The last leg of the Champions League round of 16 will conclude this week, and when these games are done, only eight teams will remain.
The last leg of the Champions League round of 16 will conclude this week, and when these games are done, only eight teams will remain.
The last leg of the Champions League round of 16 will conclude this week, and when these games are done, only eight teams will remain. This midweek slate features Manchester City, Liverpool and Real Madrid in amongst a number of games that promise to deliver some fireworks. Here are our best bets for Tuesday and Wednesday’s matches.
Will this be the year when Pep Guardiola and Manchester City finally break through and win the Champions League? While it’s lofty, they definitively have the talent and they should be in the mix. First, however, they must win this game after drawing the first leg 1-1. At home, City should have an easier time. Leipzig are a fun team with talented players, but they will struggle at the Etihad. City’s midfield guns Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Rodri are playing too well to pick against. Although we need City to win by two goals for this bet to cash, we think they will get it done at home and cruise into the quarterfinals.
While no-one expects either of these teams to make a deep run, the first leg of this tie was a great game. Inter emerged victorious in that battle, winning 1-0 on their home field. Now it’s Porto’s turn to host, and considering how even the last contest was, the Portuguese side holds all the value. Inter Milan have more recognizable faces, but this Porto team always plays tough and is filled with young talent. If one of those players steps up in this clash, Porto will be hard to beat.
Napoli are in the midst of their best season in recent history and their attacking style of play is making them one of the most fun teams to watch. They have been unbelievable moving forward this season, and a lot of that is due to Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian striker has 26 goals in 29 games this season and is dominating opposing defenses. Frankfurt are a solid team but simply aren’t as good as Napoli, and that was evident in their 2-0 home loss to the Italians two weeks ago. Take Osimhen to add another goal to his impressive tally.
While, on paper, this is the game of the week, Real Madrid’s 5-2 win in the first leg took a lot of lustre out of the tie. Now they won’t have to do too much to advance, so they will likely sit back and play defensively. That being said, we like the over. Liverpool will be aggressive from the go as they look to make up a three-goal deficit. As a result, they will be open defensively and Real should have plenty of goalscoring opportunities.