With the two teams having met in Moscow last week, Swiss champions Basel take on CSKA for the second time in a matter of weeks at the St. Jakob-Park. A win for the home side would all-but secure their place in the Champions League knock-out stages, with Raphaël Wicky’s men having been one of the competitions surprise packages this season.
Champions League – St. Jakob-Park, Basel– Tuesday 31st October – 19:45 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 14/5 at Ladbrokes |
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FC Basel
CSKA MoscowMatch Preview
FC Basel have won two of their opening three Champions League matches this season, while opponents CSKA Moscow have collected just three points from the same number of encounters. Despite neither side being among the favourites for the competition, both will be doing their upmost to make it through to the latter stages. CSKA boss, Viktor Goncharenko, is under pressure to deliver for the visitors, however the duo’s meeting in the Russian capital last week certainly makes the home side the firm favourites. Let’s take a closer look at the two teams, as well as our betting tips for the match.
FC Basel Team News & Form
The home side registered a narrow victory over FC Thun in the Swiss top-flight at the weekend, however they remain five points off the top after an indifferent start to the campaign. Wicky’s men have generally saved their best form for the Champions League, with only a defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford halting their progress. The likes of Eder Balanta and Dimitri Oberlin have been the star performers for the home side so far this season, with former Norwich City striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel set to continue in the lone-striker position. Despite not having any star names within their playing squad, Basel are a team capable of beating anyone in front of their home supporters.
CSKA Moscow Team News & Form
Just seven wins from their opening fourteen Russian Premier League fixtures help to demonstrate the kind of form that CSKA are in heading into this clash, with the Russian giants having been just as inconsistent in the Champions League. Having defeated Benfica in the opening week of the competition, CSKA have suffered home defeats to Manchester United and Basel, with the likes of Vitinho, Alan Dzagoev and Aleksandr Golovin having struggled to find their best form. Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev could well be a busy man in Switzerland next week, with Basel having looked threatening every time they attacked against CSKA last time around.
Head to Head
Goals from Taulant Xhaka and Oberlin helped Basel to a comfortable 2-0 victory against CSKA just last week, providing a good indication of the two teams in the build up to their second encounter, in what was the first competitive clash between the clubs.
Betting Odds and Predictions
Given the encounter between the two teams last time around, Basel are the favourites for victory with all online bookmakers. The home side can be backed at best odds of 4/5 at Ladbrokes, while the visitors are offered odds of 3 with the same bookmakers. Meanwhile, betting on their being over 2.5 goals during the 90 minutes is worth considering, with Ladbrokes offering odds of 1/1 on this market.
Top Betting Tip
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on Basel to win and both teams to score, which is available at odds of 3/1 at Ladbrokes.