The Champions League and Europa League qualifications are well under way and we've picked out a solid looking treble.
Celtic v Alashkert Wednesday 19:45
Two late goals from Forrest and McGregor all but killed the tie in Armenia as the home side’s fitness and defence was stretched in the last ten minutes. However, 3-0 hardly flattered The Bhoys who controlled the match from the first minute.
Even if Rodgers decides to rotate his side, this is a squad who have won back to back trebles, which takes great discipline and professionalism. Alashkert won’t be travelling to the game to try and win the tie, but more for damage limitation.
Celtic will sail through to the next round and will do so with another clean sheet. Celtic to win to nil is a solid bet as they march on to the group stage.
Rosenborg v Valur Wednesday 18:45
The Norwegian giants were embarrassed by Iceland’s Valur last week, as a late goal from Sigurbjornsson secured Valur’s greatest ever win. It is just their second appearance ever in the Champions League after a ten-year absence and a result many did not expect.
Rosenborg do not travel well in the competition, but at home, it’s a different story. 12 wins out of 15 in all competitions, as well as seven home, wins out of nine in the UCL, they should really stretch their opponents and make life difficult for them.
Soderlund was left on the bench in Iceland but will no doubt feature or even partner with Nicklas Bendtner up front, who have scored ten goals between them in the league. Rosenborg will want the tie wrapping up in 90 minutes, and a handicap of -1 looks a great price.
Dundalk v Levadia Tallinn Thursday 19:45
Dundalk were able to grab all three points away in Estonia, despite Levadia Tallinn dominating large parts of the game. As the game grew older, Dundalk had two huge chances to kill the tie but were unable to make the most of their tiring opponents.
That was Dundalk’s 14th win in a row and their overall record in the competition has been pretty strong in recent years, having defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv and only losing to Zenit 2-1 both home and away in the group stage.
Levadia do not tend to travel well in this competition, having lost eight of their last ten on the road in Europe. Last season, they lost to Cork both home and away and we predict a similar outcome here. Dundalk can progress to the next round in front of their home crowd.
