ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Champions League Midweek

Star Sports football ambassador ALEX CROOK previews the latest Champions League action, with expert insight and betting tips ahead of a huge weekend of football.

---

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿MANCHESTER UNITED v ROMA 🇮🇹
Tuesday, 8pm

⭐️ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐️

Michael Carrick was once part of a Manchester United side that thrashed Roma 7-1 in the second leg of a Champions League semi-final.

Carrick actually opened the scoring in that game, but nights like at Old Trafford are very much a thing of the past.

United come into Tuesday’s clash bidding to end a run of nine games without a win following Saturday’s predictable 2-0 reverse at Chelsea.

Carrick’s men were the better team in the first half at Stamford Bridge but a mixture of woeful finishing and Lisandro Martinez’s brainless second half red card cost them dearly.

Whether Carrick can turn the tide is a subject that divides opinion among United fans, but a first win since beating Azerbaijan minnows Sabah more than 50 days ago would be a good start.

That won’t be easy against a Roma side who are unbeaten in five and scoring goals for fun in Serie A.

They also led Real Madrid 3-1 with less than ten minutes remaining before losing 4-3 so even the most optimistic United fan probably fears the worst.

Carrick will nonetheless be encouraged by the chances his side created in west London while both teams have scored in seven of Roma’s last 11 games so it could be a fun night for the neutral.

I really like the look of over 2.5 goals and over 8.5 corners (United had seven on their own at the weekend) at 6/4 with starsports.bet.

---

🇪🇸 BARCELONA v ASTON VILLA 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Tuesday, 8pm

⭐️ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐️

The early League phase leaders are in action at the Camp Nou on Tuesday, and I’m not talking about Barcelona.

Villa has been imperious in Europe so far this season, winning all three games with the minimum of fuss.

This is the game villa fans have been most looking forward to since the draw was made, but Barcelona away is a big step up on anyone they have encountered so far.

The Spaniard’s position of eighth place in the standings is distorted due to the fact they have already had to play PSG, a match which ended in defeat.

They also lost to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in the Classico so are far from unbeatable despite very skinny odds on the home victory.

Barcelona’s defence is still vulnerable to players running in behind which is how Nicolas Jackson has got most of his goals this season.

Jackson to score at any time is 11/5 with starsports.bet.

---

🇹🇷 FENERBAHCE v LIVERPOOL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Wednesday, 5.45pm

⭐️ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐️

Liverpool will be out to extend their 100 per cent start in this season’s Champions League in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Andoni Iraola is enjoying his maiden campaign dining at Europe’s top table and has already claimed some notable scalps in his fellow countrymen Villarreal and, in particular, Atletico Madrid.

The Reds may have lost Sunday’s heavyweight Premier League clash with Arsenal by a goal to nil, but came away with plenty of plaudits for their performance against the reigning champions.

Fenerbahce have already faced English opposition once this season and were thumped 6-0 at Aston Villa while drawing their other two league phase games so I make Iraola’s men heavy favourites.

I think this could be another game with plenty of goas, given Liverpool are yet to keep a clean sheet in Europe this season.

I also fancy Florian Wirtz to get his name on the scoresheet for the second Champions League game in a row after netting against Villarreal last time out.

Wirtz is 8/1 with starsports.bet to score the first goal.

---

🇩🇪 LEIPZIG v MANCHESTER CITY 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Wednesday, 8pm

⭐️ STARSPORTS.BET MATCH MARKETS ⭐️

After suffering back-to-back losses in the Premier League at the hands of Aston Villa and Brighton, City can get back in the winning grove in Leipzig on Wednesday.

Enzo Maresca’s men had more than 20 shots in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Brighton but left their scoring boots at home.

Leipzig can be forgiven for fearing a backlash from the 2023 European champions, having already been battered by Bayern Munich, Como and Real Madrid in recent weeks.

Leipzig, fourth in the Bundesliga, have scored in every game they have played so far this season while City have found the net in every away game so both teams to score looks a pretty solid proposition for any build-a-bet.

Erling Haaland was starved of service against Brighton but has a terrific record against Leipzig dating back to his Dortmund days.

City to win, both teams to score and Haaland to score two or more pays 4/1 with starsports.bet.

---

RECOMMENDED SELECTIONS
1⃣ BEST BET: Manchester United v Roma over 2.5 goals and over 8.5 corners 1.5pts at 6/4 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
2⃣ NEXT BEST: Nicolas Jackson to score at any time 1pt at 11/5 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
🎲 LONG SHOT: Florian Wirtz to score first 0.5pts at 8/1 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
📊 BUILD-A-BET: Manchester City to win, both teams to score and Erling Haaland to score two or more 1pt at 4/1 with starsports.bet
🚀 ALEX ACCA: Sporting, Liverpool, Manchester City, Middlesbrough 1pt at 17/2 (⭐️ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

---

ALEX’S PROFIT/LOSS (OCT 2026): -9.48 points

---

STAR PROMOTIONS