FC Basel v Arsenal Betting Tips

This is a winner takes all for both teams as FC Basel have to better Ludogorets’s result to qualify for the Europa League whilst Arsenal need to better Paris Saint Germain’s to secure first spot and earn that precious seeding in the knockout rounds.

Basel currently sit bottom of Group A but are only behind Bulgarian side Ludogorets on goal difference so a draw against Arsenal, with Ludogorets likely to lose against PSG, should see them clinch that Europa League spot.

Urs Fischer’s side are obviously top of the Swiss Super League and are a huge 12 points clear of second place Young Boys. Europe is always the main focus for Basel as they know that they have the domestic title wrapped up pretty much before a ball is kicked at the start of the season and so this campaign has not been ideal.

Whilst RotBlau are top of the table, they did suffer their first defeat of the season at the hands of rivals Young Boys at the weekend by a 3-1 scoreline – something that will not have gone down well with the fans. With such a huge gap at the top of the table, perhaps the fans will have been more annoyed that they did not rest some key squad members in preparation for this vital match against Arsenal.

When it comes to the form-book it is almost pointless to look at Basel’s record such is the disparity between themselves and other members of the league.  As predicted, FCB have scored more and conceded fewer than any other side in the league.

However, Europe has been a problem for the Swiss side for a while as they are without a Champions League win since August 2015. Having said that, they probably only need a draw against The Gunners and records show that they actually get good results at their home ground of St. Jakob’s Park having only lost to the likes of PSG and Real Madrid since 2013, picking up wins against Liverpool and Chelsea as well as a respectable draw against Porto. All is not lost for Fischer’s men.

History is once again repeating itself with Arsenal and it looks like they will more than likely have to settle for second spot in Champions League Group A and hope that their unseeded status does not go against them in the draw for the knockout rounds.

Arsene Wenger’s men are on a good run this season, losing just two matches all campaign: once against Liverpool on the opening day and then against Southampton in the League Cup, although it must be said that Wenger weakened his team significantly for this match.

The Gunners bounced back in style from their cup defeat at the weekend though as they trounced lowly West Ham United by a 5-1 scoreline away at the London Stadium.

Of course Arsenal once again play on their travels in midweek and will take confidence from the fact that they have not lost an away match since being beaten 3-1 by Barcelona back in March.  Whilst they will no doubt be confident of getting a result in Switzerland, they cannot influence an inevitable PSG win in Bulgaria.

Arsenal did beat FC Basel 2-0 in the reverse fixture back in September in what is the only ever meeting between these two clubs and I expect them to do the same here. The Gunners are generally pretty good against the mediocre sides and, with them knowing they need a result, they should get the job done on Tuesday. At 11/8, backing the visitors to win is definitely one bet to be on. I can only assume the bookmakers think Arsenal will bottle it and have looked at Basel’s recent European home record, however, I am not convinced by FCB’s chances and would certainly look at the Arsenal win here.

In fact, I would even go one further and say they will win by two goals or more which can be snapped up at a very attractive price of 53/20. We have seen recently just how clinical Arsenal are (both in the Premier League and Champions League) when they put their mind to it and I expect them to put Basel to the sword. The fact you can get such a good return even on a simple 2-0 win is great value in my opinion.

The final option I have gone for is an ‘Anytime Goalscorer’ double with Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott at 7/1. Sanchez is one of the only true world class players in the Premier League and once again proved it on Saturday with a hat-trick in the win over West Ham whilst it is also worth mentioning that he scored two in the 3-1 win against Bournemouth. Overall that makes five goals in two matches – not bad!

Walcott has finally matured as a player and is finally relishing that role on the right hand side of Arsenal’s midfield. His goal-scoring touch has dipped a little over the last few weeks but six goals in 13 games is still a good return. Furthermore, the England international scored both goals in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Basel back in September and will no doubt be confident of doing it again.

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