The first Champions League action of the new year has arrived.
The pregame narrative: It's the penultimate week of league phase matches, meaning some teams can lock up their spots in the elimination stage. Arsenal and Inter Milan are among them, and the No. 1 and 6 teams in the table battle at the San Siro on Tuesday.
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Check out my best Champions League betting predictions for the Matchday 7 games on Jan. 20-21.
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Champions League betting predictions
Best bet: Arsenal tie no bet (-134)
I doubt Arsenal will lose this game outright, but I still have to respect Inter Milan.
The Nerazzurri are 4-0-2 in the Champions League and are on an eight-game unbeaten run across all competitions dating back to Dec. 9.
A draw is very much in the cards here, so it's palatable to back Arsenal tie no bet with -134 juice.
-> Bet on first-place Arsenal to beat Inter Milan
Inter's last loss was at home to Liverpool on Matchday 6, giving me hope Arsenal can follow suit. The Gunners are the class of the Premier League, sporting a 15-5-2 record. That is three places and 14 points better than Liverpool.
And Mikel Arteta's squad has been even better in the Champions League.
- Arsenal is the only unbeaten team at 6-0-0, scoring 17 goals and conceding just once.
- It leads the tournament in FotMob match rating (7.33), clean sheets (five), and xG difference (+10.6).
Key stat: Arsenal is 23-6-1 in its last 30 games across all competitions.
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UCL Matchday 7 picks
Bayern Munich over 3.5 goals (-103): Bayern has destroyed every team it has faced in this competition outside of Arsenal, which beat the German side, 3-1.
Outside of that, Bayern is 5-0-0 with a +13 goal differential in the Champions League.
The Bavarians also lead the entire UCL in xG (15.1) and shots on target per game (8.2), and are second in big chances (31) and match rating (7.24).
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Bayern is a well-oiled offensive juggernaut, scoring 29 goals in its last five matches across all competitions.
I don't think Union Saint-Gilloise can slow it down.
The Belgian side is leading its domestic league, but has struggled in the UCL, giving up four goals to Newcastle United and Inter Milan and three goals to Marseille and Atletico Madrid.
Champions League betting predictions made at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2025.
