Best Of Bets

Author: Mudeet Arora

  • Who can Manchester City face in the Champions League quarter-final?

    Who can Manchester City face in the Champions League quarter-final?

    Manchester City came up with an utterly dominating performance in the second leg of their round of 16 clash against RB Leipzig, beating the German side 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, hence qualifying for the quarter-final.

    You can have a look at our player ratings for this game here.

    City are in the hunt for their first ever Champions League crown and have faced multiple misfortunes in the recent past.

    Chelsea got the better of them in the 2021 final before Real Madrid broke their hearts in an incredible comeback in last season’s semi-final.

    However, Pep Guardiola’s men look determined as ever that this season could be the one in which they achieve club football’s ultimate glory.

    Teams Manchester City could face in the quarter-final of the Champions League 2022-23

    City are Best of Bets‘ favourite to go on and win the Champions League this season, provided they avoid a couple of teams in their run-in to the final.

    Real Madrid are a different beast altogether in the Champions League as compared to their La Liga form and that is one team City have to avoid if Los Blancos get past Liverpool in the second leg.

    Chelsea is a dark horse here and having defeated City once in the final of this tournament before, City should be wary of their threat.

    Then there’s Bayern Munich, virtually the most complete team in the Champions League this season.

    Finally come the Italian sides, who have been decent this season, however, City would feel good to draw against clubs like Inter and Napoli despite the dangers they possess.

    A list of teams Manchester City could face in the quarter-final

    • Chelsea
    • Benfica
    • Milan
    • Bayern Munich
    • Inter
    • Napoli*
    • Real Madrid*

    * mark indicates the second legs are pending at the time of writing, but both Napoli and Real Madrid have healthy leads over Frankfurt and Liverpool respectively.

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games.

  • Man City 7-0 RB Leipzig (Agg 8-1) – Player ratings as Erling Haaland scores five in a Champions League game

    Man City 7-0 RB Leipzig (Agg 8-1) – Player ratings as Erling Haaland scores five in a Champions League game

    Erling Haaland scored five goals in the second leg of Manchester City’s Champions League last-16 game against RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday in a 7-0 win.

    The Cityzens won the tie 8-1 on aggregate in a dominant win that firmly placed Pep Guardiola’s side among the favourites to finally win the Champions League title.

    Haaland scored a first half hat-trick to hand City a three goal advantage going into the second half. Ilkay Gundogan scored after half-time before Haaland added another two goals before the hour mark. Kevin De Bruyne brought a close to the rout, scoring in the 92nd minute.

    Best of Bets takes a look at the player ratings for all involved in this game at the Etihad Stadium (ratings out of 10)

    Manchester City vs RB Leipzig: Player ratings (out of 10)

    Manchester City player ratings:

    Ederson – 6

    John Stones – 7.5

    Manuel Akanji – 6

    Ruben Dias – 7

    Nathan Ake – 7.5

    Rodri – 6.5

    Kevin De Bruyne – 10

    Ilkay Gundogan – 8.5

    Bernardo Silva – 7

    Erling Haaland – 10

    Jack Grealish – 7.5

    Substitutes:

    Phil Foden (55′) – 7

    Riyad Mahrez (55′) – 8

    Julian Alvarez (63′) – 7

    Sergio Gomez (63′) – 6

    Kalvin Philipps (63′) – 6

     

    RB Leipzig player ratings:

    Janis Blaswich – 4

    Benjamin Henrichs – 1

    Willi Orban – 1

    Josko Gvardiol – 1

    David Raum – 1

    Kevin Kampl – 1

    Amadou Haidara – 4

    Konrad Laimer – 2

    Emil Forsberg – 2

    Dominik Szaboszlai – 3

    Timo Werner – 2

    Substitutes:

    Yussuf Poulsen (62′) – 5

    Andre Silva (62′) – 5

    Mohamad Simakan (62′) – 5

    Dani Olmo (72′) – 5

    Lukas Klostermann (80′) – N/A

     

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games.

  • Fulham vs Arsenal Preview – London Derby

    Fulham vs Arsenal Preview – London Derby

    London Derby

    Premier League leaders Arsenal are set to make a short trip over to Fulham as the two London Derby sides clash on Sunday in what could be an enticing encounter.

