Europe Champions League Quarterfinals 2nd Leg

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Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Aston Villa:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Rashford; Watkins

Paris Saint-Germain:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Ruiz, Vitinha, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia

Aston Villa will try to produce a "small miracle" when they host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their quarter-final. The French champions dominated at Parc Des Princes and won 3:1, despite going down after 35 minutes in the first half when Morgan Rogers found the back of the net. The lead only lasted four minutes before Desire Doue drew level with a magnificent curling drive from 20 yards. Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put PSG ahead in the 49th minute. And just when everybody thought the match will finish with PSG narrow victory, Mendes scored for the final 3:1. It made it a bitterly disappointing finale for former PSG coach Unai Emery and his players.

Aston Villa need to win against Paris Saint-Germain and that's not an easy task considering the strength of the French champions. More, Villa need a two-goal victory only to stay in the match, or three-goal win to qualify to the semifinal. Very, very difficult, but not impossible. As Emery said, the fans and the presence of Prince of Wales, a Villa supporter since his school days, could inspire his players to record a high victory. The warm-up was successful, Aston Villa beat already relegated Southampton with 3:0 in a match where Marco Asensio had two penalties saved by Aaron Ramsdale. Emery has almost all players available, only Leon Bailey remain sidelined.

Paris Saint-Germain weren't convincing during the group stage of competition, but managed to secure the knockout phase after two big victories in the last two rounds against Manchester City and Stuttgart. The superiority continued in the knockout stage where they eliminated Brest and Liverpool. A 3:1 home win against Aston Villa is also a good result, they are close to the semifinals. PSG had no domestic matches during the weekend, so the players are fresh and well rested. Coach Luis Enrique has a full squad at his disposal, including Marquinhos, who's back from the suspension that ruled him out of the first leg.

Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain Prediction:

Aston Villa will try to secure victory, but I think PSG are very strong at the moment. They have no super stars like Messi, Neymar and M'bappe, but they are looking fantastic. Coach Luis Enrique has composed an excellent team and they are destroying the opponents. Liverpool have a solid team, they are first in the Premier League, but I am sure nobody have outplayed them in a way PSG did at Parc des Princes. And what about Brest, their playoff's opponents - PSG secured a 10:0 aggregate win. At the moment they are class above Aston Villa.

Aston Villa vs Paris Saint-Germain Pick: PSG to win @ 2.12 with Pinnacle

 

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Real Madrid vs Arsenal Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Real Madrid:
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Rudiger, Alaba; Tchouameni, Modric; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Mbappe

Arsenal:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Merino, Martinelli

Real Madrid will try to secure a high victory against Arsenal in the Champions League quarterfinals' second leg. The Gunners unexpectedly won 3:0 in London and they are closer to the semifinals. After a goalless first half in which both teams had few opportunities, Arsenal scored in the 58th minute. Declan Rice curled the first of two excellent free-kicks round the Real Madrid wall into the corner of the net past Thibaut Courtois. The fans were pleased, but 12 minutes later went to delirium after another masterpiece from Rice. Finally, they started to dream about something big when Merino scored the third in the 75th minute.

Real have 15 trophies in the Champions League and they are the most successful club in the history. Nevertheless, the current season wasn't convincing. They had to eliminate Manchester City in the playoffs and then city rivals Atletico Madrid just to reach the quarterfinals. It seemed Arsenal are the less dangerous opponents, but they created the biggest problem for the reigning European champions. Carlo Ancelotti's men beat Alaves 1:0 on Saturday to stay in touch with leaders Barcelona. The Italian coach has some injury and suspension worries. Eduardo Camavinga is banned after saw a red card in the first match. Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain out injured, while Ferland Mendy and Andriy Lunin are doubtful with muscle and calf injury respectively.

Arsenal have secured a 9:3 aggregate victory against PSV in the previous round of the knockout stage. Even more, the Gunners were good during the group stage of the competition and they are continuing that way. The high victory over Real Madrid have pleased the fans, though they are expected the job to be completed at Bernabeu. There were so many disappointments in the last years, so the fans are desperate for silverware. Arsenal lost the chance to win the Premier League, even not mathematically. Liverpool have a 13-point advantage and virtually secured the title. Arsenal must turn the focus to Europa. Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori remain out injured.

Real Madrid vs Arsenal Prediction:

I expect Real Madrid to win. Los Blancos have the home advantage and this fact should not be underestimated. The full Santiago Bernabeu will be the Real Madrid's 12th man. It will be very difficult for the guests to play under such big pressure. Arsenal have not reached the semi-finals stage of the Champions League since the 2008-09 season, but they have a big chance of progressing with this result. I expect Real Madrid to win, but that doesn't necessary mean a progress.

Real Madrid vs Arsenal Pick: Real Madrid to win @ 1.74 with Pinnacle