Champions League Betting Group C: Olympique de Marseille vs. FC Zurich

Olympique de Marseille returned into the race with a vital victory against Zurich on the away a fortnight ago and another win over the Swiss in their returning tie would see the French with a real shot – albeit outside shot – at advancing into the knockout stages. Zurich is not without the same outside shot, to bid for a spot in the knockout stages that is, with a payback win against the French at Vélodrome

Soccer Betting Line:

Marseille  -1½  -105   -400   3  O +110   U -130    2  O -140   U +120  Draw   +425
FC Zurich  +1½  -115   +1200   3  O +110  U -130    ½  O -110   U -110 Draw   +425   

Venue: Vélodrome - Marseille - France
Match Time: 02:45 PM Eastern Time Tuesday November 3, 2009

Soccer Betting Analysis: Marseille gained their first few points in the competition when they beat Zurich on the away 1:0. They will be looking to build on that campaign-saving result when they open their returning tie against Zurich before a packed house in Vélodrome. It is a must win match for Marseille if they want to make the victory over Zurich to count.

Marseille, however, are having a lopsided season and struggling to get any consistent run going on both the home and European front. In Ligue 1, they are seventh in the table and showing a negative trend lately. They slipped in the table after a draw against Toulouse at the weekend. In their last five matches, spanning all competitions, they are 2-1-2.

FC Zurich missed their chance against Marseille on matchday 3 and failed to make the preceding victory over AC Milan on matchday 2 to count. Had Zurich beaten Marseille they would have been level on points with the top two tandem of AC Milan and Real Madrid. No sense in crying over spilt milk. They have another shot to redress the balance when they head to Vélodrome on Tuesday but many feel it might be a little too late.

Soccer Betting Verdict The bookies favour Marseille outrageously at -400 to win outright. That Marseille is “on paper” the better side is undeniable. That they are showing mixed form lately however makes betting on such a steep price tag not worth the risk. They could come up with another funky performance, something they have been won’t to do lately if their problems winning in domestic and European action were any indication.

Zurich come in at a rather discouraging +1200 underdog price tag but keep in mind Zurich went for the upset against AC Milan on the away on matchday 2. I can’t help thinking it might be too early to discount Zurich from the proceedings. They are a well-organized unit and certainly, if they can duplicate the heroics that they showed against the Italian outfit they would be a bank-busting bet.

These two sides are level on points at three a piece in Group C and with everything left to play for. A victory in this match will set the tone for the rest of their campaign. Marseille won the first leg but they were not that convincing. They certainly haven’t instilled any confidence in domestic action as well. Zurich were frankly unlucky to lose the first leg but they have a shot at redemption here. They will remember their performance against all odds at Milan and draw from that result inspiration.

Soccer Free Picks: Zurich +1200| Under 3 -130