The Champions League returns in midweek, with the first batch of last 16 ties wrapping up across Tuesday and Wednesday, with plenty of English sides featuring. We have four thrilling matches in prospect, it’s just a shame that they are kicking off simultaneously over the two nights, for this season anyway. Will we get a clearer idea of the eventual winner of the European Cup after these matches?
Tuesday’s action starts with Liverpool’s meeting with Porto, following their 5-0 win in the first leg. There should be plenty of goals there, but our focus will be on PSG’s meeting with Real Madrid. Both Man City and Tottenham are in action on Wednesday; they face Basel and Juventus respectively. Ahead of those matches, we have predictions and betting tips on each.
Tuesday 6th March 2018
Liverpool v Porto (19:45) – Liverpool and Over 2.5 Goals (23/20 with Coral)
Liverpool’s 5-0 win in the last meeting was a huge result, as it showed that the Reds are more than capable of competing in Europe this term, even without Philippe Coutinho. They could be a real threat as the competition progresses, with their place in the last eight all but confirmed. However, that doesn’t mean that they’re likely to take things easy when they host the Portuguese leaders, as Jurgen Klopp won’t want his side limping through to the quarters. We expect another big display from Liverpool, as they are facing a quality team after all.
Porto are likely to come here hoping to restore some pride, but they’re more likely to make changes than Liverpool in our eyes. They’re coming in to this game after a clash with rivals Sporting on Friday night, and the chase for the Portuguese title is close. With a four year trophy drought to end, the Dragons will probably be focused on domestic affairs from now on. That gives this brilliant Liverpool side a chance to run riot again, so we’re backing a home win and over 2.5 goals as our tip in this clash.
PSG v Real Madrid (19:45) – PSG to win (21/20 with Betfair)
The big game of the night could also been seen as a formality by some, with Real Madrid taking a 3-1 lead to Paris on Tuesday. They struck late to turn this tie on its head, after a poor display threatened to cost the European champions dearly. They were 1-0 down but responded well to land a big win.
PSG with Neymar couldn’t take advantage of Real’s problems. Now, the French champions need to turn around a tie against European footballing royalty, and they have to do it without their superstar Brazilian. The news that Neymar is out for three months means that his World Cup is in doubt, along with PSG’s place among Europe’s elite.
PSG have plenty of talents without Neymar though, as they still have the side which beat Barcelona 4-0 in Paris at this stage last year. They are facing a Real team who have their own issues. The Spaniards are struggling domestically, and their defence is vulnerable. While PSG might not win by a big enough margin to seal a place in the next round, we expect them to thrive without Neymar and win this second leg. We’re going for a home win, with the French champions winning five of their last six home Champions League games.
Wednesday 7th March 2018
Man City v Basel (19:45) – Man City -2 (23/20 with BetVictor)
It’s been a pretty taxing 10 days for Man City, with two meetings with Arsenal and a clash against Chelsea. The Citizens now switch focus back to Europe, as they look to build on their 4-0 win over Basel in the first leg of this clash. They are expected to follow that up with another comfortable home win, especially given that Pep Guardiola’s side are being marked out as favourites for this competition. They’re among Europe’s very best at the minute, so surely the Citizens will ease to victory against Basel.
Guardiola’s main issue is that he doesn’t have a lot of room for rotation, but he does have some top quality talent waiting in the wings. Whatever side the Premier League team go with is bound to be packed full of ability, so we think that the hosts will ease to a win. We’re backing City to come out of this game with another big margin of victory, so we like the look of the hosts with a -2 handicap, which can be backed at 23/20 with BetVictor ahead of this second leg meeting.
Tottenham v Juventus (19:45) – Both Teams to Score (3/4 with Betfair)
By far the closest clash of the week is Tottenham’s meeting with Juventus on Wednesday. The pair drew 2-2 in the first leg, which does give Spurs a slight edge in terms of away goals. However, Juve have enough experience to outwit the Premier League outfit, who are the relative newcomers to this competition. You have to wonder just how Spurs will adapt to taking on a team who have made two finals in this competition in three years. On top of that, the Italians come into this clash in brilliant form, so they have to pose a threat when these two meet at Wembley.
Spurs – inspired by Harry Kane up front – should have enough to break down a Juve defence which has been brilliant of late. Their only real slip was in that meeting with Tottenham, as Spurs’ youthful, vibrant approach caused too many problems for the Italians to deal with. However, Gonzalo Higuain has been passed fit for this tie, while Juve have scored in every game they’ve played since the turn of the year. With that in mind, we’re backing the visitors to go in search of an away goal here, which has us backing both teams to score, priced at 3/4 with Betfair.