Champions League Matchday 4 betting preview

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It's been a terrific start to the Champions League campaign thus far as each matchday has been profitable.

Two weeks ago, we went 2-3 with a profit of $180, taking our season earnings to $1,083 with a record of 9-9-1.

Let's do it again on Matchday 4, shall we?

Best bet

Inter Milan (+280) at Borussia Dortmund (+100), Draw (+250)

Inter and Dortmund are level on points ahead of their crucial meeting Tuesday at Signal Iduna Park - one of the more daunting venues in Europe to visit. The Nerazzurri were sharp in the reverse fixture, running out 2-0 winners at San Siro, but we can expect Dortmund to return the favor here.

BVB are slightly shorthanded in attack with Marco Reus injured on the weekend and Jadon Sancho out of form, but Thorgan Hazard, Achraf Hakimi, and Julian Brandt are more than capable of deputizing. Inter have not traveled well in recent seasons, losing their last three in the competition, and now face a daunting test in front of Die Gelbe Wand (The Yellow Wall).

Dortmund had their chances to beat Barcelona at Signal Iduna Park in September but had to settle for a goalless draw, while they hammered both Monaco (3-0) and Atletico (3-0) there last season. The Black and Yellow have not conceded a goal in any of its last four group stage matches at home, a record they should be able to keep intact against Inter.

Pick: Borussia Dortmund (+100)

Value bets

Ajax (+280) at Chelsea (-110), Draw (+280)

If you read last matchday's betting preview, you would have noticed the draw in this match as our best bet. The fact it didn't hit is sickening. Ajax were in control for most of the match, hit the woodwork twice, and had a goal criminally disallowed for offside (see below). Ajax's misfortune was our fortune, though, as the match remained goalless into the waning minutes until Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi broke the deadlock and undeservedly gifted the Blues all three points. Turns out we really could have used that disallowed goal.

Ajax deserved at least a point there in what was a valuable learning experience. Chelsea went missing for large portions of the match, but the Amsterdam outfit failed to take advantage. They let the Blues lull them into some pretty dire spells in what was ultimately a very stale match. Expect Erik ten Hag to make the necessary adjustments as Ajax put in a better showing and leave Stamford Bridge with a point.

Pick: Draw (+280)

Atletico Madrid (+160) at Bayer Leverkusen (+180), Draw (+220)

It's now or never for Bayer Leverkusen. The German outfit sit bottom of Group D without a point from their first three matches. Leverkusen have been underachieving in the league as well, with their form relatively down across the board, but there is too much talent in this side for them to go the whole group stage without picking up a point. Leon Bailey's return should be a big boost for them as well. Expect Peter Bosz's side to play with some urgency and secure a draw against an Atletico Madrid side with four draws in their last seven group matches away from home.

Pick: Draw (+220)

Tottenham (-150) at Crvena Zvzeda (+400), Draw (+300)

It's no secret Crvena Zvzeda are an entirely different team at home as they are on the road, so we can throw out that 5-0 defeat in north London a fortnight ago. There are a number of questions surrounding Tottenham at the moment. Their form is poor, Harry Kane is struggling with an injury, Christian Eriksen looks completely disengaged, and Heung-Min Son is distraught after breaking Andre Gomes' ankle on Sunday. Now they have to travel across the continent to Belgrade, where both Liverpool and Napoli failed to win last season. A point will do just fine for Mauricio Pochettino right now as it keeps them in pole position to progress.

Pick: Draw (+300)

Parlay of the week

There's definitely something that smells fishy about Napoli only being -125 favorites at home to Red Bull Salzburg, but I'll bite. The Partenopei won in Austria on the last matchday and there's no evidence to suggest they shouldn't do so again here. Salzburg are very easy on the eye with the ball at their feet, but defensively, they are a mess. Napoli punished them in the reverse fixture and they have too much attacking talent not to do so again here.

Bayern Munich's league form has been dire, but they are ticking along nicely in the Champions League with three wins from three matches. After sacking Niko Kovac on Sunday, expect the Munich outfit to come out and respond in a big way at the expense of an Olympiacos side that lost 3-1 in Belgrade in their last trip away from Piraeus.

Pick: Napoli, Bayern Munich -1.5 (+165)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.