Chelsea vs Levski Sofia Tips

Just five days after Chelsea have entertained Levski Sofia in their final Champions League Group A game on Tuesday evening, Arsenal will be visiting Stamford Bridge, a match which is the first of half-a-dozen Premiership fixtures for the Blues within a heavily congested 16-day period. With this in mind, and given that it's highly unlikely that Werder Bremen will beat Barcelona in Germany, a clash which takes place on the same day, Jose Mourinho will feel confident that his side will still be top of their group at about 9.30pm on Tuesday night, win, lose or draw against Levski Sofia. Don't get me wrong, I do not expect Chelsea to be beaten, because, with all due respect to the current Bulgarian league leaders, the reigning Premiership champions could field virtually any combination of first-team players and still easily outpoint Stanimir Stoilov's charges, who have failed to take a solitary point from their quintet of fixtures in this tournament so far. However, there are far bigger fishes to fry for Mourinho and his men. And with Man Utd continuing to surge through their Premiership games in such rampant fashion, the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown at Jose. With their exhausting programme ahead, I just wonder how seriously they'll be taking this match. For Levski Sofia, playing at 'The Bridge' is tantamount to a Cup Final. They have absolutely nothing to lose. This, however, does come with its dangers. For if they thrown the kitchen sink at Chelsea, chances are they'll be punished on the counter-attack. Then again, if Stoilov instructs his players to keep it tight in the first half, then up the ante after the interval, they could keep the scoreline respectable - or even nick an unlikely point. Stranger things have happened! But for betting purposes, there's two opportunities that appeal to me. Firstly - and this recommendation is made in the hope that Levski will play sensibly in the first half - is the 4/1 on offer with bet365 about 0-0 in the half-time correct score market. Chelsea habitually build momentum in their games and, if the visitors keep things tight, it would be no surprise to see a goaless first 45 minutes. Secondly, I think it's worth risking Levski Sofia +2 in the handicap result betting at 7/4 with Betfred. The stats won't back this advice up but the circumstances surrounding this match are conducive to a low goalscoring affair, so if the match is drawn or Chelsea win by a single goal then we'll be laughing. It is a risk, because Chelsea could easily thrash Levski but, like I say, it's unlikely that they'll be putting heart and soul into this encounter. Verdict: 1pt 0-0 in the half-time correct score market @ 4/1 (bet365)2pt Levski Sofia +2 in the handicap result market @ 7/4 (Betfred)