The pinnacle of club football is back this week with the 2nd legs of the round of 16 to be completed. On paper this weeks round of fixtures don’t look like they’ll throw up too many surprises but there’s potential in the PSG and Chelsea match to keep things interesting with Chelsea’s advantage of an away goal despite losing the first leg 2-1. Similarly for Zenit they’ll be hopeful that home ground advantage will give them the edge to overturn that 1-0 away loss to Benfica. Let’s just hope the potential can live up to the reality and we get some great competition this week for our viewing pleasure.
**Odds from Sportsbet as at 7th March
Real Madrid ($1.4) versus Roma ($7), Draw ($5)
1st Leg result: Roma 0 – Real Madrid 2
A 2-0 advantage should be too much for Roma to turn around in the 2nd leg away at Real Madrid. Their league form hasn’t been to their usual standard this season but Real are still a side that commands respect and are very difficult to beat. They should take a lot of momentum from their 7-1 league win over Celta Vigo at the weekend into this as well. It was a match that saw Ronaldo pump in 4 goals and I’m sure he’ll be in a goal scoring mood for this one as well. I wouldn’t expect Roma to sit back here though either given they have nothing to lose so there should be a few goals in this one as they look to attempt to fight against the odds.
Predicted score: Real Madrid 3-1
Best Bet: Real Madrid to lead at half-time at $1.72 (85%)
Next Best: Real Madrid to win both halves at $2.88
Wolfsburg ($1.53) versus Gent ($6), Draw ($3.8)
1st Leg result: Gent 2 – 3 Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg led Gent 3-0 at one stage in their 1st leg but a late comeback from Gent gives them some hope here. The problem is that it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to turn this one around with Wolfsburg a pretty tough side to beat at home. In all competitions this season they’ve only lost 3 times at home – twice to Bayern Munich and once to Borussia Dortmund. In saying that, this is the Champions League and it can do funny things to sides every so often. Gent will take a lot out of the first leg with those 2 late goals and that could make things potentially interesting. There’s no doubt they’ll play hard for a win here and that could make things pretty open for both sides to score goals. In the end though this is Wolfsburg’s to lose and it’s difficult to see that happening right now.
Predicted score: Wolfsburg 2-1
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.64 (80%)
Next Best: Both teams to score – Yes at $1.83
Zenit St Petersburg ($2) versus Benfica ($3.6), Draw ($3.3)
1st leg result: Benfica 1 – 0 Zenit
Just the 1 goal in the first leg should make this another hard fought match. Benfica had more chances in the first leg but I’d expect things to flip around here as they look to protect that slender lead. The last time these two met at Zenit it ended in a 1-0 win to the home side and that’s a more than likely result that could push this one into extra time. Both sides have been a bit shy of goals lately too with Zenit scoring just once in their last 2 games and Benfica the 3 times. With both sides defensively pretty solid and with the match in the balance, there’s probably not going to be a lot of goals. And with that, this one could go anywhere but for the 90 minutes I’m going with the home side and from there it’s anyone’s game.
Predicted score: Zenit St Petersburg 1-0
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.69 (85%)
Next Best: Half-time Draw at $2
Chelsea ($2.7) versus PSG ($2.7), Draw ($3.1)
1st leg result: PSG 2 – 1 Chelsea
There’s some hope for Chelsea after their away goal in the first leg but PSG will be more than confident of progressing once more after meeting at the same stage last season. Last season, PSG drew 1-1 with Chelsea in the 1st leg before a 2-2 draw sealed their progression to the next stage. As for this fixture here, it should again prove to be a close encounter. Knowing they have the bigger advantage of a 2-1 lead might not be enough for PSG to settle and play out the game knowing that Chelsea will be pushing for a win in an attempt to get through to the next stage. I just don’t think Chelsea will have enough to get past PSG though. Their draw with Stoke at the weekend shows they still have weaknesses and especially defensively where they haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 7 in all competitions. All in all it’ll be tight, but a draw looks the likely outcome here.
Predicted score: Draw 1-1
Best Bet: Half-time draw at $2 (75%)
Next Best: Under 2.5 goals at $1.7
