In the year 1955, a new competition was formed by the name of the European Cup. In its first debut year, sixteen teams were called forth to participate in it from all of Europe. Few names from the list of teams who were selected were, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Anderlecht, and Sporting CP.
Subsequently, within thirty-seven years, the name of the competition was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League in 1992 (FC Barcelona were crowned champions in the first edition of the UCL) . Presently, the number has increased to thirty-two in the Champions League.
The teams playing in the Champions League are very competitive, and there is no differentiation among teams in terms of strength. These teams are champions in their own nations, and that has presented them with the opportunity to play in the most glorified competition in Europe.
Consequently, as the clubs progress through the Champions League levels, the intensity of the competition accelerates.
The group stages of the competition present a difficult precedent for each of the teams. Nevertheless, the knockout stages are infinitely hard when compared to the group stages, and, therefore, the two-leg fixtures are intense and dramatic .
Now that the formalities have been addressed let us take a look at the teams who might make it into the Quarter finals. The simplest way to make meaningful predictions would be to check the odds of winning for each game they play.
When it comes to choosing the best online odds for optimal results, knowing what features to look for is paramount to success. To offer you the best chance possible, the Canada Sports team of betting experts provides the best sports betting sites for the job with live game analysis and future prognosis.
The Champions League is currently in the round of 16 and has seen the conclusion of the first-leg of fixtures on February 25th 2021.
All sixteen teams are capable of knocking each other out of the contest, but in-depth analysis can prove to be the deciding factor in terms of who will eventually go through.
The teams in the second leg of the contest are:
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Juventus vs Porto
Juventus received a sour victory at the hands of Portugese giants FC Porto, on February 18th, 2021. Porto’s forwards Mehdi Tahremi and Moussa Marega scored the much needed goals for their side. Nevertheless, Juventus did manage to grant themselves some relief through Federico Cheisa.
The Italian giants have crossed paths with FC Porto on four previous occasions before their last fixture. The Goeba have won three times, drawn and lost once in their meetings.
Consequently, Goeba’s record against Porto would grant their fans hope in the second leg of the competition. Juventus possesses explosive players in their line-up which consists of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Moise Kean and Federico Cheisa. Any of these players could provide the much needed goal (or goals) that could send the Bianconeri through to the Quarter finals of the Champions League.
Signora Omicidi would require a clean sheet (with a goal) or, in the least two goals (no clean sheet) for qualifying; however their competitors could achieve the same through a goalless draw at the Old Lady Stadium, on March 10th, 2021.
Prediction: Juventus (7/10), Porto (6/10)
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Dortmund vs Sevilla
It was goals galore at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjian Stadium as local favorites Sevilla failed to fight a resurgent Borrusia Dortmund side, on February 18th 2021.
Eden Terzic’s men scored three away goals through Erling Haaland and Mahmoud Dahoud. Nonetheless, Sevillistas Rojiblancos scored twice through midfielders Suso and Luuk De Jongin to keep the fans on their toes.
The second leg will take place at the Signal Iduna Park, on March 10th, 2021, and BVB will have home-ground advantage when taking on the Spanish side. Furthermore, either of these sides has never crossed paths in the Champions League before and hence there are no records to suggest that either side has a clear cut advantage. According to Sportytell.com and their opinion on the top 10 football leagues in the world, La Liga (where Sevilla plays) is ranked in the second spot, which is one place higher than Bundesliga (where Dortmund plays). However, Dortmund has proven that the competitiveness of the league does not constitute the team’s quality as they beat Sevilla, who has won consecutively five times before their encounter with the German giants.
Prediction: Dortmund (8/10), Sevilla (4/10)
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PSG vs Barcelona
The Blaugrana faced déjà vu as the Parisian giants beat them in a similar fashion to what they had faced in 2017.
Kylian Mbappe was the focal point behind the destruction of FC Barcelona by a four-goal to one margin. Les Rouge Et Bleu took their revenge against the giants from Camp Nou for La Remontada in 2017 (7-1 aggregate) and will now look to win in the second leg of the competition.
Their head to head record would suggest an advantage to Les Parisiens as they have won four times, drawn three and lost only once against the Catalans (their only loss against them being La Remontada). Barcelona has the advantage with regards to the number of goals scored (Barca-22, PSG-20) in all the fixtures where they have faced each other.
