Arsenal and Chelsea meet in Dublin while Benfica host Lyon
The International Champions Cup has become synonymous with elite club pre-season football as the biggest clubs in the European game embark on global tours. And this year’s event has been no different as it becomes set to draw to a close this coming Wednesday (1 August).
First up, Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Chelsea are set to lock horns in Dublin in a mouth watering clash. And Later on, at the Estádio Algarve in Portugal, Benfica are set to play French club Lyon.
First things first
Before you go any further, head on over to the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting agency and get your account up and running using your credit card. As a new customer and with several of Europe’s major league preparing to kick off in August, there should be a wide range of promotions and offers available to you.
Where should I be investing my money?
First up, two of the Premier League’s most exciting new managers will meet for the first time when Arsenal take on Chelsea at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The continental coaches have a final chance to fine tune their players and formations ahead of the Premier League campaign, while this match gives both clubs the perfect opportunity to lay down an early marker.
Former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri has only been at Chelsea a matter of weeks and has had little chance to impose his own playing style on the squad just yet, although he has managed to bring in creative playmaker Jorginho from former club Napoli. By way of comparison, Unai Emery has had the whole summer to plan and plot at Arsenal, has brought in no fewer than five new faces and in his last outing saw his new side thrash former club PSG 5-1 in a scintillating showing.
It is therefore the Gunners that come into this game as the slight favourites to walk away victorious. You can back Arsenal to win the match at just 2.37, meaning you could more than double your money should they win, according to the Oddsshark site.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are slightly further out at 2.80, with a draw priced even higher at 3.50. The Stamford Bridge club drew their last match 1-1 with Italian club Internazionale, and a 1-1 draw in this match is priced at 7.00, meaning a US$5 bet would lead to a US$35 pay out.
Emery has a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal, and former Dortmund striker Pierre-EmerickAubameyang is the favourite to get on the score sheet here. You can back the 29 year old to score at any time at a price of just 1.83, while he is at 4.33 to net either the first or last goal of the game.
Following a disappointing first campaign in the blue of Chelsea and having missed out on Spain’s World Cup squad as a result, Alvaro Morata really needs to hit the ground running this time around. The former Juventus forward is at 2.62 to score during the match and at 7.00 to open the scoring.
On the same day, Portuguese league runners-up Benfica take on the third placed side in Ligue 1, Lyon, at the Estádio Algarve. Benfica boss Rui Vitoria will be using this match as preparation for the club’s UEFA Champions League qualifier against Turkish giants Fenerbache next month.
Benfica have been in pre-season training longer than Lyon as they prepare for their crucial continental clash. For that reason it is the Portuguese club who come into the game as the slight favourites to win the match, and they are at just 2.50 to taste victory in this one.
Lyon, meanwhile, are only slightly behind in the betting stakes at 2.70 to win the game. A draw is priced further out at 3.40, but given the fact that Benfica’s last two games have ended in a stalemate it may well be worth backing on this occasion as well.
Of course, trying to predict the exact score line of any game is never an easy task, but a 1-1 draw in this one is priced at 6.50. As it is only a friendly and Benfica certainly have bigger fish to fry in the coming weeks then a draw would seem a reasonable assumption to make on this occasion.
That result would of course mean both teams would score, and you can back that particular outcome at a price of just 1.61. You could, however, more than double your money by backing “No” to that possibility at 2.10.
Odds: Arsenal (2.37), Chelsea (2.80), draw (3.50)
Benfica (2.50), Lyon (2.70), draw (3.40)
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