UEFA Champions League

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Champions League and Europa League Exclusive Preview and Bet Tips

Manchester United welcome Barcelona for an epic showdown at Old Trafford while last season’s Champions League finalists renew their rivalry at Anfield. We cover these and more while offering our betting tips but, before we dive into that, you can head to our Cross Sport Specials page to check out some of the special offers we have

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Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli

Eintracht Frankfurt face a difficult task when they welcome the Neapolitans to Deutsche Bank Park on Tuesday. With the previous 2 meetings between these two teams ending in a pair of 1–0 victories for Frankfurt back in the 1994/95 season, they’ll be hoping history repeats itself. Sadly for them, they face a Luciano Spalletti side who are the most in-form team in all of Europe.

Frankfurt’s form may not be mind-blowing, but they’ve been decent all year. They’re currently 6th in the Bundesliga following their 2-0 win against Werder Bremen over the weekend, and they’re just 5pts clear of 1st place Bayern and could return to the Champions League next season if they finish the season in good form. One of the key reasons for their series of fine displays has been Randal Kolo Muani, who has 7 goals in his last 6 games. The 24-year-old free singing from Nantes has 10 goals and 10 assists in the Bundesliga making him the only player to hit double figures in both categories as it stands. Kolo Muani also scored twice for Frankfurt in their two wins against Marseille and Sporting CP on Matchdays 5 & 6, respectively which helped them seal knockout qualification at the expense of both teams. With many top clubs in Europe monitoring the French Forward closely, he could very well be the difference between failure and success if they are to progress to the next round.

Napoli on the other hand are all but certain to lift the Scudetto this year. Two first half goals against Sassuolo were enough to give them all three points as they maintained their 15-point lead on top of the Serie A. The deadly duo of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia both found the back of the net before they were taken off and Frankfurt will have their hands full against them on Tuesday night. Napoli’s 20 goals in the group stage were the most by any team, and only Bayern Munich last season (22) have outscored them in the group stage over the past 3 seasons. With an average of 3.33 goals per game in the UCL this season, they present a good bet for goals scored.

Eintracht Frankfurt Form: D-W-W-L-W

Napoli Form: W-W-W-W-W

Despite winning their last two away games against German opposition, it must be said that Napoli haven’t exactly found it easy when facing Bundesliga teams. They had gone 10 away games without a win (D5, L5) prior to those two wins, but they’ll feel they have more than enough to overcome a Frankfurt side who are the only team to make it out of the Group Stage with a negative Goal Difference (-1). They’ve won 18 of their last 19 league games, while Osimhen has scored 18 goals in his last 19 games. With such remarkable form, they’ll be worthy favorites.

Predictions

King’s Combo: Victor Osimhen to Score First & Napoli to win @7.50
Over 2.5 Goals @1.77
Both Teams to score @1.63

Liverpool vs Real Madrid

The Reds seem to have rediscovered their form just in time to face the UCL holders and, what may have looked like a certain passage for Real Madrid to the quarter-finals now looks a lot trickier. Two 2–0 wins over Everton and 10-man Newcastle have lifted them to 8th in the Premier League and Klopp’s men are now 7-pts behind 4th place Tottenham having played 2 games less. A key part to this resurgence is the return to fitness of key players, coupled with the fine form of the new signings. Virgil van Dijk, Firmino and Diogo Jota are back in the team while Cody Gakpo and Darwin Núñez are finally clicking up top.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have restored faith in a few doubters after their shaky form after the World Cup. They’ve strung together 4 wins on the bounce and have scored 15 goals while doing so. While the gap between them and 1st place Barcelona in LaLiga remains 8pts, they’re starting to look like the side that won the league and UCL double last season. Karim Benzema remains the key to their offense, but the reigning Ballon d’Or winner has suffered a series of injuries this season that has had an overall impact on the team. The French Forward surprisingly failed to score a goal in the group stage, but he only played 4 games – 2 of which saw him substituted before the half-hour mark. Regardless, his return of 10 goals and 3 assists since the Qatar World Cup has him as a threat once more.