Barcelona would require another miracle to move to the Quarter Finals, but PSG need only approach the game as they would in any other and at the same time pray that Barcelona cannot upset them once more.
Prediction: PSG (9/10), Barcelona (3/10)
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Liverpool vs RB Leipzig
Jurgen Klopp and his men have struggled in the Premier League but at the same time they have flourished in the Champions League. The Mereyside club have won their first leg against the German side on February 17th, 2021.
Yet, Leipzig cannot be counted out of the competition with just the one loss to the former Champions League winners. Die Rotten Bulls, have the capability to fight back from the jaws of death (elimination) should they pushed to that extent. Their manager Julein Nagelsmann has pushed his team to second place (with just two points below leaders Bayern Munich).
Liverpool secured their win through Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane and the brilliance of youngster Curtis Jones. The Reds have an away advantage with the two goals they have scored. Be that as it may, Leipzig may yet disappoint the 2019 Champions League winners.
Liverpool need only a clean sheet whereas Leipzig would require two to four goals (with a clean sheet) to secure their win.
Prediction: Liverpool (7/10), RB Leipzig (6/10)
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Real Madrid vs Atlanta
Real Madrid scored a crucial away goal, courtesy of Ferland Mendy, in their last sixteen fixture against Atlanta on February 25th, 2021.
Los Blancos struggled against La Dea for the entirety of the game and was never given much respite. The away goal would be a huge relief for them as it can be a matter of great consequence to the survival of the Spanish colossal in the Champions League.
Los Vikings are thirteen-time Champions League winners, but they may not achieve that this season. Atlanata may not be as big as their Italian opponents, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and AS Roma. Nevertheless, the Italian side has proved through their actions in the 2019-20 Serie A season. They have top-quality players, and they believe that their manager, Gian Piero Gaseperini, can lead them to the next stage and onto further fame and glory.
Prediction: Real Madrid (6/10), Atlanta (5/10)
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Manchester City vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City produced a similar victory to their English Compatriots in Germany, on February 25th, 2021. Their two away goals,scored by Bernando Silva and Gabriel Jesus has made things simpler for the Citizens as they receive Monchengladbach at the Etihad Stadium on March 17th, 2021.
Consequently, the German side, much like their English compatriot, has no cause for worry since they would also fight to the last to secure a win in their game in England.
The Citizens like most others teams mentioned on this list would require a few goals to take the next step in Champions League football and to their third ever Quarter Final appearance. However, Gladbach would need two goals and a clean sheet to confirm their qualification to the Quarter Finals.
Prediction: Man City (7/10), Monchengladbach (6/10)
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Bayern vs Lazio
The Bavarian giants have won their fixture against the club from Rome, on February 24th, 2021. The Roman side scored once, but they have conceded four in return. The Italian side has to gain a lot of ground in order to qualify.
Bayern Munich has won the Champions League six times, and they look set for another as their quarter-final entry is set in stone. Nonetheless, Lazio could challenge the German mammoths and offer them a fight in the Second leg.
Bayern requires very little to do in the second leg other than keeping their Italian counterparts from scoring too often.
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Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid
Thomas Tuchel and Diego Simeone are managers of similar quality, and they had shown their leadership strengths and weaknesses when their teams, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid fought one another on February 21st, 2021. Subsequently, both sides had struggled for goals until Oliver Giroud (using his experience in the contest) scored a crucial goal for the Blues.
The goal however, does not grant them much of an advantage when they will host the current La Liga leaders at Stamford Bridge, on March 10th, 2021. Simeone will count on his veteran Luis Suarez (injured for the first leg) for the second leg of the tournament.
This game will be played with utmost closeness as the teams are equally matched.
Atleti would need only a goal to win the game using the away-goal rule instated by UEFA. Chelsea, on the other hand, would need to control the attack of the Spanish giants as they look to qualify to the next level in the Champions League.
Prediction: Chelsea (6/10), Atletico Madrid (7/10)
The teams in the Champions League may exceed the expectations provided in the analysis; hence the opinions of the experts should be taken into consideration. Making valuable predictions is critical here, and wincomparator.com offers the best set of tools to make your sports betting easier.
