The last 16 of the UEFA Champions League kicks-off this week with 16 teams vying for a place in the last eight and to continue their quest for contintal glory.
There are some mouthwatering ties coming up including the clash between two of the tournament favourites, PSG and Barcelona which gets us underway on Tuesday night.
Barcelona v PSG
This fixture will evoke memories of the 8th March 2017 forevermore. That was the night Barcelona staged the most astonishing comeback in Champions league history (sorry Liverpool fans!) to overturn a 4-0 first-leg defeat, in the dying seconds at the Nou Camp.
We may not see a tie quite as dramatic as that this time around but the pairing of two European giants will be no less intriguing. Could this be the year that PSG finally get the better of Barca?
It’s fair to say that the 2020-21 Barcelona are not of the same vintage as previous, legendary sides but Lionel Messi still appears capable of dragging the rest of his teammates to victory more often than not. But there’s a softness to Barca at the moment and it has to be a concern for them that they haven’t beaten any of the top four sides in La Liga this season, nor Sevilla in the Copa Del Ray last midweek.
PSG, under Mauricio Pochettino for the first time in the Champions League, have the quality to pose difficult questions of Barca and could be worth a punt at 12/5 to win in Spain. But I prefer the just over evens odds of PSG on the Asian Handicap at 0.0/+0.5 – this means half our stake will be on PSG at 0.0 (money back if it’s a draw, win if PSG win), the other half on PSG with a half-goal start (win if it’s a draw or PSG win).
It’s also worth noting that Barca haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last six matches, conceding 10 in that time, PSG are just 1/4 to score but 6/5 to grab two or more.
- PSG 0.0/+0.5 on Asian Handicap 2.050
RB Leipzig v Liverpool
Travel restrictions mean this match will be played at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest so any kind of home advantage Julian Nagelsmann’s RBL held will be lost, which is perhaps reflected in their generous odds of 2/1 for last season’s semi-finalists to win the first leg.
Liverpool look a shadow of last season’s Premier League-winning side as injuries have beset their season so far. Lacking spark going forward and vulnerable at the back it’s a surprise to see them priced up at 5/4 to win on Tuesday.
Leipzig, second in Bundesliga, look a great bet at those odds to take a lead in to the second leg at Anfield.
- RB Leipzig to win 2/1
FC Porto v Juventus
FC Porto have a doze of draw-itis at the moment in Portugal where they’ve drawn their last four matches so could be going in to the match with Juve in better shape. Their qualification was built upon the foundation of solid defensive performances, keeping five clean sheets in their six matches and they’ve not conceded in their last 467 minutes of UEFA Champions League football.
All-time top scorer in the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo might have something to say about that, however the 36-year-old has a relatively unimpressive record – by his standards – against his native Portuguese opposition, just four goals in 12 appearances.
This one might take a while to heat up and Juve could be content to settle for a narrow first leg lead.
- Under 2.5 Goals 4/6
Sevilla v Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund can’t seem to put a run of form together this season and languish in sixth place in Bundesliga, 15 points off the pace-setters Bayern Munich. But they seem to produce some of their best perfomances for the Champions League stage, none moreso than Erling Braut Haaland.
The 20-year-old has a sensational scoring record in the Champions League, having scored 15 goals already and has found the net in each of his four matches in competition this season.
The key for Sevilla will be stopping the Norwegian hitman but they’ve enough about them to occupy Dortmund and are agruably one the form teams in Europe at the moment.
A 1-0 win over Huesca on Saturday made it nine wins on the bounce in all competitions and only one goal conceded in that time. The Europa League champions have also demonstrated a real aptitude for knock-out competitions, winning Europe’s secondary competition in no less than four of the last seven seasons.
Sevilla are 13/10 to secure a first-leg lead or 21/20 to qualify from the tie.
- Sevilla to win 13/10
Champions League Acca
- PSG 0.0/+0.5 on Asian Handicap 2.050
- RB Leipzig to win 2/1
- Porto v Juventus – Under 2.5 Goals 4/6
- Sevilla to win 13/10
- Pays 22.57/1 at Bet365
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