Europe Champions League Round 7

[spkutano]

 

[spkutano]

Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Atletico Madrid:
Oblak; Llorente, Le Normand, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez

Bayer Leverkusen:
Hradecky; Mukiele, Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie; Palacios, Xhaka; Frimpong, Wirtz, Grimaldo; Schick

Atletico Madrid will welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Estadio Civitas Metropolitano on Tuesday night. The Spanish outfit are 11th in the Champions League table and they will try to secure a Top-8 finish. At the moment they are just one point behind eighth-placed Lille, who travel to Liverpool. The Reds have perfect record so far and it won't be easy for Lille. That is why this match is very important for Diego Simeone's side. Bayer Leverkusen, meanwhile, are fourth with 13 points and they are also looking to avoid the play-off round. Both teams are in excellent run of form and I expect an interesting match.

Atletico Madrid were leaders in La Liga until the weekend. On Saturday they suffered a painful defeat at relegation-candidates Leganes, while Real Madrid beat Las Palmas and took the first place. The fans are disappointed, particularly because the captain Griezmann missed a penalty in the second half. The atmosphere in the squad isn't good as previous, while the players confidence is lower. In addition, Simeone has some injury worries. Jose Gimenezis is sidelined due to a muscular issue, while Alexander Sorloth is rated as doubtful. Out of form Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez will probably lead the line.

Bayer Leverkusen were successful during the weekend, winning 3:1 against Borussia Monchengladbach. That was a 12th straight wins in all competitions. Leverkusen are in good form, though they are second in the Bundesliga table, four points behind the leaders Bayern Munich.
Florian Wirtz continued with his excellent performances and now has 14 goals and 9 assists in 28 appearances in all competitions. Patrik Schick should also be mentioned as he has netted 16 goals across all competitions. But Xabi Alonso also has some injury issues. He will be without Martin Terrier, Jeanuel Belocian, Victor Boniface and Amine Adli.

Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen Prediction:

I think Atletico Madrid are closer to the victory, for three reasons. The first is connect with the home advantage. Leverkusen have only won three of their previous 21 matches away from home against Spanish opposition. The second reason is connect with the experience. Atletico Madrid are regular participants in the Champions League, while Leverkusen have not reached the knock-out phase since 2016-17. Finally, the third reason is connect with the coaches. Xabi Alonso is debutante in the Champions League, this is the 7th match as coach. Simeone is between the most experienced tacticians. This will be his 112th match as coach in the competition.

Atletico Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen Pick: Atletico Madrid @ 2.52 with Pinnacle

 

[spkutano]

Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Paris Saint-Germain:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Pacho, Hernandez, Nuno Mendes; Zaire-Emery, Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz; Dembele, Doue, Barcola

Manchester City:
Ederson; Lewis, Ruben Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Bernardo Silva, Kovacic, De Bruyne; Foden, Haaland, Savinho

Paris Saint-Germain will welcome Manchester City to the Parc des Princes in the most interesting match of Champions League penultimate round. Both teams are in very complicated situation and the points from this match are extremely important. Paris Saint-Germain have seven points and they are outside Top-24. A defeat against Manchester City would be a catastrophe. The Citizens are also not sure about the knock-out phase, they sit on 22nd place with eight points, same as PSV Eindhoven and Dinamo Zagreb. Pep Guardiola is already under big pressure, another failure will additionally complicate the matters.

Paris Saint-Germain are the most successful team in France in the recent decades. However, the Qatar owners are not satisfied with domestic trophies anymore. They want UEFA Champions League trophy, nothing less. The actual form is good, they are in series of seven victories across all competitions. Coach Luis Enrique could be satisfy with the results as the players confidence is high. But he has some injury worries. Defenders Marquinhos and Achraf Hakimi, who have both been absent throughout January, are rated as doubtful. Ousmane Dembele is also doubtful due to illness, but should return. New signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is ineligible for the remainder of the league phase, but he could play in the knock-out stage.

Manchester City are living the biggest crisis under Pep Guardiola. They are out of the battle for the first place in the Premier League, even the Top-4 finish isn't guaranteed. The current form is good, City have two victories on the last three matches. Even more, they managed to score 14 goals on the mentioned two games, However, the victims were poor Ipswich Town and lower-division side Salford in the FA Cup. Guardiola surely sleep better now, but Champions League elimination is the last thing he need. Three players are struggling with injury - Rodri is long-term absentee, while Nathan Ake and John Stones are doubtful due to muscular and ankle injury. Like Kvaratskhelia, new signings Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov cannot play here.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City Prediction:

PSG have won only one of the seven matches they have played against Manchester City in the Champions League. That's their lowest win rate against a team they have faced at least five times in the history of the competition. I think Manchester City are favorites again. However, they are without Rodri and that's huge problem. The Spaniard is simply irreplaceable and his absence is a big handicap. Furthermore, the home advantage should not be underestimate. Having these facts on mind, I expect an efficient match in Paris. Both teams must go for victory, one point is not good enough for them. I think there will be more than three goals here.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City Pick: Over 3.5 goals @ 2.33 with Pinnacle