And then there were four. And by four, I mean four teams yet to play their last-16 matches of course. The latest round of the Champions League will end on Wednesday evening…
Can Liverpool get the job done in Munich? Beating Bayern is not going to be easy but Jurgen Klopp’s side will be encouraged by their first leg performance. With no Virgil van Dijk, the Reds kept a clean sheet and an away goal at the Allianz Arena could be decisive.
In Wednesday’s second fixture, Barcelona will take on Lyon at Camp Nou. The La Liga giants are expected to go through but Ernesto Valverde’s men will be wary of Lyon’s threat in the final third. Again, an away goal is huge with the first leg finishing goalless.
Take a look at my top Champions League betting tips further down the page. 888sport is the place to be for European football and punters can back my double at 6/1 – get involved!
BAYERN MUNICH vs Liverpool
Bayern have been simply sublime on home soil in recent months, winning their last seven games by a combined score of 23-3. The Bavarians will head into this contest as favourites but only just… this one could go either way.
Robert Lewandowski will be given the task of getting the better of Van Dijk. One of the most prolific strikers in world football, the Poland international is valued at 23/20 to get his name on the scoresheet. It should be a thrilling individual battle between the two…
Klopp’s men will be quietly confident of upsetting the odds in Germany – a score draw will be enough to send Liverpool through to the quarter-finals. With that in mind, 22/25 for the Reds to reach the last eight may be worth considering.
Liverpool put four past Burnley at Anfield on Sunday afternoon but the Reds also conceded two – one of which after some particularly sloppy defending. Everything will need to go in Liverpool’s way to emerge victorious at Allianz Arena.
Unfortunately for Liverpool, I fancy Bayern to just about edge this one. In time, elimination may help their Premier League title challenge but Reds fans will be gutted to drop out of Europe. 29/10 for a home win with both teams scoring is a solid price.
TIP: Bayern Munich to win and both teams to score @ 29/10
PREDICTED SCORE: Bayern Munich 2-1 Liverpool (Priced at 15/2 with 888sport)
FC BARCELONA vs Lyon
Barcelona have an incredible record on home soil in this competition. With just one defeat in their previous 51 Champions League games at Camp Nou, Ernesto Valverde’s men will be very confident of doing enough to secure the victory.
The 4/6 on offer for Barcelona to score in both halves should be snapped up. Chances are the La Liga giants snatch an early lead and then catch Lyon on the break in the second half. It could turn out to be very comfortable indeed for Barcelona.
Lyon have kept themselves in the game after an end-to-end first leg but the French outfit may come to rue their missed chances. Winning at Camp Nou is very difficult indeed; Barca’s last home defeat in the Champions League came back in May 2013.
Furthermore, the visitors have lost three of their previous seven games in all competitions. An early goal for Barcelona could see the floodgates open and discipline could be a factor – the 7/2 for a red card to be shown represents good value for punters.
All signs suggest that Barcelona will win this fairly comfortably and I fancy La Blaugrana to get the job done with minimal fuss. Over 2.5 home goals is well priced at 4/5 and we could see the magisterial Messi pulling the strings at Camp Nou once again.
TIP: Over 2.5 Barcelona goals @ 4/5
PREDICTED SCORE: Barcelona 3-0 Lyon (Priced at 13/2 with 888sport)
*Odds subject to change - correct at time of writing*
