Champions League Round Of 16 Second Leg
The Champions Leauge returns this week with four round of 16 legs still to be played before the tournament resumes in Lisbon!
Like most football around the world, the Champions League came to a halt earlier on in the season. However, it was then confirmed it would be finished this season, but now as we know it.
A mini-tournament, similar to a World Cup knockout tournament, would take place in Lisbon. This would be from the quarter-finals onwards. There are still four Round Of 16 second-legs that need to be played first though.
These are going to be played this Friday and Saturday, with the quarter-finals taking place from Wednesday 12th August onwards. The Europa League is following the same format as the Champions League, but it is being played across four German cities. The games for the Europa League start tomorrow.
Juventus vs Lyon (0-1)
Juventus have it all to do in their second leg. They are trailing 1-0 from the first leg and didn’t manage to get an away goal. If Lyon manages to score just once at the Allianz Stadium, then Sarri’s side will need to score three.
There is no question who is the better side in this fixture, Juventus are just going to have to prove it. This is going to be a tough one to call. We think though, with Juventus’ quality, including the most successful player in the competition Cristiano Ronaldo, the home side will just about get through.
Betfair has Juventus as the favourites, just at 3/4 with Lyon at 21/20. The odds are close and the game should be also.
Man City vs Real Madrid (2-1)
Betfair’s 3/1 favourites go to the Etihad with a favourable 2-1 scoreline. Given that Pep’s side have a lead and two away goals they will be really confident of getting through to the quarter-finals.
Real have just come off the back of a La Liga title win so shouldn’t be overlooked. However, when comparing the two squads, City’s is clearly the better one. Real brought in Hazard last summer who has had a very poor debut season in Spain and managed just one goal in the league. His side will need him at his very best to turn this around.
City have looked very good since the restart and we think they will have too much for Real on Friday night. The odds are heavily in favour of Peps side. City are at 1/10 to get through with Real at an interesting 11/2, they need to score at least twice at the Etihad to get through though.
Bayern Munich vs Chelsea (3-0)
After heartbreak at the weekend, Chelsea will probably be hoping they didn’t have to play this game. Being 3-0 down to the joint 3/1 favourites in the competition is not ideal.
Bayern have played fantastically all season and are serious contenders for the Champions League. Chelsea’s squad for next season is starting to take shape with Werner and Ziyech joining, however, they aren’t available for this competition.
Being 3-0 up and them all being away goals it’s going to need a miracle for Chelsea to go through. As a result, there are no odds on Bayern to qualify, whilst Chelsea are priced at 80/1!
Barcelona vs Napoli (1-1)
Most would have expected Barca to come away from the first leg with a victory, especially considering how Napoli have played this season. However, 1-1 is still not a bad result. They have an away goal and all they need to do is beat Napoli which they should be more than capable of.
Barca haven’t been at their best this year but with Messi in the team, you can never doubt them. They will be looking to make amends of last seasons disappointing exit to Liverpool in the semi-finals.
The home side are 1/3 to progress, but Napoli aren’t out of this tie at 9/4.
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