Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – April 29th

Written by on April 29, 2019

It’s going down on Tuesday when Tottenham hosts Ajax in one of two UEFA Champions League semifinals showdowns that will be taking place over the next three days and two of the worst teams in Major League soccer square off on Friday night.

Top Soccer Betting Picks of the Week – April 29th

UEFA Champions League Semifinals

Tottenham Hotspur (2-2-2) vs. Ajax Amsterdam (3-0-3)

Tottenham has lost three of their last four matches including a pair of one goal losses against Manchester City during the span.

Tottenham sits in second place in Group B while putting nine goals on the board, but allowing 10 in their half-dozen Champions League matches this year. Tottenham was on the wrong end of a 1-0 loss against West Ham on Saturday that was a crushing blow to their Top 4 hopes and handed them their first loss in their new stadium after they won their first four in their new digs. Michail Antonio lifted West Ham to the win by firing one past past Hugo Lloris for the win. Still, Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said he team needs to think positively as they get set for their next match.

“We have to forget about it, move on and think about Tuesday,”Pochettino said. “It is tough to prepare for a semifinal against a very good team like Ajax.”

On the other side of the pitch, Ajax is on a nice roll right now, having won four straight while going 4-1-0 over their last five. Amsterdam sits in second place in Group E and has scored 11 goals while allowing five in six Champions League matches. Ajax subdued Vitesse Arnhem 4-2 on Tuesday in their Dutch League matchup.

Okay soccer betting faithful, while Tottenham is playing at home in this match, I believe Ajax has the look of a virtual lock in this one simple based on their recent and season-long play. Amsterdam has been statistically better at both ends of the pitch. Ajax also hasn’t been beaten in six Champions League matches this year and that alone tells me they should be good for the draw at the very least in this matchup. The simple pick is either Ajax for the draw or, better yet, the outright upset win to hand Tottenham their second straight loss in their new stadium. I’m going with Ajax for the win and you should too!

Soccer Betting Pick: Ajax 2 Tottenham 1

Barcelona (4-2-0) vs. Liverpool (3-0-3)

Led by superstars, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Barcelona has won four straight while going 4-1-0 over their last five games, including a 3-0 win over Manchester United in their last Champions League match back on April 16. Barca beat Levante 1-0 on Saturday in their Spanish Primera League matchup and they’ve scored a whopping 14 goals in six Champions League matches while allowing just five goals.

Liverpool has won five straight including a stunning 5-0 smackdown over Huddersfield Town on Friday. Liverpool has scored nine goals while allowing seven in six Champions League matches this year and they smacked FC Porto senseless in their 4-1 win on April 17.

While reports are now saying that Barca manager Ernesto Valverde is set to employ some of the same tactics against Liverpool that Manchester City’s Jurgen Klopp has used to have some success against Liverpool this season. Still, I’m going with Liverpool for the huge draw in this one, seeing as how they beat their Champions League rivals 4-0 on Aug. 6. I know Barcelona is playing at home, but for me, Liverpool has simply been the slightly better team all season long in this matchup.

Soccer Betting Pick: Barcelona 1 Liverpool 1

Major League Soccer

Colorado Rapids (0-2-7) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (1-3-5)

The worst two teams in MLS will be going at it on Friday night, but there’s still some value in this contest for soccer bettors if you know where to look. Colorado has lost five straight including a 1-0 loss against previously winless Atlanta on Saturday.

Julian Gressel scored in the 74th minute to lift Atlanta to a 1-0 victory against winless Colorado at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday. The Rapids (0-7-2) tied the 2012 Toronto FC (0-9-0) for the second longest winless streak to start the season in MLS history. The Rapids have scored a dozen goals in nine MLS matches this season, but they’ve also given up a whopping 24 goals defensively.

Vancouver has gone an uninspiring 1-2-2 over their last five including a 1-1 draw against Philadelphia on Saturday. The Whitecaps opened the scoring in the 41st minute, when an unmarked Doneil Henry headed in Ali Adnan’s corner kick, but Kacper Przybylko’s first career MLS goal gave the Philadelphia the big draw to earn a point on the road.

The Whitecaps have scored seven goals in nine matches while allowing 12 goals. Vancouver will be looking for some payback after losing to Colorado 1-0 on July 1, 2018, though the pair split their two meetings a year ago. In 2017, Vancouver recorded a 1-0 win over Colorado and a 2-2 draw against their Western Conference counterparts.

For this third and final soccer betting pick, I say keep it simple and back the lesser of two evils. I’ve got to believe that no team wants to be the first one to lose to Colorado this season  and that alone means they should be good for the draw even on the road. Things are bad in Vancouver, but not as bad as they are in Colorado. I’m going with the Whitecaps for the win and you should too!

Soccer Betting Pick: Vancouver 3 Colorado 2