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Tag: Champions League

  • Real Madrid vs Liverpool Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Real Madrid vs Liverpool Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Liverpool will face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday night.

    The Reds come into this game in the most confused state of mind, much like their season, as they lost to Bournemouth, who sits in 20th place in the Premier League table, in their last game after beating Manchester United 7-0 in the game before.

    Real Madrid, meanwhile, are nine points behind Barcelona in La Liga and once again, the Champions League is what they will target for this season.

    Best of Bets takes a look at the preview of this game.

    Real Madrid vs Liverpool match details:

    Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

    Location: Madrid, Spain

    Date: Wednesday, March 15

    Kick-off Time: 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT

    Referee: Felix Zwayer (GER)

    VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)

    Record in the last five games (Latest game first)

    Real Madrid: WDLDW
    Liverpool: LWWDL

    Real Madrid vs Liverpool Head to Head record

    Games played: 10
    Real Madrid wins: 6
    Liverpool wins: 3
    Draws: 1

    How to watch Real Madrid vs Liverpool in the UK

    The game will be shown live on BT Sport 1, BTSport.com, BT Sport App, BT Sport Ultimate

    Real Madrid probable XI vs Liverpool

    Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Modric, Tchouameni, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius.

    Liverpool probable XI vs Real Madrid

    Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Bajcetic; Salah, Gakpo, Nunez.

    Real Madrid vs Liverpool score prediction

    Los Blancos come into this one in a positive frame of mind and would look to add more insult to injury to the Reds. We think Carlo Ancelotti’s men will claim a 4-1 win over the Reds at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

    For more information and in-depth coverage, please head to Best of Bets’ football where you will find extensive coverage of all football games including Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and much more.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Chelsea 2-0 Borussia Dortmund – Player ratings as the Blues claim Champions League quarter-final berth

    Chelsea 2-0 Borussia Dortmund – Player ratings as the Blues claim Champions League quarter-final berth

    Goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz meant that Chelsea have ensured their passage to the Champions League quarter-final with a 2-1 aggregate win against Borussia Dortmund after a 1-0 loss in the first leg.

    The game started after a 10 minute delay and Chelsea were presented with chances right from kick off with Sterling missing a sitter, although the flag went up for offside and spared his blushes.

    Dortmund eventually got into the game and tested Kepa to some extent. Chelsea then took the lead just before half-time. Chilwell crossed the ball to Sterling, who completely mis-hit his first effort, but regained his composure and blasted the ball through a crowd of players to tie things up on aggregate at the break.

    The second half started at a fast pace before Chilwell’s cross struck Marius Wolf and Chelsea were awarded a penalty. Kai Havertz missed the penalty but it was observed that an encroachment was made into the penalty box before the kick, leading to the Blues getting another chance to take the penalty, which Havertz converted.

    Dortmund tried to make a comeback but Chelsea dealt with all of their attacks to hand Graham Potter his biggest win yet as a Chelsea manager.

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

    Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund – Player ratings

    Chelsea player ratings:

    Kepa – 6

    Wesley Fofana – 7

    Kalidou Koulibaly – 8

    Marc Cucurella – 7

    Reece James – 8

    Mateo Kovacic – 7

    Enzo Fernandez – 7

    Ben Chilwell – 9

    Raheem Sterling – 8

    Kai Havertz – 8

    Joao Felix – 7

    Substitutes:

    Conor Gallagher – 7

    Christian Pulisic – N/A – Came in late in the game

    Ruben Loftus-Cheek – N/A – Came in late in the game

    Denis Zakaria – N/A – Came in late in the game

    Borussia Dortmund player ratings:

    Alexander Meyer – 7

    Marius Wolf – 5

    Niklas Sule – 5

    Nico Schlotterbeck – 5

    Raphael Guerreiro – 5

    Emre Can – 6.5

    Julian Brandt – N/A (forced off injured after 5 minutes)

    Jude Bellingham – 5

    Salih Ozcan – 5

    Marco Reus – 5.5

    Sebastien Haller – 5

    Substitutes:

    Gio Reyna – 6

    Jamie Bynoe-Gittens – 6

    Donyell Malen – 5.5

     

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

  • Bayern Munich vs PSG Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Bayern Munich vs PSG Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Bayern Munich will host PSG in their Champions League round of 16 second leg clash holding a small advantage. The German giants dominated the first leg in Paris, coming up with a 1-0 away win. Kylian Mbappe is back to full fitness for the second leg, which promises to be an intriguing one. Read on to find out our Bayern Munich predictions.

