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After what has been a fantastic Rugby World Cup on Betdistrict (link1 link2), I`m going back to rugby with the European Champions Cup meeting between Saracens and Toulouse. While I have to admit that I did not follow club rugby as extensive as International Rugby, I took the past two weeks to get myself up to date with everything that’s happening and I look forward to continue making profit on what has arguably been my best sport over the years.
Saracens and Toulouse will square off in the first round of Pool 1 and it`s already a big match, as both clubs are regarded with chances of winning the competitions, particularly Saracens. The group also features Ulster and Oyonnax. The Champions Cup is the successor of the Heineken Cup, being the biggest club rugby competition out there. Saracens have reached at least the semifinals in all of the last three seasons, a period in which Toulouse only reached the quarterfinals once.
Current Premiership champions Saracens are hands down one of the best 3-4 teams in Europe over the past years and their status did not change this year. They already won their 4 first games in the Aviva Premiership, including a brilliant 12-6 away victory last weekend against a very, very strong Northampton side. Northampton is arguably the biggest danger for Saracens in the Premiership and they are surely one of the top 5 favorites to win the Champions Cup, so the win and the performance that came with it were very impressive for Saracens. The hosts have never conceded more than 15 points in a match this season, despite playing top opponents and one can argue that their defensive setup is the best in Europe right now – especially after what we saw last weekend.
Bet on Saracens vs. Toulouse with the highest Rugby Champions Cup odds at 1xBet.
Toulouse might not match Saracens in results over the past 5 years, but the French side is clearly on the rise, looking to regain former glory. Toulouse steadily improved over the last couple of seasons, they finished second last year in Top 14, the strongest national league in European Rugby and they were not far away from winning it. The visitors are currently on the second place, winning 6 and losing 2 and coming off an excellent 52-12 win against Grenoble.
Team news & lineups:
Both teams will field very strong lineups in this match, looking to start strong and get a foothold on the first place in Pool 1 (only three out of the five second placed teams advance).
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt (c), 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Will Fraser, 6 Michael Rhodes, 5 Maro Itoje, 4 George Kruis, 3 Petrus du Plessis, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Toulouse: 15 Maxime Médard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Gael Fickou, 12 Toby Flood, 11 Timoci Matanavou, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Sébastien Bézy, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 6 Yacouba Camara, 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Yoann Maestri, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Toulouse is in excellent shape, they are a strong side and have scored tons of points this season, but their wide game will not work against the gritty, defensive Saracens. The hosts are still the better team and are playing at home on their artificial pitch, so they should be able to choose their own rhythm. I do expect Saracens to win, but Toulouse will not go down easy. Considering that the stakes are very high, with the loser likely to have problems qualifying, I expect defense to be the main word here. We know that it will be for Saracens, but Toulouse will not take chances with carries either, especially considering the artificial pitch.
Look for a close match with a lot of kicking, set pieces and not too many carrying meters. It seems really unlikely that this will be the first match of the season in which Saracens will concede more than 15 points, but they won`t have it easy either. My tip will be on the points total, specifically under 34,5. Prediction: Saracens – Stade Toulousain 17 – 11.
Pick: under 34,5 points
Odds: 1.93 @ 1xBet
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.44
Event date: 14 November