    Fulham lost out to Brentford in their last game, whereas Arsenal are coming into this one on the back of four straight domestic wins and will look to win, especially after Manchester City’s win last night against Crystal Palace.

    Here’s our preview of this game:

    Match Details:

    Location: London, England

    Stadium: Craven Cottage

    Date: Sunday, 12 March

    Kick-off Time: 14:00 GMT / 9:00 ET / 06:00 PT

    Referee: David Coote

    VAR: Peter Bankes

    Team News:

    Joao Palhinha is suspended for this one but long term absentee Tom Cairney could make a return from injury in the game against Arsenal. Layvin Kurzawa and Neeskens Kebano are out injured and loanee right-back Cedric Soares cannot play against his parent side.

    Gabriel Jesus will hope to make it to the bench for Arsenal. Elsewhere, Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah are both out injured, meaning Gabriel Martinelli will lead the Gunners’ attack. Martin Odegaard and Kieran Tierney missed out in midweek, but are set to return against Fulham.

    Head to Head record in last five games:

    Fulham wins: 0

    Arsenal wins: 4

    Draws: 1

    Predicted Lineups:

    Fulham: Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Lukic; Willian, Pereira, Solomon; Mitrovic

    Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, Martinelli, Nelson

    Last 5 games in all competitions (latest game first):

    Fulham: WWDWL

    Arsenal: WWWWD

    London Derby Prediction:

    Arsenal haven’t been convincing in their last few wins, which mostly came from comebacks and late winners. Fulham, who have already experienced conceding last minute goals this season will be highly alert to such a situation, should it arise.

    The Gunners look like they could easily win this one, but we think Fulham might cause an upset.

    BestofBets think this will be a wild one and United might score five goals at least.

    Fulham 2-1 Arsenal

     

    To read more content like this on football, please visit our exclusive insights on Premier League games this season HERE.

  • Man Utd vs Southampton preview, probable lineups, players you can bet on and prediction

    Man Utd vs Southampton preview, probable lineups, players you can bet on and prediction

    Manchester United will return to Premier League action as they take on Southampton in a much awaited clash on Sunday afternoon.

    The Red Devils come into this game on the back of a 7-0 mauling at the hands of Liverpool, followed by a convincing Europa League last 16 first leg win against Real Betis.

    Southampton have won two of their last three games, but still find themselves in the relegation zone.

    Here’s our preview of this game:

    Match Details:

    Location: Manchester, England

    Stadium: Old Trafford

    Date: Sunday, 12 March

    Kick-off Time: 14:00 GMT / 9:00 ET / 06:00 PT

    Referee: Anthony Taylor

    VAR: Andre Marriner

    Team News:

    Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may go with the same team he played against Real Betis in the Europa League. This means Wout Weghorst will start up front yet again with the in-form Marcus Rashford and Antony making up the front three.

    Marcel Sabitzer could still be out injured for this one. Anthony Martial is back in training, but will take time to build his fitness, whereas Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen remain out.

    For Southampton, star player Carlos Alcaraz could be out due to a knee issue meaning Mohamed Elyounoussi could come into the starting XI. Jan Bednarek could continue to partner Armel Bella-Kotchap in defence.

    Head to Head record in last five games:

    Manchester United wins: 3

    Southampton wins: 0

    Draws: 2

    Predicted Lineups:

    Manchester United: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst.

    Southampton: Bazunu; Maitland-Niles, Bednarek, Bella-Kotchap, Walker-Peters; Ward-Prowse, Lavia; Walcott, Elyounoussi, Sulemana; Adams.

    Last 5 games in all competitions (latest game first):

    Manchester United: WLWWW

    Southampton: WLLWL

    Prediction:

    Manchester United will take the field for the first time after their 7-0 mauling at the hands of Liverpool in the Premier League. Southampton have previously bore witness to an unbelievable 9-0 loss at Old Trafford in February 2021.

    BestofBets think this will be a wild one and United might score five goals at least.