Liverpool Form: D-L-L-W-W

Real Madrid Form: L-W-W-W-W

In what is the first meeting between these two side since the Champions League final, Real Madrid are the surprise betting underdogs, but therein lies great value for bettors. Liverpool are winless in their last 6 against Los Blancos (D1, L5) – their longest winless run against an opponent in the Champions League – and have failed to score against them in their last 2 home games. It must, however, be mentioned that this game kicks off a run of tough fixtures for Los Blancos with games against Atlético, Barcelona and Real Betis to come before the return leg. Given their ill luck with injuries this season, Carlo Ancelotti knows his best bet of making the quarter-finals is getting a positive result at Anfield, as he might have a thinner squad to work with when these two sides meet in Spain.

Predictions

Double Chance: Real Madrid to win or Draw @1.59
Over 2.5 Goals @1.69
King’s Combo: Luka Modric to give 1 or more assists @4.20

Inter vs FC Porto

In a match Jose Mourinho will certainly be tuning to watch, Inter host FC Porto at the San Siro in what could be a low scoring affair. Both sides didn’t exactly light it up in the group stage but did enough to wiggle their way out of tricky situations to make it to this round. For Inter, they had to survive a group that included Barcelona and Bayern while for FC Porto, they had to overcome losing their first two games of the campaign by winning the next 4 and topping the group.

Inter’s Romelu Lukaku would be hoping that his goal over the weekend could present a change in fortune this season. The Belgian has scored just 3 goals all season but has endured a frustrating time on the sideline which has limited him to just 13 appearances. In his absence, Lautaro Martínez has been the club’s talisman in attack and has produced 16 goals and 7 assists in all competitions. The Argentine Forward failed to impress during his country’s triumph in Qatar but has looked a different player in the Blue & Black stripes.

Inter Form: W-W-W-D-W

FC Porto Form: W-W-W–W-W

Porto has been in superb form despite the Portuguese’ opposition being objectively weaker than Inter’s. They’ve won 10 games in a row and haven’t lost a game since a 1-0 defeat to Benfica back in October. However, Inter will present their toughest test of the season yet. The Nerazzurri have won 15 of their 18 home games this season in all competitions and have won 8 (and drawn 1) of the 9 games against Portuguese sides they’ve hosted in European competitions.

Predictions

Under 2.5 goals @1.74
Inter to win @1.73
Over 8.5 Corners @1.49

RB Leipzig vs Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side endured a puzzling 1-1 draw over the weekend at newly promoted Nottingham Forest, and it’ll be interesting to see how they respond. Following their 3-1 win over Arsenal in the midweek that saw them leapfrog The Gunners to claim first place, it was expected that the Cityzens would go on one of their famous epic runs to solidify their grip at the top, a thought echoed by Jack Grealish. However, a series of poor finishing in the second half left Guardiola scratching his head like a lice-infected 6-year-old.

City’s performance in the Group Stage was routine with 4 wins and 2 draws in 6, but their defense – which conceded a tournament-low 2 goals – stood out for the 2021 finalists. Pep Guardiola has generally excelled at this stage of the competition, and it’s expected that his side gets a positive result on Wednesday. Among Head Coaches to have managed 50+ games in the Champions League, the Spaniard has the highest win percentage in competition’s history (63% – 97 wins from 154 games).

The hosts, meanwhile, have had a shaky time in the Bundesliga but still find themselves 5th and just 4 points from 1st place – a decent position considering they also have the 2nd best goal difference in the league. Their stand-out performers for the season are the Chelsea-bound Christopher Nkunku (who has 12 league goals) and Dominik Szoboszlai, who is 2nd in assists with 8. The reigning DFB Pokal Champions will come into this full of confidence knowing they beat Man City just last season when they hosted Guardiola’s side, though it must be mentioned that the Cityzens had already secured qualification to the knock-out round before that game.

RB Leipzig Form: W-W-D-L-W

Manchester City Form: W-L-W-W-D

Last season, both meetings between these sides produced 12 goals, with the first at Etihad ending in a 9-goal thriller (6-3). Man City had 5 different goalscorers (and an own goal from Nordi Mukiele) while Christopher Nkunku left with the match ball after scoring all 3 goals for the visitors. Leipzig would want to keep an eye on Erling Haaland – someone they’re very familiar with. During his time in Germany, the Norwegian striker scored 6 goals against RB Leipzig in 4 games, including a brace in the 2021 DFB Pokal final that saw Dortmund lift the title in a one-sided 4-1 game. Though he’s not looked his best lately, he’s still capable of causing harm.

