Chelsea can bounce back from domestic frustrations in Europe
Published:Chelsea haven’t had the best time of it domestically recently, suffering back-to-back league defeats and conceding five at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1989.
Andre Villas Boas’ men fired five past RC Genk when the sides met in London though, justifying the 2/9 price for an away victory, and with the Belgian side yet to score in the Champions League this season, Chelsea to win to nil at 1/1 has plenty of appeal.
The home side are priced at 12/1 to spring an upset on the three-time Premier League champions, and the draw is priced at 5/1 as Genk look to add to their sole European point so far this season.
The overall quality within Chelsea’s ranks should shine through though, and it may be worth backing the Blues to win giving up a two-goal handicap at 7/4.
Fernando Torres’ best all-round performances have come in the Champions League this season, and the brace he notched when the sides met at Stamford Bridge contributed to his finest outing in a Chelsea shirt thus far.
Backing him to score the first goal at 5/2 could prove a shrewd bet.
Elsewhere in the group, Valencia take on Bayer Leverkusen at the Mestalla knowing only a win will do.
The Spanish side will have to throw caution to the wind, and are priced at 4/6 to claim their first Champions League win of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Leverkusen have impressed in winning two of their three games in Europe so far.
They are a big 9/2 to get another three points here, but could adopt a more cautious approach knowing they realistically only need a point from the game, and so the 13/5 for the draw could be worth considering.
