Chump's League Holiday!

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We love all the riff raff manager press conferences heading into a two-day Champions League binge. Its their time to shine in the few days/hours leading up to when the players get the spotlight back for 90 minutes, then they get the soapbox back yet again in the following days before domestic league football starts again.

For example, Sir Alex Ferguson just held a press conference detailing how Wayne Rooney hates his guts, doesn't want to extend his Man U contract, and wants to play for Birmingham City. By the way, only one part of that is true, but still shocking. We love Mourinho though. He is the king of the press conference. Talk about cheeky, he began his usual mind games this week by saying he fears Inzaghi the most before Madrid's clash with AC Milan. What he said is basically a kick in the groin to his former favorite striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who no less than year ago Mourinho was toting as the best striker in the world in virtually the same press conference. Ohhhh Mourinho, you are a cheeky one, you are so cheeky, you are butt cheeky.

There are negatives though when it comes to this onslaught of outspoken managers. Arsene effin' Wenger. You can count on him and his toupée referencing the Eduardo tackle pre/post match this week as Arsenal prepare to take on Shakhtar Donetsk. We'll be putting Wenger on permanent mute this week for good reason.

Anyways, now for what you are really here for! Our predictions! Spartak Moscow v Chelsea is an interesting fixture because neither team is a slouch. If the past few weeks have told us anything about Chelsea against decent opposition, its that they can be tamed, slightly. Manchester City recently beat them, and Aston Villa had the brass to hold them to a 0-0 draw. There is one more x-factor to consider though, and its Spartak's pitch. Its that awful artificial stuff. You know, the same kind of pitch that was an absolute mess for Tottenham against BSC Young Boys??? We have a feeling that will come into play for the Chelsea squad and their ability to play dominating football. We fancy a low scoreline for this fixture, so if you want to be safe, take under 2.5 goals, although if you believe in Spartak to win there is really good value for them. Remember, Chelsea will be without Alex|Lampard|Bosingwa|Drogba, so this is the best shot of any that Spartak will probably ever have at getting three points against Chelsea. Ajax v Auxerre is next on the list. Simply put, take under 2.5 goals in this match. Auxerre simply cannot score on the road and they can certainly dig in and play solid defense for 90 minutes. If you'd like extra value, take a 0-0 halftime result as well. In case you didn't know, AS Roma v FC Basel is a really juicy matchup for gamblers. Why? Because Roma are 5-0 against Swiss teams in Italy. Need another reason? They've only conceded 2 goals in those 5 wins. Take Roma moneyline or at one goal favorites, depends on how thick your wallet is. Grab a beer, plop down on a couch, and enjoy the next 48 hours of Champions League action. The rest of our picks are below:

• Spartak Moscow PICK to win
• Spartak Moscow v Chelsea UNDER 2.5 goals
• Ajax -1
• Ajax v Auxerre UNDER 2.5 goals
• Arsenal -1
• Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk UNDER 2.5 goals
• Roma -1
• Roma v FC Basel UNDER 2.5 goals
• Bayern München -1.5
• Bayern München v CFR Cluj OVER 3 goals
• MSK Zilina +1.5
• Marseille v MSK Zilina UNDER 2.5 goals
• AC Milan to win @ +500
  
• Real Madrid v AC Milan OVER 2.5 goals
• FK Partizan +1/2
• Sporting Braga v FK Partizan OVER 2.5 goals

Our picks for Wednesday's action will be up tomorrow morning.