    Manchester United 5-0 Southampton

     

    To read more content like this on football, please visit our exclusive insights on Premier League games this season HERE.

  • Crystal Palace 0-1 Man City: Player ratings as Haaland penalty keeps Premier League title race alive

    Crystal Palace 0-1 Man City: Player ratings as Haaland penalty keeps Premier League title race alive

    Manchester City came up with a 1-0 win away from home in a tough encounter against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.

    Erling Haaland scored a second half penalty to decide the game after the visitors wasted multiple chances to put the tie to bed earlier in the game.

    After holding off City throughout the game, Palace conceded a penalty 15 minutes before time and that decided the game.

    BestofBets takes a look at the player ratings for this game.

    Crystal Palace 0-1 Manchester City: Player ratings (out of 10)

    Crystal Palace:

    Vicente Guaita – 7

    Nathaniel Clyne – 3.5

    Joachim Andersen – 5.5

    Marc Guehi – 3

    Tyrick Mitchell – 5.5

    Albert Sambi Lokonga – 6.5

    Luka Milivojevic – 2

    Jeffrey Schlupp – 7.5

    Michael Olise – 5.5

    Wilfried Zaha – 6

    Jordan Ayew – 6

    Substitutes:

    Naouirou Ahamada (61′) – 5

    Joel Ward (71′) – 5

    Eberechi Eze (80′) – N/A

    Odsonne Edouard (80′) – N/A

     

    Manchester City:

    Ederson – 6

    John Stones – 4

    Manuel Akanji – 4

    Ruben Dias – 6

    Nathan Ake – 7.5

    Bernardo Silva – 5.5

    Rodri – 7.5

    Ilkay Gundogan – 4

    Phil Foden – 3.5

    Erling Haaland – 8

    Jack Grealish – 3.5

    Substitutes:

    Julian Alvarez (58′) – 5.5

    Kevin De Bruyne (79′) – N/A

    Kyle Walker (89′) – N/A

     

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games.

  • Leicester City 1 -3 Chelsea: Player ratings as Blues keep growing in confidence

    Leicester City 1 -3 Chelsea: Player ratings as Blues keep growing in confidence

    Chelsea won their third successive game as they came up with a 1-3 win away from home at Leicester City on Saturday.

    Goals from Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic ensured Chelsea claimed all three points despite Patson Daka’s brilliant equaliser after the first goal.

    Wout Faes was shown a red card towards the end of the game as the Foxes played with 10 men in the final few minutes.

    BestofBets takes a look at the player ratings for this game.

    Leicester City 1-3 Chelsea – Player ratings (out of 10)

    Leicester City:

    Danny Ward – 5

    Daniel Amartey – 4

    Harry Souttar – 5.5

    Wout Faes – 2

    Ricardo Pereira – 5

    Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5

    Nampalys Mendy – 7.5

    Timothy Castagne – 6

    James Maddison – 7.5

    Kelechi Iheanacho – 5

    Patson Daka – 7.5

    Substitutes:

    Tete (66′) – 5

    Harvey Barnes (66′) – 5

    Boubacary Soumare (66′) – 5

    Jamie Vardy (76′) – 6

    Jonny Evans (90′) – N/A – Came in too late in the game

    Chelsea:

    Kepa – 6

    Wesley Fofana – 6

    Kalidou Koulibaly – 7.5

    Marc Cucurella – 7

    Ruben Loftus-Cheek – 7

    Enzo Fernandez – 7

    Mateo Kovacic – 7

    Ben Chilwell – 8

    Kavi Havertz – 8.5

    Mykhailo Mudryk – 6

    Joao Felix – 6

    Substitutes:

    Conor Gallagher (46′) – 7.5

    Christian Pulisic (72′) – 5

    Trevoh Chalobah (72′) – 6

    Carney Chukwuemeka (82′) – N/A – Came in too late in the game

    Benoit Badiashile (86′) – N/A – Came in too late in the game

     

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games.

  • Tottenham 3 -1 Nottingham Forest: Player ratings as Spurs solidify top 4 chances

    Tottenham 3 -1 Nottingham Forest: Player ratings as Spurs solidify top 4 chances

    Tottenham ended a run of three games without a win by coming up with a comfortable 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

    Forest were poor for majority of the game and continue to remain unsafe in their bid to avoid relegation.

