It's time for the first leg of the Uefa Champions League Round of 16 and we take a look at all four of Tuesday's matches including PSV v Arsenal and the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico
Prices quoted are correct at the time of writing but subject to change.
Club Brugge 1.85/1 Draw 24/10 Aston Villa 14/10
Brugge squeezed into the play offs for a Round of 16 place after finishing 24th in the league phase. They were relatively un-fancied against Atalanta in the in the play offs but pulled off wins at home (-1) and then away (3-1) to go through with daylight. Brugge are a distant second to Gent in the Belgium top flight.
Villa avoided the play offs after finishing 8th in the league phase to advance straight to the Ro16. They won 5 of their league matches, the pick of which came at home to Bayern but they did visit Brugge in Round 4 and they were beaten 1-0. Villa are in mid table in the EPL but its very congested and they are only 2 points off a top 6 place.
The Verdict
Although they have already lost to Brugge this season gut feel is Villa can be a handful. Marco Asemsio has made a bright start since his switch to Villa and he could be the man to provide an assist.
Bets: Player Assists Marco Asesnsio, 1 or more at 4.25/1 with Sportingbet
Dortmund 8/11 Draw28/10 Lille 36/10
Dortmund finished tenth in the league phase with 5 wins and 3 defeats. Two of those losses came away to Real and at home to Barcelona and they also finished on the losing side away to Bologna. and in the play offs a 3-0 win away to Sporting put them in complete control and the second leg on home turf finished without a goal. Dortmund have slipped down to tenth in the Bundesliga where their record of 10 wins, 5 draws and 9 defeats tells a story of inconsistency.
Lille qualified automatically after finishing seventh in the league phase. They won 5, drew 1 and lost 2 of their matches and they took the scalps of Madrid pair Real (1-0 in a home game) and Atletico (3-1) in Spain. Lille are fifth in Ligue 1 but all of 21 points behind runaway leaders PSG.
The Verdict
When Dortmund turn it on they can trouble the best but it doesn't always happen and I'd be a bit nervous of this one. I'll take my chances on 2-3 goals in total, a bit of a token gesture to be honest.
Bets: Multigoal, 2-3 at 21/20 with Sportingbet
PSV 26/10 Draw 24/10 Arsenal 21/20
PSV finished 14th in the league phase on the back of an undefeated home record of 3 wins and 1 draw. They came up against Juve in the play offs and although they lost the first leg 2-1 in Turin they turned things around with a 3-1 home win in the return, a game that went to extra time. In the Dutch top flight PSV are clear in second place but they trail Ajax by all of 8 points.
The Gunners finished third in the league phase, winning 6, drawing 1 and losing 1 of their matches. They won all 4 home games without conceding but were beaten in Italy, away at Inter and they were held to a draw when visiting Atalanta. Arsenal are now 13 points behind Liverpool in the EPL title race, they do have a game in hand but with injuries in the attacking ranks they haven't scored in their last 2 league games, a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham and 0-0 draw at Forest.
The Verdict
This competition is almost certainly Arsenal's last chance of a trophy this season and with their main strikers sidelined they have found the last few weeks tough going. I'm with Odegaard to register a shot on target as the goal threat is likely to have to come from midfield
Bets: Player shots on target Odegaard 1 or more at 14/10 with Sportingbet
Real 9/10 Draw 26/10 Atletico 31/10
Real finished 11th in the league phase with 5 wins and 3 defeats and in the play offs. They lost 3 of their first 5 before reeling off 3 straight wins to make the play offs where they came up against Manchester City. A 3-2 win in Manchester in the first leg set things up and they finished the job with a 3-1 win in the return in Madrid.
Atletico qualified automatically with 6 wins and 2 defeats on their way to finishing fifth in the standings. The pick of their results include a win away to PSG and they saw off Leverkusen in a home fixture. After 26 rounds of matches in La Liga Atletico are in second spot, 1 point behind Barcelona and Real are a further point back in third. The teams have already met twice in La Liga this season and both games finished all square at 1-1.
The Verdict
Domestically Atletico have lost just 2 league matches all season whilst Real have lost 4 and given there was nothing between the sides in 2 league meetings the draw could be the way to go here.
Bets: Match result draw at 26/10 with Sportingbet
Note, prices quoted are subject to change
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