Champions League Group G Betting Preview

No doubt that this is the weakest section in this season’s competition and Sevilla, as big as 1.91 with Coral to top Group G, look well worthy of support.

UEFA Cup winners in 2006 and 2007, Sevilla rate as decent outsiders in the Champions League given their European experience and any side finishing third in La Liga, albeit a long way behind the champions, must be respected.

Head coach Manolo Jimenez did extremely well to persuade Brazilian Luis Fabiano to stay at the club despite interest from elsewhere before the transfer window closed and the prolific striker will not be without support this campaign. New signing Alvaro Negredo, who comes from Real Madrid, and Frederic Kanoute provide more than capable assistance to the 28-year-old and Fabiano could well be a contender for the Golden Boot.

Fabiano must be licking his lips at the prospect of getting stuck into Group G rivals Rangers, Stuttgart and new boys Unirea Urziceni and if the likes of Diego Capel can finally deliver on the biggest stage then Sevilla could go a very long way indeed at a big price.

Topping this section should prove well within their capabilities and the real fight here seems to be for second spot behind the Spanish side.

Rangers, 3.00 with Victor Chandler to make the last 16, were the team that everybody wanted to play from pot two in Monaco and with the Scottish club unable to strengthen their squad at all over the summer, barring the arrival of Jerome Rothen, Walter Smith and his side look massively up against it.

Rangers progressed to the UEFA Cup final two seasons ago when set up with the intent to stifle any threat from the opposition but they won’t get away with that at this level and the likes of Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller simply don’t look good enough up front to cause problems.

Rangers were fortunate to find themselves exempt for the group stages and one has to wonder whether they’d have made it were they required to face any of the sides that contested the playoffs. I very much doubt it.

While I am sceptical about Rangers' chances, despite the guaranteed backing of a hostile Ibrox crowd, Stuttgart look well placed to reach the knockout stages.

Markus Babel performed miracles to get the Bundesliga side into this competition when taking over midway through last season and they might just be able to cope without the now departed Mario Gomez who has left for Bayern Munich.

Thomas Hitzlsperger, who has flourished since his return to Germany following a spell in the Premier League, leads Stuttgart excellently from the middle of the park and while their spine looks strong, Jens Lehmann is protected well by the likes of Khalid Boulahrouz, the arrival of Aliaksandr Hleb on loan from Barcelona will add some much needed creativity. Pavel Pogrebnyak has joined to replace Gomez and his link-up play with Hleb could well determine just how successful Stuttgart are.

If one of the debutants are to progress and cause a surprise then it may just be Unirea Urziceni.

Managed by former Romanian star Dan Petrescu, Unirea are almost exclusively comprised of home grown players and are certain to be well organised. Goals could be a problem, as will a lack of experience at this level, but in an open looking group all will fancy their chances and the Romanian champions cannot be ruled out completely.

4pts Back Seville To Win Champions League Group G @ 1.91 (Coral)