After delivering a winner on Sunday, SlipsTips shares a selection ahead of Atletico Madrid and Arsenal’s clash in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal (Wednesday, 20:00)
Both looking to move one step closer to continental supremacy, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal will meet at the Estadio Metropolitano on Wednesday night for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie.
After finishing outside the top eight in the league phase, Atletico Madrid have since seen off Club Brugge, Tottenham and Barcelona to secure their place in the last four.
Arsenal, by contrast, cruised through the league phase with eight wins from eight and have since produced a pair of professional aggregate victories over Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting Lisbon.
I've already covered this Spanish capital showdown in a separate match preview, but here I want to take a closer look at one of the recommended selections.
The 11/8 available with bet365 for Julian Alvarez to commit two or more fouls certainly holds appeal and offer value.
The Atletico Madrid attacker is aggressive in his approach and presses relentlessly from the front.
The data bears that out, with Alvarez committing an average of 1.65 fouls per game in this season’s Champions League.
The Argentine’s tendency to overstep the mark was particularly evident in the previous round against Barcelona, where he racked up a combined six fouls across both legs, committing 2+ in each game.
A wider look shows Alvarez has been penalised twice or more in five of his last six outings in Europe’s premier club competition.
The case for siding with this selection is strengthened further by the fact Alvarez committed two fouls against Arsenal when the sides met in the league phase back in October.
The likelihood of the 26-year-old coming up against Arsenal’s defensive pairing of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba only adds weight to this selection.
The Gunners’ centre-back duo are drawing averages of 1.16 and 0.45 fouls per 90 respectively in this season’s Champions League.
Recommended Bet
- Julian Alvarez To Commit 2+ Fouls – 11/8 (bet365)
Grant Heaney, aka SlipsTips, is a Freelance Football and Darts Writer with over six years experience. Grant has written football and darts betting content for some of the biggest betting websites and newspapers in the UK. He is a Falkirk season ticket holder and avid watcher of football and darts, whether it be UK-based or further afield. You can find all of his tips on X @SlipsTips
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