The Champions League is back, thank goodness for that. Premier League football is starting to get stale for most of England’s top clubs; much of the focus is now on the relegation fight near the bottom of the table.
Runaway leaders Manchester City top my 7/2 double ahead of Tuesday evening; Tottenham Hotspur, fresh from their north London derby, also feature in this week’s article.
But enough chitchat, it is time to get on previewing the games. Check out my views on the action below – both English clubs could go deep in the competition on current form…
FC Basel vs MANCHESTER CITY
Cast your minds back to this season’s group stage. It feels like an age ago but Basel ran out 1-0 winners against Manchester United on home soil – City cannot afford to take the Swiss side lightly.
Predicting how Basel will go about things is tough. The hosts could give it a real go and risk leaving themselves exposed at the back or try to keep themselves in the tie ahead of the return leg in Manchester.
Either way, the 8/13 available in 888sport’s Champions League betting markets for Basel to score should be snapped up. City have struggled to keep clean sheets, particularly in Europe, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see both teams hit the back of the net.
Pep’s side were fantastic in the second half against Leicester City on Saturday night and the Premier League leaders will be quietly confident of carrying that form and momentum into this contest.
Sergio Aguero scored four goals in that encounter; the City striker has already bagged 12 goals in the calendar year. 59/50 is a decent price for Aguero to score in an away win on Tuesday evening.
An early goal for the visitors could see the floodgates open and that also brings the over 2.5 away goals at 13/10 into play. Guardiola’s side are still hunting an unprecedented quadruple and City could run away with this one. But for me, that Aguero wincast is the one to be on.
TIP: Sergio Aguero to score and Man City to win @ 59/50
Juventus vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Juventus are hitting form at exactly the right time. The Serie A champions have won their last 11 games in all competitions; conceding in just one of those encounters. Juve will take some stopping here…
In fact, Massimiliano Allegri’s side have lost just once in 23 fixtures and Spurs will need to be at their brilliant best. With six goals in his last four games, Gonzalo Higuain (5/4 to score during 90 minutes) is the man to watch.
Looking at Juve’s record, backing a low scoring affair may be a smart move. The first leg is usually a cagey affair.
Harry Kane bagged another north London derby goal on Saturday afternoon, his seventh in seven Premier League games against Arsenal. With over 30 goals in the 2017/18 season, he will be expected to shine in Turin.
The Spurs frontman is valued at 43/20 to score during Tuesday’s clash – an excellent price considering his recent form. He could fire the English outfit to a positive result; 23/25 for an away win OR draw is my best bet though.
I actually tipped Tottenham to advance to the quarter-finals shortly after the draw and I am standing by that despite Juve’s resurgence. This could turn out to be one of the ties of the last-16 stage if it lives up to the hype.
TIP: Tottenham to win OR draw @ 23/25
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
