Go-to Euro man Torres gets price boost for Champions League
Published:Ladbrokes’ price boost on certain players to score first in their respective games has already paid handsome dividends in the first batch of Champions League fixtures, with Edin Dzeko lengthened from 9/2 to 11/2 to bag the opener in Manchester City’s victory over Viktoria Plzen.
There are two more price boosts for the second batch of matchday one Champions League fixtures, with Theo Walcott and Fernando Torres the players affected.
Walcott’s price to open the scoring in Arsenal’s trip to Marseille has risen from 8/1 to 9/1, but it is the Torres switch from 7/2 to 9/2 for Chelsea’s home meeting with Basel that warrants the greater attention.
The Spaniard seems to have been storing his scoring boots with his passport in recent times as he has only managed a single Premier League goal in the whole of 2013, but has scored seven goals in as many European fixtures for Chelsea.
Meanwhile, in the last six of these games, Torres has been responsible for the opening goal on four occasions, including in the Super Cup against Bayern Munich last month, which Chelsea eventually lost on penalties.
Torres also netted Chelsea’s first goal at Stamford Bridge against Basel in the Europa League last season.
As for Walcott, Arsenal will be more reliant on his eye for goal than ever, given that Olivier Giroud is the only fit out-and-out striker to have travelled to Marseille.
Walcott is still waiting for his first Arsenal goal of the season after six appearances, but there were signs in the most recent fixture with Sunderland that he was getting into some dangerous goal-scoring positions.
Having scored 21 times for Arsenal last season, some goals are expected to fall into the England international’s lap soon and the first may well arrive against Marseille.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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