Atletico Madrid can give their hopes of reaching the last-16 of the Champions League a big boost on Tuesday when they host Bayern Munich
Bayern have already sealed their spot in the knockout stages after winning each of their four outings in the competition this season.
The defending champions are guaranteed top spot in Group A and Hansi Flick is expected to deploy a weakened XI at the Metropolitano on Tuesday.
That will be warmly welcomed by Atleti and Diego Simeone as they look to avoid an early exit from the Champions League.
Improving Atleti Can Hurt Weakened Bayern
Atleti lost 4-0 at Bayern in their opening fixture in 2020-21 before bouncing back with a 3-2 triumph at home to RB Salzburg.
The Spanish outfit have struggled in their last two engagements, which both came against Lokomotiv Moscow, drawing each of those matches.
They head into matchday five sitting second in the group and just two points clear of the Russian Premier League outfit.
Flick is without several regulars for Tuesday’s engagement, with Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Corentin Tolisso injured, while Jerome Boateng and Lucas Hernandez are doubts and unlikely to be risked.
With Bayern’s fixture list looking extremely congested over the coming weeks, Flick has hinted at making wholesale changes and that makes Atleti, who are priced at 20/21, a very attractive option to get the win.
Gladbach Hoping to Tighten Grip at the Top
Borussia Monchengladbach sit pretty at the top of Group B heading into Tuesday’s fixture with Inter Milan at Borussia-Park.
Group B has thrown up plenty of surprises already and it remains wide open with just two games left to play.
Gladbach will qualify for the knockout phase with a victory at home to Inter, while a draw could even prove to be enough if Real Madrid earn revenge over Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Bundesliga side have been free-scoring over recent weeks, beating Shakhtar by an aggregate score of 10-0, while they have notched eight times in their last two outings at home across all competitions.
Inter, meanwhile, have struggled to find their feet domestically and in Europe this term and they prop up Group B with just two points to show.
These two sides played out a 2-2 draw at the San Siro but Gladbach, who are unbeaten in seven at home, are worth getting behind for the win at 21/10 for the return leg.
Leipzig to Take Advantage of Debutants
Istanbul Basaksehir’s rise has been nothing short of extraordinary since they became a fully professional club in 1991-92.
The Turkish outfit won their first top-flight league title last season and subsequently secured a maiden campaign in the Champions League.
However, they have found life tough alongside Europe’s elite and RB Leipzig are expected to brush them aside on Wednesday.
Leipzig, who reached the semi-finals last season, have their sights set on the last-16 and require a victory against Basaksehir to keep that dream alive.
Basaksehir are bottom of the standings, three points shy of Leipzig, and can still earn a spot in the Europa League.
With both clubs looking to pick up a win, Wednesday’s engagement should be fairly open and goals should be on the agenda.
Ultimately, Leipzig, who were 2-0 winners in the reverse, should have too much and backing a Leipzig win with over 2.5 goals at 10/11 looks the way to go.
*All odds correct at time of writing