    Spurs made a great start by scoring just two minutes into the game courtesy of Richarlison, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

    The North London based club eventually took the lead midway through the first half as Harry Kane headed the ball into Forest’s net. 16 minutes later, Spurs got a penalty which was cooly converted by Harry Kane as he led his team into the tunnel 2-0 up at half-time.

    Andre Ayew and Emmanuel Dennis were brought in by Forest at the beginning of the second half and just as they were starting to gain confidence and look like they would score, Spurs hit the knockout blow. A deep cross found Son in space and he controlled the ball and slotted it in the back of the net to hand Antonio Conte’s side a 3-0 advantage.

    Worrall pulled back one but it was too late as Spurs closed down a deserved 3-1 win.

    BestofBets takes a look at the player ratings for this game.

    Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest – Player ratings (out of 10)

    Tottenham

    Fraser Forster – 7

    Cristian Romero – 8

    Eric Dier – 7

    Clement Lenglet – 5.5

    Pedro Porro – 8.5

    Oliver Skipp – 7

    Pierre-Emile Hojberg – 6.5

    Ben Davies – 6

    Richarlison – 9

    Son Heung-min – 8.5

    Harry Kane – 9

    Substitutes:

    Dejan Kulusevski (84′) – N/A (came in too late)

    Lucas Moura (84′) – N/A (came in too late)

    Papie Sarr (90′) – N/A (came in too late)

     

    Nottingham Forest

    Keylor Navas – 6

    Serge Aurier – 5

    Joe Worrall – 3

    Felipe – 4

    Renan Lodi – 2

    Jonjo Shelvey – 6

    Orel Mangala – 2

    Remo Freuler – 4

    Morgan Gibbs-White – 3

    Brennan Johnson – 2

    Jesse Lingard – 2

    Substitutes:

    Andre Ayew (46′) – 3

    Emmanuel Dennis (46′) – 5

    Ryan Yates (68′) – 5

    Chris Wood – (68′) – N/A

    Neco WIlliams – (73′) – 4

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games.

  • Player ratings as the Reds lose against the Cherries in the Premier League

    Player ratings as the Reds lose against the Cherries in the Premier League

    Philip Billing scored the only goal of the game in the first half as Bournemouth came up with a shock win at home against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

    Liverpool came into this game on 7th heaven after beating Manchester United, but were brought back to planet earth, virtually crushing their top four hopes.

    Mohamed Salah got a glorious chance to bring Liverpool back into the game after they were awarded a contentious penalty, but the Egyptian missed the spot-kick off target.

    Best of Bets takes a look at the player ratings for this clash!

    Bournemouth 1-0 Liverpool – Player ratings (out of 10)

    Bournemouth player ratings:

    Neto – 7

    Adam Smith – 7

    Jack Stephens – 7

    Marcos Senesi – 7

    Lloyd Kelly – 6

    Joe Rothwell – 5.5

    Jefferson Lerma – 7.5

    Philip Billing – 8.5

    Dango Ouattara – 8

    Dominic Solanke – 7

    Jaidon Anthony – 6

    Substitutes:

    Ryan Christie (70′) – 6

    Ryan Fredericks (81′) – 6

    Lewis Cook (81′) – 6

    Antoine Semenyo (88′) – N/A (too late in the game)

    Matias Vina (88′) – N/A (too late in the game)

    Liverpool player ratings:

    Alisson – 6

    Trent Alexander-Arnold – 5

    Ibrahima Konate – 5

    Virgil van Dijk – 5

    Andy Robertson – 6

    Fabinho – 5

    Stefan Bajcetic – 5

    Harvey Elliot – 5

    Mohamed Salah – 3.5

    Cody Gakpo – 6

    Darwin Nunez – 5

    Substitutes:

    Diogo Jota (45′) – 7

    James Milner (65′) – 7

    Jordan Henderson (65′) – 6

    Roberto Firmino (66′) – 5

    Fabio Carvalho (88′) – N/A (too late in the game)

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games.

