In other Champions League news, Marseille have quite a challenge on their hands as they welcome Newcastle, a team on fire both as of late and in the UCL, to Stade Vélodrome. I really like the look of a goalscorer bet for the visiting team, with Harvey Barnes arriving here in red hot form.
What a fantastic position Newcastle are in, sitting comfortably in sixth place, though a win here would make the feel even better, adding security to their top-eight ranking.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the home side, though they are sitting just outside the top-24 bracket. Being just one point off, they'll feel that a good finish to the league phase will still see them heading into the next stage. Really, the hosts need to go for this, which should see them leaving space for a very strong counter-offensive Newcastle team to exploit. In their recent matches, the Magpies have scored lots on the break, and that is where Barnes is at his best.
The visitors have scored ten goals in four UCL matches, putting away four goals in their only away game so far, plus their 2-1 victory last time out against Man City will surely give them a boost - with Barnes scoring both of their goals.
In fact, all of The Magpies’ three goals in their last two have come from the winger, who has really stepped up in the absence of the injured Anthony Gordon. Whilst Gordon has travelled to France and should be fit to play, it’s still likely that Barnes will start due to his great contributions as of late.
In the Premier League and Champions League, Barnes has created the second highest expected goals value with 3.90, averaging a very promising 0.49 xG per 90 minutes, as well as a superb 0.64 goals per 90. Moreover, it’s reassuring to see the number 11 shooting lots, with Barnes contributing the second highest number of shots, both in all competitions and in the Champions League. Clearly, he isn't lacking confidence.
All in all, the market is not taking all of the above into consideration enough, meaning that early odds of 4.50 aren’t to be missed.