    Best of Bets takes a look at the preview of this game.

    Bayern Munich vs PSG Match Details

    When: Wednesday 8 March – 20:00 UK time kick-off

    Where: Allianz Arena, Munich

    First leg score: 0-1 win to Bayern Munich

    Where to watch Bayern Munich vs PSG in the UK?

    Fans in the UK can watch the game on the BT Sport website and BT Sport 2 TV channel.

    Bayern Munich vs PSG Team News

    The Bavarians have no fresh injury concerns except their long term absentees Manuel Neuer, Noussair Mazaroui, Lucas Hernandez, whereas Benjamin Pavard missed their last game due to an injury.

    Matthijs De Ligt could replace Pavard in Bayern’s defence along with Josip Stanisic. A big boost for Bayern is that Sadio Mane is available.

    For PSG, Neymar suffered a season-ending injury. Presnel Kimpembe and Renato Sanches are also out due to injuries. Mbappe, who missed the first leg will be available for selection and is expected to go straight back into the starting XI.

    Bayern Munich vs PSG Probable Lineups

    Bayern Munich: Sommer; Stanisic, Upamecano, De Ligt; Coman, Kimmich, Goretzka, Davies; Sane, Musiala; Choupo-Moting

    PSG: Donnarumma; Pereira, Marquinhos, Ramos; Hakimi, Ruiz, Verratti, Vitinha, Mendes; Messi, Mbappe

    Prediction

    We expect this game to be an open one with both teams trying to attack each other and try to score as many goals as possible. However, we think Bayern will go through to the Champions League quarter-final on aggregate.

    Bayern Munich 2-2 PSG

  • Tottenham vs AC Milan Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Tottenham vs AC Milan Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Tottenham will host AC Milan in their Champions League round of 16 second leg clash in London on Wednesday.

    Best of Bets takes a look at the preview of this game.

    Tottenham vs Milan match details:

    When: Wednesday 8 March – 20:00 UK time kick-off

    Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

    First leg score: 0-1 win to Milan

    Where to watch Tottenham vs Milan in the UK?

    Fans in the UK can watch the game on BT Sport.

    What happened in the first leg between Tottenham and Milan?

    While Tottenham have a great record in European games against Milan, they suffered a 1-0 loss in the first leg at the San Siro. Brahim Diaz scored the only goal of the first leg as Milan succeeded in keeping Harry Kane quiet throughout the game.

    Tottenham vs Milan Team News

    Tottenham will still be without long term absentees in Hugo Lloris, Ryan Sessegnon, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur. Add to that, Eric Dier is suspended for this clash.

    Milan have managed to set up a completely injury free squad for the first time this season ahead of this game, except Brahim Diaz, who is doubtful due to a knee sprain, although it is considered to be a knock from which he can recover in time for this game.

    Sergino Dest, Yacine Adli, Tiemoue Bakayoko and 41-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic were not added to Milan’s squad for the Champions League knockouts.

    Probable lineups for Tottenham vs Milan

    Tottenham: Forster; Romero, Lenglet, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son

    Who will miss the quarter-final first leg if yellow carded: Bentancur, Lenglet, Romero

    Milan: Maignan; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Krunic, Tonali, Hernandez; De Ketelaere, Giroud, Leao

    Who will miss the quarter-final first leg if yellow carded: Ballo, Krunic, Tomori, Tonali

    Prediction

    While their home stadium will be an added advantage, we think Tottenham will let the occasion get to themselves.

    Moreover, their form in the Premier League has been poor in the last few weeks and they are low on confidence. We expect this one to be a draw, meaning Milan will qualify for the quarter-final on aggregate.

    Tottenham 1-1 Milan

     

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

  • Benfica vs Club Brugge Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Benfica vs Club Brugge Champions League round of 16 second leg preview, where to watch, probable XI and prediction

    Benfica will host Club Brugge in their Champions League round of 16 second leg clash in Portugal on Tuesday.

    Best of Bets takes a look at the preview of this game.

    Benfica vs Club Brugge match details:

    When: Tuesday 7 March – 21:00 BST kick-off

    Where: Estadio do SL Benfica, Lisbon

    First leg score: 2-0 win to Benfica

    Where to watch Benfica vs Club Brugge in the UK?

    Fans in the UK can watch the game on BT Sport.

    What happened in the first leg between Benfica and Club Brugge?

