UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Tips
There are four intriguing second-leg last-16 Champions League games on Tuesday and Wednesday and all of the ties are finely poised.
Arsenal have to recover from a 1-0 defeat in Portugal when Porto come to the Emirates on Tuesday night, while Barcelona and Napoli are level at 1-1.
Inter Milan head to Madrid to face Atletico with a 1-0 advantage on Wednesday, while Borussia Dortmund will be hoping a home crowd can help them past PSV after the pair played out a 1-1 draw in Eindhoven.
Tip 1 Arsenal/Arsenal double result @ 7/10
Arsenal have been in flying form domestically, winning eight straight matches and the defeat in Porto last month is the only blip on the Gunners’ recent record.
Mikel Aretea’s men weren’t at their best in a scrappy first leg against Porto, but the north London side certainly didn’t deserve to lose that game, limiting the Dragons to just two shots on target and one corner.
Arsenal will have an expectant and packed Emirates to please on Tuesday night and the Gunners are likely to start fast.
Arteta’s men have led at half-time in four of their last six matches, and backing the Gunners to be winning at half-time and full-time, looks a solid play.
Tip 2 Napoli to beat Barcelona @ 3/1
Barcelona welcome Napoli to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Tuesday night after securing a 1-1 draw in Naples.
Of course, that contest is taking place in Spain, but it’s not the Camp Nou and Barca don’t look anything like a sure thing against the Azzurri.
Xavi’s side have conceded 22 goals in their last 13 matches and those defensive issues have to be a concern against an in-form Napoli attack.
Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have hit eight goals between them in four games since Napoli took on Barca in the first leg and the Italians are yet to taste defeat under new boss Francesco Calzona.
Barca are likely to enjoy the bulk of possession on Tuesday night, but Napoli have major counter-attacking potential and there is enough in offers of 3/1 to support Calzona’s men.
Tip 3 Inter to beat Atletico @ 6/4
Inter Milan have lost only one of 38 all-competition matches, inside 90 minutes, this season and the Nerazzurri take a 1-0 lead to Madrid when they take on Atletico on Wednesday night.
Simone Inzaghi’s men are a seriously progressive outfit who have opened up a 16-point lead at the top of the Serie A title and, while Inter are on the up, Atleti’s peak looks to have passed.
Diego Simeone’s men have won only two of their last nine games and they don’t appear to be the force of old.
Atleti failed to register a single shot on target in the first leg in Milan and they were beaten 2-0 at Cadiz last time out.
Inter can secure their place in the Champions League quarter-finals in style.
Round of 16 First Leg Tips
The first four Champions League quarter-finalists will be decided this week as the first set of second-leg fixtures take place across the continent.
There is action in Spain, Germany and England to look forward to as PSG, Lazio, Manchester City and Real Madrid all look to hold on to their hard-earned aggregate leads.
Four-fold pays out at 21/2
Bayern Munich vs Lazio - Harry Kane to score anytime
Bayern Munich’s season is on the brink of collapse after being left ten points adrift in the Bundesliga at the weekend, but one man who should shoulder none of the blame is Harry Kane.
The England captain has been emphatic in front of goal since joining the Bavarians in the summer, scoring 31 goals in 31 starts.
Twenty of these goals have come at the Allianz Arena, including three of his four in the Champions League, and he will be key if Die Bayern are to overcome the one-goal deficit from the first leg.
Real Sociedad vs PSG - Both teams to score
PSG’s 2-0 win in the first leg puts them in the driving seat for their trip to San Sebastian, but another clean sheet is unlikely as they look to progress to the last eight.
The Parisiens are without a clean sheet in 16 away games in the Champions League and they have shipped seven goals in their three Champions League away games this season.
Real Sociedad have seen both teams score in each of their four games since that 2-0 loss in Paris and another end-to-end affair could be on the cards.
Manchester City vs Copenhagen - Copenhagen under 0.5 goals
Manchester City hold a commanding 3-1 lead from the first leg and they should be able to keep the Danish side at bay when they visit the Etihad on Wednesday.
Copenhagen lost 5-0 the last time they played at this stadium last term and were shut out by Manchester United at Old Trafford earlier this season, while their domestic challenge took a hit at the weekend as they were beaten to nil by Midtjylland.
They have failed to score in two of their last three meetings with the Citizens and the hosts have kept a clean sheet in four of their last seven competitive home fixtures.
Real Madrid vs RB Leipzig - Jude Bellingham to score
Jude Bellingham was dismissed after the final whistle at the weekend as Real Madrid dropped points to Valencia, but it could have been a very different day for the young star.
Bellingham had found the net in what could have been the last seconds of the game, but the referee’s whistle had already been blown and his outraged reaction earned him a red card.
That would have been Bellingham’s 21st goal of the season for Real and he will be chomping at the bit to set the record straight against RB Leipzig.
With four goals in five Champions League appearances and a brace in his last home outing against Girona, back Bellingham to bounce back.
