☑️ Bet Of The Day: Copenhagen Double Chance v Leverkusen @ 1.72 with SBK

✅ SBK - 1.72
SkyBet - 1.67
bet365 - 1.67
Paddy Power - 1.62
Betfair - 1.61

Copenhagen away is a tougher Champions League fixture than the market is anticipating, with Bayer Leverkusen very opposable 2.10 favourites. Copenhagen are back after winning the Danish Superliga last season and getting past Drita (3-0 on agg), Malmo (5-0 on agg) and Basel (3-1 on agg) in qualification.

The season before last (23/24), they came 2nd in their group, it was topped by Bayern Munich but they finished ahead of Galatasaray and Man United. They went toe-to-toe with Bayern at home in that campaign, losing 2-1 late on, and beat Gala (1-0) and United (4-3).

The season before that (22/23), they were poor and finished bottom of a group that went: Man City, Dortmund, Sevilla and then Copenhagen - but they remained unbeaten at home, drawing all three. Their last six Champions League group stage games, having not competed in the inaugural league phase last season, have seen two wins, three draws and one loss. Landing this bet in 5/6.

This Leverkusen side are not as good as the one that finished 6th in the league phase last season under Xabi Alonso. Yet that performance could still be having an impact on why they are 2.10 favourites.

From their last Champions League match, the second leg of a quarter-final defeat to Bayern, they have since lost: Alonso in the dugout, four of the starting back five in that game - Lukas Hradecky in goal (who made 286 appearances for the club over seven years), Jonathan Tah, Mario Hermoso and Piero Hincapie. Granit Xhaka and Jeremie Frimpong from the midfield, and attacking subs that day in Amine Adli, Victor Okoh Boniface and Emiliano Buendia have all departed. Florian Wirtz and Odilon Kossounou have also left the club.

They have reinforced, but even the headline additions have not been the same calibre with Malik Tillman in from PSV, Jarell Quansah from Liverpool, Eliesse Ben Seghir from Monaco and Loic Bade from Sevilla.

That’s not to mention the failure of Erik ten Hag’s appointment as Alonso’s replacement, sacked after two league games in charge. Kasper Hjulmand has replaced him, the 53-year-old returns to club football after four years as Denmark manager, his club CV reads: Lyngby, Nordsjaelland, Mainz 05 and Nordsjaelland. One could argue he’d be better suited to managing Copenhagen than Leverkusen.

Copenhagen know where they’re at in their third full season under Jacob Neestrup, Leverkusen are a team in transition, making the 1.72 available for us to profit if they don’t win in the Copenhagen cauldron, too good to refuse. I also wouldn’t put anyone off backing the hosts to win at 3.40.