    David Neres came up with a late goal for Benfica against Club Brugge in the first leg which ended 2-0. The Portuguese giants have now won three consecutive games in the Champions League, their longest winning run in the competition since the 2005/06 season.

    Benfica vs Club Brugge Team News

    Reece James is expected to return after a minor issue led him to miss the clash against Leeds. Mount is suspended and also suffering an abdominal issue. Thiago Silva, Mendy and Azpilicueta are also missing. Kante and Pulisic could return to the bench whereas Aubameyang, Badiashile, Madueke and David Datro Fofana are all out of the Champions League squad registered by the club and so, are ineligible

    Karim Adeyemi, who scored the only goal in the first leg will miss this one due to injury. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel is also facing a late fitness test on his ongoing thigh injury, meaning Meyer could start in goal. Youssoufa Moukoko, Mateu Morey, Abdoulaye Kamara, Donyell Malen and Julien Duranville are also out injured, whereas Ryerson is suspended for this one.

    Probable lineups for Benfica vs Club Brugge

    Benfica: Vlachodimos; Bah, Antonio Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo; Aursnes, Florentino; Joao Mario, Neres, Rafa Silva; Goncalo Ramos

    Who will miss the quarter-final first leg if yellow carded: Florentino, Goncalo Ramos, Joao Mario, Otamendi

    Club Brugge: Mignolet; Mata, Mechele, Sylla, Meijer; Sowah, Nielsen, Vanaken, Buchanan; Jutgla, Lang

    Who will miss the quarter-final first leg if yellow carded:Buchanan, Mignolet, Nielsen, Odoi, Sowah

    Prediction

    Benfica has already proved they have better overall quality in their team as compared to Club Brugge.

    The Portuguese side are on a four game unbeaten run across all competitions and at home, they will dominate proceedings.

    Benfica 3-0 Club Brugge

     

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

  • Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund Champions League round of 16 second leg where to watch, team news, probable XI and prediction

    Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund Champions League round of 16 second leg where to watch, team news, probable XI and prediction

    Chelsea will host Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League round of 16 second leg clash at the Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

    Best of Bets takes a look at the preview of this game.

    Chelsea vs Dortmund match details:

    When: Tuesday 7 March – 20:00 UK time

    Where: Stamford Bridge, London

    First leg score: 1-0 win to Borussia Dortmund

    Where to watch Chelsea vs Dortmund in the UK?

    Fans in the UK can watch the game on BT Sport.

    What happened in the first leg between Chelsea and Dortmund?

    An inspired performance by Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saw Chelsea losing 1-0 despite registering 21 attempts on goal. A half-decent performance at the Bridge in comparison to the first leg could see the Blues through, however, Dortmund will be confident of turning it around considering Chelsea’s fortunes this season.

    Chelsea vs Dortmund Team News

    Reece James is expected to return after a minor issue led him to miss the clash against Leeds. Mount is suspended and also suffering an abdominal issue. Thiago Silva, Mendy and Azpilicueta are also missing. Kante and Pulisic could return to the bench whereas Aubameyang, Badiashile, Madueke and David Datro Fofana are all out of the Champions League squad registered by the club and so, are ineligible

    Karim Adeyemi, who scored the only goal in the first leg will miss this one due to injury. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel is also facing a late fitness test on his ongoing thigh injury, meaning Meyer could start in goal. Youssoufa Moukoko, Mateu Morey, Abdoulaye Kamara, Donyell Malen and Julien Duranville are also out injured, whereas Ryerson is suspended for this one.

    Probable lineups for Chelsea vs Dortmund

    Chelsea: Kepa; Chalobah, Koulibaly, Fofana; James, Kovacic, Fernandez, Chilwell; Sterling, Havertz, Felix

    Suspended: Mason Mount

    Who will miss the quarter-final first leg if booked: Gallagher, James, Koulibaly, Mudryk, Thiago Silva

    Dortmund: Meyer; Wolf, Sule, Schlotterbeck; Guerreiro, Can, Ozcan, Bellingham; Brandt, Haller, Reus

    Suspended: Ryerson

    Who will miss the quarter-final first leg if booked: Can, Ozcan

    Prediction

    While Chelsea showed great signs of improvement in their win against Leeds, they could have easily dropped points and against Dortmund, these issues will probably be easily exposed again.

    The German side are on a 10 game unbeaten run across all competitions, including their win in the first leg of this game. We think, they will turn up and beat the Blues at the Bridge.

    Chelsea 0-1 Borussia Dortmund

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