the first batch of second leg uefa champions league round of 16 ties take place this tuesday and wednesday. liverpool entertain porto at anfield, while paris saint-germain and real madrid lock horns in paris on tuesday in the glamour tie of the round.
the following day, manchester city welcome basel to the etihad stadium with a handsome lead. meanwhile, tottenham hotspur and juventus go head-to-head at wembley stadium with the tie delicately poised at 2-2.
with our live odds comparison, betting odds, tips and predictions, we’ll be taking a look at all four ties in our in-depth preview. will liverpool and city ease through with no hiccups? can spurs squeeze past juve at wembley? find out in our champions league preview below!
liverpool v porto: another easy victory for the reds
jurgen klopp’s liverpool have one foot in the quarter-finals already after a stunning win in portugal a few weeks ago. with the job almost done, liverpool will be looking for a win on the night in merseyside against sergio conceicao’s porto to progress to the last eight in style.
liverpool looked like a team possessed in the estadio do dragao, creating chances at will in the eventual 5-0 mauling. sadio mane hit a hat-trick and there were goals for the outstanding mohamed salah and roberto firmino. klopp’s men are the top scorers in the tournament with 28 goals to their name after just seven champions league fixtures.
we predict something similar to unfold in the second leg, as liverpool are a team in fine goalscoring fettle at the moment. looking at the odds comparison, betvictor are offering the best betting odds of 21/2 for the reds to win 3-0 on tuesday and that looks worth a small punt.
zinedine zidane’s real madrid may hold a handsome 3-1 lead, but this tie between the current holders and unai emery’s psg at the parc des princes in paris is far from done and dusted just yet. the parisians are fancied to win on the night while madrid are favourites to qualify.
despite adrien rabiot’s 33rd-minute strike giving psg a lead in the santiago bernabeu, the european champions fought back well to secure a 3-1 first-leg advantage. the prolific cristiano ronaldo helped himself to two goals, whilst marcelo completed the scoring with just four minutes left.
the first match was a pulsating affair and this second leg is all set to be another fascinating encounter between these two european heavyweights, but real madrid should see the job through in the french capital. take a look at the strong betting odds of 23/10 (betfair) for this to end all square in the 90 at the parc des princes on tuesday.
manchester city v basel: stroll in the park for pep’s citizens on wednesday
pep guardiola’s man city stormed to an impressive 4-0 win in switzerland, all but booking their place in the quarter-finals in the process. on wednesday night, the citizens will be looking to complete the job against raphael wicky’s basel in manchester. as expected, the premier league leaders are the overwhelming favourites to prevail.
ilkay gundogan (2), bernardo silva and sergio aguero got the goals at st. jakob-park to put city in a commanding lead in this tie. man city have won every league and cup home game since drawing 1-1 with everton in their first match of the season at the etihad stadium back in august. that is a worrying sign for the reigning swiss super league champions, who have lost three of their last four in all competitions.
this should be another extremely comfortable evening for guardiola’s troops. city’s 4-0 win in basel was the fourth time they have won by that scoreline this term, and the home team are available at the generous betting odds of 8/1 with betvictor to win 4-0 again on wednesday.
last but certainly not least, mauricio pochettino’s tottenham entertain massimiliano allegri’s juventus at wembley stadium for what promises to be a blockbuster second leg in the english capital on wednesday. according to our online odds comparison, spurs are the 4/11 favourites with ladbrokes to make it through to the last eight. meanwhile, last season’s champions league runners-up are available at best betting odds of 9/4 (bet365) to qualify. which way will this intriguing contest go in midweek?
gonzalo higuain looked to have blown the lilywhites away after giving juve a commanding 2-0 lead after just nine minutes in the allianz stadium in the first leg. however, pochettino’s troops rallied superbly well after that, pulling a goal back through harry kane 10 minutes before the break. spurs then piled on the pressure in the second half, getting their just rewards when christian eriksen fired in a free-kick past gianluigi buffon after 70 minutes to secure a priceless and memorable 2-2 draw for tottenham.
not only are spurs the odds-on favourites to progress to the quarters, tottenham are also the 23/20 favourites to win on the night at wembley. the old lady, meanwhile, are available at tempting betting odds of 5/2 (betfair) to come out on top in the 90 in london, while the draw is priced at 12/5 with sporting bet.
this second leg promises to be another tight and enthralling battle between the pair. a 1-1 draw will be enough to see spurs through on away goals, and we fancy pochettino’s boys to keep the italian giants at bay at wembley. put some money on coral’s nice odds of 13/2 for the 1-1 stalemate on wednesday night.