It another busy week of action in Europe this week with the second legs of four 
Champions League Round of 16 matches set to reveal the first four teams through to the quarterfinals of European football’s biggest competition.
Then on Thursday night, Arsenal are one of 16 teams battling it out in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16 matches, eight games which will be played over two legs this week and next to decide the eight teams that will earn a right to contest the quarter finals of this competition.
In this article we are going to preview the games taking place this week in the competitions and bring you a collection of tips that we feel have an outstanding chance of success should you decide to bet on them.
To place your bets, we strongly recommend Coral Sport. New customers can qualify for a fabulous Coral Welcome Bonus of ÂŁ20 worth of free bets for just a small deposit, and not only that but if you sign up at the right time, you can also get a fantastic bonus offer, especially on key Champions League nights. Coral usually announce these offers just a few days before the game takes place, but they are regular promotions and well worth keeping a close eye on.
Let’s begin our preview now with a look at the four Champions League clashes taking place this week.
Champions League Round of 16 Second Legs
Tuesday 5th March
Liverpool (5) v FC Porto (0)
Unless there is the most remarkable night of football in Champions League history at Anfield, this tie is to all intents and purposes, effectively over. Sadio Mane’s hat-trick, plus goals from Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino have given Liverpool a huge 5-0 lead heading into the home leg at Anfield.
Porto have lost on both previous trips to Liverpool and there’s no supposing they will do any better this time around. At 0-0 in the first leg, they did have a chance to score, but a good block from Dejan Lovren denied them a goal. That proved crucial as Liverpool went in front just minutes later and never looked back from then on.
I can’t make any case for Porto winning the game here and instead, I think it will be another comfortable night for Liverpool as they move smoothly into the quarterfinals.
Our Tip – Liverpool to win and Over 2.5 goals to be scored – 23/20 with Coral
Paris St Germain (1) v Real Madrid (3)
Real handed PSG a masterclass in game management at the highest level in the first leg at the Bernebeu last time out. PSG dominated the game for long spells, but found themselves drawing 1-1 with 10 minutes to go. Not the result they deserved given their dominance, but a decent result going into the second leg.
Then in that last 10 minutes spell, goals from Ronaldo and Marcelo handed Real a 3-1 win and put PSG on the back foot heading into the second leg. Further bad news was to come just days later when Neymar broke a toe, ruling him out of action for several weeks, including this game.
The positive news for PSG is that back in the 1990s, they did come back from 3-1 down against Real in the UEFA Cup, to win the second leg 4-1 in Paris. However, this PSG team, especially without Neymar, don’t look quite so well equipped to cause such a massive upset. I think PSG will win, but I think Real Madrid will be the team that progresses.
Our Tip: Paris St Germain to win – Even Money with Coral
Wednesday 6th March
Manchester City (4) v FC Basel (0)
Rather like Liverpool’s clash with FC Porto, this is another tie that is almost certainly decided with Manchester City holding a 4-0 lead from the away leg. Given Pep Guardiola’s sides form and confidence at the moment, it would be a massive upset if they even conceded one goal, let alone the five Basel need at the minimum to win the game.
In truth, all I can see in store here is another comfortable win for the home side and as you would expect, the prices on all those markets are very short indeed. However, I do feel City will rest some key players here, given their busy schedule over the past week and that may influence how attack minded they are.
Even if City do rest players for this game, I don’t see any hope for Basel here. I think even an under-strength Manchester City win this game comfortably.
Our Tip – Manchester City to win and over 3.5 Goals – 5/4 with Coral
Tottenham Hotspur (2) v Juventus (2)
This was arguably the best contest of all the first leg ties played in the Champions League two or three weeks ago. Spurs comeback from 2-0 down inside 10 minutes was superb, but also included the drama of Juventus missing a first half penalty.
Both sides come into this game in good form after great wins at the weekend but I think the way in which Spurs dominated possession at the Allianz in Turin is the key. Juventus are seldom dominated like that by any team, let alone at home, and for 80 minutes Spurs had them on the rack.
I can see Juventus getting a goal on the break as Dybala is back from injury though not get fully match fit. Spurs though are in great shape and I think they’ll take a narrow win on the night to progress.
Our Tip – Tottenham to win – 23/20 with Coral
Europa League Round of 16 1st Legs
Thursday 7th March
Thursday night’s matches in the Europa League see four games kick off at 6pm and the second lot of four games start at 8.05pm. The fixture list for the games is outlined below and I have included my tip for each game next to it together with the stated odds from Coral –
6pm Kick Off Time
- CSKA Moscow v Lyon – Away Win – 31/20
- Atletico Madrid v Lokomotiv Moscow – Home Win – 1/4
- AC Milan v Arsenal – Home Win – 21/20
- Borussia Dortmund v Red Bull Salzburg – Home Win – 1/2
8.05pm Kick Off Time
- Sporting Lisbon v Viktoria Plzen – Home Win – 2/5
- Marseille v Athletic Bilbao – Home Win – 20/23
- Lazio v Dynamo Kiev – Home Win – 2/5
- Red Bull Leipzig v Zenit St Petersburg – Draw – 13/5
An successful eightfold bet with these results with Coral would offer you a return of £1293 for a £10 stake. You would also qualify for a £100 free bet with Coral’s 4+ Acca Boost promotion.
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