Last week we saw the first set of Champions League Round of 16 first leg ties taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Well, this week we complete those first leg games with the final four matches taking place across Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
We have two Premier League teams in action with Liverpool taking on Real Madrid in a repeat of the 2019 and 2022 finals, both of which were won by Real Madrid. That game kicks off at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Then on Wednesday evening, Manchester City will travel to Germany to take on Red Bull Leipzig in their first leg coming on the back of that surprising 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
Bet365 Sport is offering an extensive selection of markets on all the Champions League games this week, both on pre-match markets, and also when the games kick off there will be extensive In Play betting options available too.
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However, before we review this weeks games involving the Premier League pair, and the other duo of games in the Champions League this week, let’s first look back at the games that took place last week and how they eventually turned out.
Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg Results (14th & 15th February)
- AC Milan 1 (Diaz 7)
- Tottenham 0
A seventh minute strike was enough to hand AC Milan the initiative in what proved to be a relatively even contest at the San Siro. Spurs had plenty of possession in the game, but struggled to break through the Milan defence and their best chance, when Harry Kane hit the bar, would have been ruled out for offside anyway. Milan’s best chances to add to their lead came in the second half but neither Messias or de Ketelaer could convert headers. Spurs are not out of this just yet and will feel that they can turn this deficit around at home.
- Paris St Germain 0
- Bayern Munich 1 (Coman 53)
Paris St Germain face an almighty struggle to reach the quarterfinals of the tournament they most want to win after losing the first leg at home to Bayern Munich. It was ex-PSG player Kingsley Coman who dealt the blow, converting a cross first time under Donnarumma to hand the Germans the lead. It was richly deserved as it wasn’t until PSG brought on Mbappe in the second half that the home side looked more dangerous. Mbappe saw a goal disallowed through VAR and the French side now travel to Germany needing a two-goal victory to progress.
- Club Brugge 0
- Benfica 2 (Joao Mario 51(p), Neres 88)
We predicted that Benfica would be a tough team to beat in this competition this season and so it is proving after the Portuguese league leaders earned a 2-0 victory on the road against Club Brugge. The Belgian side had possession but struggled to create chances against a well-organised and disciplined Benfica defence. After a scoreless opening 45 minutes. Benfica took the lead through a penalty from Joao Mario and then possibly ended Brugge hopes in the tie when Neres fired home an 88th minute second to give the Portuguese side a huge advantage going into the second leg.
- Dortmund 1 (Adeyemi 63)
- Chelsea 0
Karim Adeyemi handed Dortmund a key first leg lead in a game that the Germans will feel pretty happy to have gained an advantage from. Chelsea had the better of the possession and the better chances in the game but were wasteful in front of goal, with Joao Felix perhaps the guiltiest of squandering a number of chances. Chelsea will feel that they showed enough in the away leg here to stand a good chance at home, but the fact that they start the second leg a goal down is a big concern given their poor recent form.
Let’s now look ahead to the games coming up this week.
Champions League Round of 16 1st Legs – Part 2 – 21st & 22nd February
Tuesday 21st February
- Eintracht Frankfurt v Napoli
The first game on Tuesday evening pits Eintracht Frankfurt against the side that have arguably been the best team in Europe this season, Serie A leaders Napoli. The Italians have lost just two games in 90 minutes so far this season (to Inter in Serie A and away to Liverpool in the Champions League) and they are going to present a very tough prospect for the German side here.
Napoli are 11/10 to win this game in Germany and usually I’d probably back them to land the win, especially when you consider that they beat Ajax 6-1 away from home. But Frankfurt are a decent side at home and you don’t win the Europa League if your home form isn’t strong. As such, I think the draw here at 5/2 is a solid option to take.
- Liverpool v Real Madrid
A repeat of last year’s final which Real Madrid won by a 1-0 scoreline, Liverpool will certainly they feel they owe the Spanish side one after losing two finals in the past four years to tonight’s opponents. For Real though, they are on a six game unbeaten streak against Liverpool and have just been crowned the new World Club Cup Champions.
I have no doubt that Real won’t fear this game given their record against the Reds of late, but with nothing much left to aim for this season, and having hit a bit of form, I expect Anfield to be red hot on Tuesday night and I feel that could well be enough to propel the home side to an unexpected victory. Take Liverpool to win here at 5/4.
Wednesday 22nd February
- Inter Milan v FC Porto
Two teams that are previous winners of this trophy and who have done so when Jose Mourinho was manager. The Italian side come into this game having had some tough group stage games, while FC Porto’s form has generally been much improved after a very slow start in the competition, and their 4-0 away win against Club Brugge was a great final performance in the group stages.
Inter have won four of their last five games though, three of which came at home, but they are also prone to the occasional slip up at home, and I think FC Porto are capable enough to take advantage of that lack of consistency. This will be a tricky one, but I think a draw is the bet to back here at 13/5.
- Red Bull Leipzig v Manchester City
These two teams have met twice before, City winning 6-3 in Manchester and then Leipzig coming away with a 2-1 win in Germany. Those games suggest plenty of goals could be scored here and in truth, there’s nothing contrary in each team’s recent form to suggest that this may well not happen once again.
Manchester City’s desire to win this trophy is well-established but they have fallen against similar opponents in the past when they reach the knockout phase, although this time I think City are a stronger team than Leipzig, especially defensively and as such, I am backing the English team to land the win here at 3/4 with bet365.
*all games kick off at 8pm unless otherwise stated and all odds shown were correct with bet365 Sport at the time of writing but may have changed in the meantime.
