UCL Picks: Take Juventus On the Road in Must-Win Group Stage Spot

Welcome to the business end of the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Matchday 4 kicks off on Tuesday and the pressure is on certain teams to reverse the results of the first three games to get into the top two positions in their respective groups.

No team needs a win more in the Champions League on Tuesday than Juventus. The Bianconeri are third in Group H with three points and they need to make up a four-point deficit on Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica.

Juventus must beat Maccabi Haifa in Israel to have a chance of remaining in the competition past the group stage. Juve is in the most dire situation of teams in need of a victory on Tuesday.

Sevilla is the other team under a close watch because it is tied with FC Copenhagen on one point in Group G. Sevilla needs a road result against Borussia Dortmund to feel comfortable going into the final two group-stage matches, but that may be hard against a Dortmund side coming off an emotional high.

Group E should remain wide open after Tuesday and Group F could have some clarity if Real Madrid and RB Leipzig earn results.

Four of Tuesday's eight matches have favorites over -200 on the money line, so we have to get a little bit creative with game and player props to get the best value out of the entire eight-game slate.

Tuesday UCL Picks

Overall Record: 37-37 (13-12 UCL)

Maccabi Haifa vs. Juventus (-120) (12:45 p.m. ET)

Juventus can't afford to slip up against Maccabi Haifa.

The Italian squad comes into Tuesday with three points in Group H with matches still ahead against PSG and Benfica, who are both on seven points.

Juventus needs to beat Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday and then defeat Benfica on Matchday 5 to put itself in the best position possible to advance on Matchday 6. Juve would prefer if PSG win its next two matches so that the French side is already through to the knockout round ahead of the final day showdown in Turin.

A run into the Champions League knockout round is all Juventus has to play for right now since it started so poorly in Serie A. The club should at least put everything into Tuesday's game to defeat a weaker side and earn a chance to land in second place in Group H.

Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla (3 p.m. ET)

Over 2.5 Goals (-180)

Jude Bellingham To Score (+350)

Jude Bellingham To Assist A Goal (+300)

Sevilla might be a popular underdog pick because of the new manager bump provided by Jorge Sampaoli, but the Spanish side is going to need some time to reset.

Sevilla played to a 1-1 draw with Athletic Club over the weekend in La Liga and it comes into Dortmund without a win in its last five matches.

Sevilla carries the third-highest expected goals against total in the UCL group stage and it is facing a Dortmund attack that could be flying high after earning a late equalizer against Bayern Munich on Saturday in the Bundesliga.

Dortmund's Jude Bellingham thrived against Sevilla last week. He had the second-most touches of any Dortmund player and he recorded a goal and an assist.

The 22-year-old Englishman scored in each of Dortmund's three UCL games this season and he could turn in another strong performance against a Sevilla defense that is a work in progress at best.

Celtic vs. RB Leipzig (+105) (3 p.m. ET)

Over 2.5 Goals (-180)

Celtic has had one of the worst defenses in the UCL group stage.

The Scottish side is tied for the fourth-worst goal concession and its xGA is the seventh worst of the 32 teams.

RB Leipzig ranks seventh in expected goals at 4.7 and it scored three times with a xG rate of 2.5 last week at home against Celtic.

Leipzig has the much better attacking talent with Christopher Nkunku, Timo Werner and Andre Silva can ran rampant against versus the Scottish defense.

Leipzig is not necessarily in a must-win spot, but a win would put it in fantastic position to finish second behind Real Madrid in Group F with a win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 6.


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