Predictions

Over 2.5 goals @1.70
Both teams to score @1.63
King’s Combo: Nkunku and Haaland to both score @5.80

Manchester United vs Barcelona

These two sides grabbed good results over the weekend as they prepare for what should be a memorable night at Old Trafford. Against Leicester City, the Red Devils secured what seemed like a routine 3-0 win on paper but was a lot closer, especially in the first half when De Gea had to be in World Class form to stop the Foxes from going ahead. Erik ten Hag’s men figured it out in the second half and remained in control the rest of the way. The result – which saw 2 of Man Utd’s 3 goals come in the second 45 mins – follows a developing pattern of games involving the 20-time English Champions having more goals in the second half than the first. It’s been an occurrence for 7-games in a row, including the reverse fixture at Nou Camp where all 4 goals came in the second half. Something worth betting on.

Barcelona have had a brilliant start to their 2023 calendar year with wins in 15 of their 16 games. The one team that has stopped them from having a perfect start is Thursday’s hosts following their 2-2 first leg result. The Catalans go into this as slight underdogs given their unavailable players. Sergio Busquets, Pedri and Dembélé will all miss the trip to Old Trafford due to injury, while Gavi’s yellow card in the first leg saw him get a one game suspension. However, Barcelona’s brilliant record against the Red Devils will give Xavi some confidence heading into this. Man Utd has won just once against the Catalans in 11 games – the famous 1-0 victory back in 2008 where Paul Scholes’ rocket from outside the box sent Man Utd to the finals. The Red Devils have also struggled with Spanish opposition, with their last 2 European defeats at Old Trafford coming against Atlético (last season) and Real Sociedad (this season).

Manchester United Form: W-D-W-D-W

Barcelona Form: W-W-W-D-W

Robert Lewandowski and Marcus Rashford are players to keep an eye on in this game. They both have 24 goals in all competitions and have proven to be match winners on their day. Marcus Rashford is the most inform attacker on the planet with 16 goals in 17 games since the Qatar World Cup. We’ve been backing the Englishman to deliver the goods, which he has done, and we won’t stop now.

Predictions

Over 2.5 Goals @1.79
Both teams to score @1.61
Highest scoring Half (2nd Half) @2.00
Rashford to Score Anytime @2.44

Nantes vs Juventus

Juventus has looked decent in recent weeks and now sit in 7th position in the Serie A, 9pts away from a European spot. The Italian giants would have been second if not for the 15-pt deduction suffered earlier in the year, but it seems victory in the Europa League is now their most realistic way of making a European competition next season, given their semi-final match up with Inter in the Coppa Italia. The Old Lady is facing a 5th consecutive European exit in the knockout stage, a run which started in 2019 against Ajax. The team has only won one out of their previous nine matches in European competitions (with two draws and six losses), and they have let in an average of two goals per game during this period. This poor performance in European competitions, which stands in stark contrast to their healthy domestic form, is a great concern for the traveling fans.

Nantes has been awful in Ligue 1 and currently sit in 13th position with just 6 league wins all season. But, it’s clearly obvious they’re prioritising cup competitions, as a top 5 finish is almost impossible. In their recent loss to RC Lens on Sunday, a few key players were rested, including Ludovic Blas, scorer against Juventus in the first leg. They’ve not progressed from the knockout stage of a European competition since 2000/01 and seem to be going all-in against a Juventus team that has shown fragility in UEFA competitions over the years.

Nantes Form: W-W-W-D-L

Juventus Form: W-W-W-D-W

Nantes’ Ludovic Blas is the one player Juventus might want to keep an eye on in this game. His equalizer in last week’s 1-1 stalemate was scored with the team’s only shot on target, and he leads Nantes in goals (3), assists (3), shots (22) and chances created (15) in this season’s Europa League.

Predictions