Sporting vs. Germany 2009: Top Betting Games

O The end of the calendar year 2025 is just around the corner, but before that, there is still time for another round of the Champions League league stage, in which Sporting and Benfica, the two Portuguese representatives, remain very much alive. This, without forgetting the aspirations of FC Porto and Sporting de Braga, in the Europa League.

With that in mind, the Sport at the Minute presents you with the four ‘headline’ matches of the next few days, whose bets you can place, at Betclic.

Champions League: Bayern Munich-Sporting (9 December, 5:45 pm)

It was March 2009 when Sporting suffered one of the greatest humiliations in its entire history, being eliminated from the round of 16 of the Champions League by Bayern Munich, by a difference of… 12-1, over the two legs.

After almost 17 years, this tie remains very ‘fresh’ in the memory of Leo fans (and beyond), but Rui Borges’ men want to prove that, now, the story is different, so they will go to the Allianz Arena ‘driven’ by the ambition to make it clear what they are worth.

In the 17 games played in Germany since it was ‘born’, the green and white team only managed to win there once, in 2022, when they ‘defeated’ Eintracht Frankfurt, by a resounding 0-3. On the remaining 16 occasions, they recorded 16 defeats and two draws, so the difficulty of turning things around is clear.

An eventual Leonine triumph in Germanic territory will be as historic as it is unlikely, at least, taking into account the ‘odd’ of 9.00 attributed to it. A draw will yield 5.75, while a further defeat will allow bettors to multiply their investments by 1.23.

Champions League: Internazionale-Liverpool (9th December, 8pm)

Internazionale, Italian runner-up in title, welcomes Liverpool, English champion in title, at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, in Milan, in what is one of the most anticipated matches of the entire sixth round of the Champions League league phase, given the stars who will ‘walk’ on this ‘mythical’ pitch.

A match that will pit, face to face, two teams that are still far from finding the much-desired stability, meaning anything can happen, as can be seen from the odds division. An Italian triumph will pay out at 2.18, and an English win at 2.83, while a possible draw will pay out at 3.47.

Champions League: Benfica-Napoli (10 December, 8pm)

Benfica is back in the discussion to qualify for the next phase of the Champions League, after, in the last round, having collected what were the first three points of the season, following the triumph achieved in the Johan Cruyff Arena, in Amsterdam, over Ajax, by 0-2.

Ahead of them, José Mourinho’s men will face Napoli, a team that, just over two months ago, beat Sporting 2-1. The probability of them ‘imitating’ the result of their eternal rivals is 2.90, which contrasts with the 2.20 of a possible ‘revenge’, at the Estádio da Luz.

Champions League. Real Madrid-Manchester City (10 December, 8pm)

Real Madrid and Manchester City meet again, in the Champions League, less than a year after the Spanish team ‘race’ the English team from the qualifying playoffs to the round of 16, by a result of 6-3, over the two legs. Is this the time to ‘change your step’?

The ‘odds’ tell us that playing at home and as the club that has won the biggest European club competition the most times, the Merengues are favorites to add three more points in the league stage. This outcome will yield 2.20, compared to 2.70 for a defeat and 3.65 for a draw.

It’s time, now, to consider the best predictions for this week, without forgetting that the ‘odds’ may change before the games start.