eliteserien standings as they claimed a comfortable 4-1 victory away to Sarpsborg last Friday. If you’re betting online, they are a team to watch and bet on when it comes to goals in front of their fans.

They are currently unbeaten in seven straight games across all competitions, picking up an impressive six wins and one draw since July’s 1-0 loss against Linfield. They have some important injury issues with star winger Ola Solbakken and Sondre Fet still out while first-choice goalkeeper Nikita Haikin is still struggling with a problem that forced him off in the previous round.

On the other side, Dinamo Zagreb has been here and has done it before on several occasions in recent times, having qualified to the group stage of the Champions League on five occasions since 2011. They reached the quarterfinals of the Europa League two years ago and were only narrowly eliminated by eventual winners Villarreal. They have basically become used to operating at a higher level than Tuesday’s opponents.

We expect a high-scoring affair with both teams pushing each other to score goals and get a decisive advantage. Both teams have scored in three of Bodo/Glimt’s last five fixtures across all competitions, which have produced a total of 22 goals. Dinamo Zagreb is currently on a 20-game unbeaten run across all competitions, stretching back to April’s 1-0 defeat against Hajduk Split. They’ve won five of their last six away Champions League qualifiers.

Pick: Over 3 goals in the match (+120)

Rangers vs PSV

After losing 2-0 in the first leg against Royale Union SG, the Rangers saved their best for the second leg. An Ibrox atmosphere powered them to a magical comeback, beating the Belgian outfit 3-0 in front of their brilliant fans. They’ve won six of their last seven home games in the European competitions and they enter this clash as slight favorites at +160 on the three-way moneyline according to the latest soccer odds.

On the other side, PSV is simply on fire. They needed extra time to knock AS Monaco out of the competition and they score 18 goals in five games this season. Ruud Van Nistelrooy is likely to be without midfielder Richard Ledezma, injured in their 5-2 win over Go-Ahead Eagles last weekend. Joey Veerman is likely to come in while Xavi Simons could have done enough on Saturday to ensure he starts over the more experienced Guus Til.

PSV has generally gathered much more European experience than Rangers in the last several years. However, if we are to judge by Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s troops’ display against both Union Saint-Gilloise and also last season’s European campaign, the Rangers should be able to fight until the last minute against PSV.

The Rangers have scored exactly two goals in four of those seven matches and three goals each other time. Since the Rangers last reached the group stage of the Champions League in 2010, PSV has fallen at that hurdle on two occasions. Key attacker Ryan Kent was rested last weekend against St. Johnstone, but he is expected to lead the attacking line on Tuesday. Kemar Roofe, Filip Helander and Ianis Hagi make up a trio of absentees for the hosts, who are expected to bring Tom Lawrence and Scott Arfield back into the starting lineup following their goals at the weekend.

Van Nistelrooy’s attack remains depleted as Noni Madueke, Carlos Vinicius and Yorbe Vertessen continue their recoveries while defenders Mauro Junior and Olivier Boscagli are also set to miss out. Given their attacking quality, the two sides should offer us an entertaining show. That’s why we will include the overs in our soccer picks and parlays.

Pick: Over 2½ goals in the match (-115)