Czech out a cracking bet for AC Milan's trip to the Synot Tip Aréna this evening
AC Milan have not been particularly effective on the road in this season’s Champions League and, given that the reigning champions have already qualified along with Barcelona for the knockout stages of the competition, they may well be thwarted when square up against Viktoria Plzen at the Synot Tip Aréna this evening.
Pavel Vrba’s men lost the reverse fixture 2-0 at the San Siro, and were subsequently hammered at home by Barca, but the Czech champions earned a creditable away victory in their most recent game in Europe’s elite tournament, and they at least go into Matchday 6 with something to play for, as victory against the Diavolo tonight will guarantee them a spot in the Europa League.
Whereas Vrba is likely to be able to pick his starting XI from a full-strength squad, the visitors’ coach Massimiliano Allegri will be without a number of influential players – including the suspended Alberto Aquilani – and, in any case, one suspects that he will rest some players, what with an away match against Bologna in the Serie A on the horizon.
Don’t get me wrong, Plzen have hardly shone in this tournament overall, scoring just twice in five Champions League games, but I can envisage them grinding out a result against the Rossoneri. A 1-0 home win appeals at a top-priced 8-1, but under 1.25 in the total goals market looks a safer option, about which bet365 are offering tempting odds of 3-1.
The rationale behind this is that it strikes me as being one of those games that, if won at all, will probably produce a solitary goal, whereas a stalemate would hardly be surprising.