Last season’s Champions League semi-finalists Monaco travel to Turkey next week in an attempt to salvage their chances of qualifying for the latter stages of the competition, with the French champions having collected just a single point from their opening three fixtures this season.
Champions League – Vodafone Arena, Istanbul – Wednesday 1st November – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 11/4 at William Hill |
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Besiktas_JK
AS MonacoMatch Preview
With Besiktas having been one of the tournaments surprise packages so far, winning all three of their matches to date, the Group G leaders can secure their place in the Champions League knock-out stages with a fourth consecutive win. Their French opponents continue to struggle after losing some of their big names during the summer transfer window, making them the underdogs for victory in Istanbul on Wednesday evening. With a whole host of appealing betting markets surrounding this encounter, let’s take a closer look at the two teams for those looking to place a bet, starting with the Turkish side.
Besiktas Team News & Form
Besiktas manager Şenol Güneş has led his side to a 100% winning record in the Champions League so far, with their win in France last week perhaps their most impressive performance to date. In-form striker Cenk Tosun scored two goals against the Ligue 1 champions last week, with the likes of Ricardo Quaresma and Anderson Talisca forming a formidable attacking threat for the home side. Such players have helped the Turkish side in scoring seven goals in their three matches to date, with former Real Madrid defender Pepe performing well at the other end of the field. Despite not firing on all cylinders in their domestic league, with the Turkish club having only managed a point against İstanbul Başakşehir last time around, their form in Europe has been nothing short of superb.
AS Monaco Team News & Form
Last season’s most entertaining team in Europe have earned just a single point in the Champions League this time around, with manager Leonardo Jardim under pressure to deliver when it matters the most in Turkey. The reigning French champions secured a comfortable win over Caen in Ligue 1 at the weekend, however an encounter with Besiktas is certain to be a much more difficult tie. Forward Radamel Falcao has a fantastic record for the visitors in front of goal, however the likes of Joao Moutinho and Thomas Lemar will need to be at the top of their game in order to create the chances for the Colombian, especially with summer signing Stevan Jovetic out injured.
Head to Head
Before last week’s win for Besiktas in France, where the visitors claimed a famous 2-1 victory, the two teams have never previously met in any competitive fixture. Monaco’s trip to Turkey next week is a completely new venture for the French giants as a result. Taking this into consideration, there are no conclusions to be made in this area when looking to make predictions surrounding this encounter.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given their result in France last time out, it is little surprise that Besiktas are the favourites for three points with the majority of bookmakers. Those looking to back the home side can get best odds of 13/10 at William Hill, while Ladbrokes offers Monaco odds of 15/8 to claim an important away success.
Top Betting Tip
Our top betting tip for the match is to back both teams to score during the 90 minutes, which can be found at best odds of 8/15 with bookmakers Ladbrokes.