  • Bayern Munich 2-0 PSG – Player ratings as Choupo-Moting leads the Bavarians to Champions League last-8

    Bayern Munich 2-0 PSG – Player ratings as Choupo-Moting leads the Bavarians to Champions League last-8

    PSG failed to qualify for the quarter-final of the Champions League for the fifth time in seven years as Bayern comfortably beat them 2-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

    Former PSG player Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting delivered the first blow for Bayern Munich before Serge Gnabry sealed a 2-0 win for the Germans.

    There were a few missed chances by the French side early on in the game which could have turned it around for PSG, but they failed to make the most out of those situations, with the highlight being Vitinha missing an open goal.

    Best of Bets takes a look at how players from both teams performed in this game!

    Bayern Munich vs PSG – Player ratings (out of 10)

    Bayern Munich:

    Yann Sommer – 6

    Josip Stanicic – 7.5

    Dayot Upamecano – 8.5

    Matthijs de Ligt – 6.5

    Alphonso Davies – 8

    Leon Goretzka – 7

    Joshua Kimmich – 7

    Kingsley Koman – 7

    Thomas Muller – 7.5

    Jamal Musiala – 8.5

    Eric Maxim Chuopo-Moting – 8

    Substitutes:

    Leroy Sane – 7

    Sadio Mane – 6.5

    Serge Gnabry – N/A (came in too late in the game)

    Joao Cancelo – N/A (came in too late in the game)

    PSG:

    Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6

    Danilo Pereira – 6

    Sergio Ramos – 7

    Marquinhos – N/A (was injured and substituted in the first half)

    Achraf Hakimi – 6.5

    Vitinha – 5.5

    Marco Verratti – 4

    Fabian Ruiz – 4

    Nuno Mendes – 5

    Lionel Messi – 5

    Kylian Mbappe – 3

    Substitutes:

    Nordi Mukiele – 3

    El Chadaille Bitshiabu – 4.5

    Warren Zaire-Emery – 5

    Hugo Ekitike – N/A (came in too late in the game)

    Juan Bernat – N/A (came in too late in the game)

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games by clicking here.

  • Tottenham 0-0 Milan (Agg. 0-1) – Player ratings as Spurs knocked out of the Champions League

    Tottenham 0-0 Milan (Agg. 0-1) – Player ratings as Spurs knocked out of the Champions League

    Tottenham Hotspur were knocked out of the Champions League 0-1 on aggregate after their last-16 clash against Milan as they failed to make an impact at home in a game that ended in a scoreless draw.

    The game was played a tremendous pace with end-to-end action and Spurs tried to do their best, but in the end it was the Rossoneri who prevailed courtesy of their close 1-0 win at San Siro in the first leg.

    Best of Bets takes a look at how players from both teams performed in this game!

    Tottenham vs Milan – Player ratings (out of 10)

    Tottenham:

    Fraser Forster – 5

    Cristian Romero – 2

    Clement Lenglet – 6.5

    Ben Davies – 5

    Emerson Royal – 5.5

    Oliver Skipp – 5.5

    Pierre-Emile Hojberg – 4.5

    Ivan Perisic – 3.5

    Dejan Kulusevski – 5.5

    Son Heung-min – 4

    Harry Kane – 5.5

    Substitutes:

    Pedro Porro – 7

    Richarlison – 5

    Davinson Sanchez – N/A (came in too late in the game)

     

    Milan:

    Mike Maignan – 6

    Pierre Kalulu – 7

    Malick Thiaw – 7

    Fikayo Tomori – 7

    Junior Messias – 5.5

    Rade Krunic – 8

    Sandro Tonali – 7.5

    Theo Hernandez – 6

    Brahim Diaz – 6

    Rafael Leao – 5

    Olivier Giroud – 5

    Substitutes:

    Alexis Saelemaekers – 5

    Ismael Bennacer – N/A (came in too late in the game)

    Divock Origi – N/A (came in too late in the game)

    Ante Rebic – N/A (came in too late in the game)

    You can head to Best of Bets’ football section for our in-depth coverage of all Champions League games by clicking here.