Decisive UEFA Champions League night for eight clubs tonight: can Bodø/Glimt shock the football world and reach the quarter-finals? Should we expect epic comebacks from Man City and Chelsea? Can Bayer Leverkusen knock out the tournament favourite?
The TipsGG analysts team, in their traditional digest, seeks answers to all these questions.
Sporting CP vs Bodø/Glimt
After the fiasco in Norway at Aspmyra Stadion, Sporting will try to overturn a heavy goal deficit, while Bodø/Glimt will do everything possible to hold on to their hard-earned advantage.
At home this season, Sporting have lost only twice and drawn once. In the remaining 18 matches, the “green-and-whites” secured victories, showing very confident football on their own pitch. For better preparation for the second leg, they even postponed a Portuguese league fixture. Good news for the Lisbon side is the return of players who missed the first leg due to yellow-card accumulation — Maxi Araújo and Pedro Gonçalves.
Bodø/Glimt, meanwhile, continue their incredible European fairy tale after beating Sporting at home. The team is currently on a six-game winning streak, five of which came in the Champions League. All but one of those wins featured high-scoring, goal-heavy games. At the same time, during the league phase, the “Yellow Army” had certain difficulties in away matches, though they regularly gave top opponents a real fight.
Prediction: Sporting not to lose (1X) & Match Total Over 3.5 – odds 2.35
I expect an open, high-scoring game where Sporting will push forward aggressively from the first minutes, trying to reduce the deficit quickly. At the same time, Bodø/Glimt have repeatedly shown their ability to launch sharp and painful counter-attacks — and they are ready to do the same in Lisbon.
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen
One of the three biggest second-leg ties of the round, with plenty of intrigue still remaining — at least regarding the scoreline. Indeed, Arsenal, clear pre-match favourites, managed only a hard-fought draw in Leverkusen thanks to a penalty. Bayer deserve praise for their character and commitment in recent games against big teams. Still, it’s hard not to notice that the visitors keep falling just short — in each of their last matches against Arsenal and Bayern they could and should have taken more.
Those games were at home, though; away from home the difficulty multiplies many times over. This match has every chance of delivering entertainment. Bayer will arrive with a clear plan and the right mindset, but it’s unlikely the hosts will repeat their earlier mistakes. Arteta now knows exactly what to do against this opponent, and the Gunners will clearly play with much more intent.
Bet on the match: Arsenal to win & Total Goals Under 4.5 at 1.65
No sensation this time — Arsenal won’t slip up again.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
Pep Guardiola was once again dismantled at the Santiago Bernabéu: few could have imagined a Real Madrid win before kick-off, let alone such a convincing margin (3-0) — even in the wildest dreams of Madridistas. Football is a place where sometimes pure individual class and genius from a single player can outweigh an entire team’s structure. Federico Valverde’s brilliant hat-trick created a massive handicap for the royal club ahead of the away leg — but will it be enough?
After the thrashing in Madrid, City dropped points in the league away to West Ham (1-1). The Sky Blues poured huge energy into the game and managed 24 shots on goal (compared to just one from the hosts), yet failed to get the desired result. Their gap to Arsenal has grown to 9 points, though City still have a game in hand.
Los Blancos, meanwhile, comfortably beat Elche in La Liga (4-1). The cherry on top was Arda Güler’s stunning goal from over 70 metres, while Valverde scored in his third consecutive game. Their lead over Barcelona remains 4 points, but things seem to be gradually falling into place for the blancos.
Prediction: 2nd half: Real Madrid not to lose (X2) – odds 1.95
The hosts’ only realistic chance to turn the tie around is an ultra-aggressive start, hunting for an early goal. Across the season, City are far more prolific in the first half. Real Madrid is a team with enormous experience that isn’t affected by external pressure; I think even if Madrid concede first, they will settle the game down in the second half.
Chelsea vs PSG
After suffering a heavy defeat in the first leg (2-5), Chelsea failed to bounce back in London and narrowly lost at home to Newcastle (0-1). Both losses dealt the Blues serious damage, as not only their current Champions League campaign but also qualification for next season’s competition is now at stake. At Stamford Bridge the “lions” definitely have a better chance of something meaningful, though the mood in the dressing room is probably far from ideal.
The result in Paris was a huge bright spot for PSG amid a difficult couple of months. Enrique and his staff also took care of proper preparation for the return leg, getting the weekend Ligue 1 fixture postponed to avoid any surprises.
Bet on the match: Chelsea Individual Total Goals Over 1.5 at 1.63
Paris have struggled with away games this season, but a Chelsea comeback against a virtually fully-fit PSG — even if they’re not in peak condition — is something I don’t believe in at all. Rosenior’s side, thanks to outstanding individual performances from Enzo, Palmer and Pedro Neto, will definitely put up a fight, but we expect PSG in the next round.