Morocco nearly upset Brazil in the opener and will need to secure three points against Scotland if they want to top Group C. Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 in the opener but were outshot 13-8. Morocco's squad is filled with experienced players, and I expect the African side to claim victory on Friday.

New Zealand is the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup, and the All Whites limp into this competition having failed to score in each of their past three games. Iran, meanwhile, will be playing with a chip on its shoulder given all the adversity it's faced to get here. Plus, Iran has been playing well leading up to this clash, losing just three of its last 12 games.

Qatar have failed to score in their past three games, which doesn’t bode well against a Switzerland side that is loaded with quality, including Granit Xhaka, who has 145 caps for the national team. Switzerland won UEFA Group B during World Cup qualifying with a +9 goal differential. I expect the Swiss to secure all three points in this matchup, beating Qatar by at least two goals in the process.

Mexico have been spectacular defensively leading up to the World Cup, conceding just two goals across their past eight matches. El Tri are coming off a convincing victory in their final tune-up, cruising to a 5-1 victory over Serbia on June 4. South Africa are winless in their past five matches overall, and now they’ll face a raucous crowd in Mexico City. I’m backing Mexico to secure a comfortable victory in front of their home fans in the opener.

These two teams combined for four goals in the reverse fixture, and I expect we'll see a similar result on Saturday. Both teams have scored in four of Wolfsburg's past five games, and Union Berlin has conceded three or more goals twice in their last three fixtures. Both teams have conceded 50 or more goals in league play, so I'm backing the Over in this one.

PSG are flying heading into Wednesday’s clash against Liverpool, winning four straight across all competitions. The Parisians recorded a 5-2 win over Premier League side Chelsea at home in the first leg of the Round of 16, and I expect PSG to have enough firepower to get past Liverpool on home soil. Liverpool have won just one of their past five matches across all competitions, and have lost two straight, including a 4-0 thrashing against Man City in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Real Madrid currently sit atop the La Liga table, two points clear of Barcelona, after picking up eight consecutive victories in league play. Real Madrid have won four of the past five meetings against Osasuna, and I'm backing Los Blancos to secure all three points on the road. Real Madrid is widely known for their attacking prowess, but the backline has conceded just 19 goals in league play, the fewest in the league.

Club Brugge tend to play in high-scoring affairs, and the home side will push for a positive result when they host Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Six of Brugge's last seven games across all competitions have featured three goals or more. Meanwhile, Atletico is coming off a 3-0 defeat on the road at Rayo Vallecano, but the last time Diego Simeone's men were clean-sheeted, they bounced back by scoring four goals against Barcelona.

Monaco has been stout defensively in recent weeks, recording a clean sheet in four of their past six matches. Monaco secured a 1-0 victory at home over PSG in November, holding the Parisians to just two shots on target. With this being the first leg, I'm expecting both sides to deploy more defensive-minded tactics, resulting in Under 3.5 goals.

Nice has recorded just one win in league play across their last 11 matches, and now they'll take on an in-form Lyon side that has won six straight Ligue 1 fixtures. Lyon has conceded only 20 goals this season, the third-fewest in the league. Lyon has recorded a clean sheet in three of their last four league games at home, a big reason why I'm backing the home side to collect all three points.

Rennes have been effective in front of goal, especially on home soil. Rennes have scored three or more goals in four of their last five home fixtures. The lone outlier during that span came in their last home match against Le Havre, but they still managed 15 total shots and seven shots on target. Lorient have conceded 30 goals in league play, a perfect recipe for Over 2.5 goals.

Barcelona currently sit 15th in the UCL standings, so they'll be looking to secure a positive result against Slavia Praha. Another factor worth noting is that the home side has not played an official match since December 13, due to the winter break in the Czech league. With Robert Lewandowski, Raphina, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong leading the attack for the Spanish giants, I expect Barcelona to cruise to a comfortable victory.

Atalanta are unbeaten in their last five Champions League fixtures, securing four wins during that span. The Italian side has also won six of its past seven home fixtures, while Athletic Club have recorded only one victory through six UCL matches, conceding nine goals during that stretch. I'm backing the home side to secure all three points on Wednesday.

Leeds currently sit in the relegation zone thanks to their porous backline, which has conceded 25 goals in league play. Chelsea have scored two or more in four of their last five across all competitions, and the Blues will be without central midfielder Moises Caicedo on Wednesday, which will likely lead to more scoring opportunities for Leeds, who’ve scored one or more in four of their last five league fixtures.

Atletico Madrid suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Arsenal in their last appearance in the UCL, but Diego Simeone's men have righted the ship with two consecutive shutout victories in La Liga. Atletico have recorded a clean sheet in three of their last four matches across all competitions, and the Spanish side secured an emphatic 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt at home on Matchday 1. I'm backing Atletico to record another convincing victory in front of their home fans against Union Saint-Gilloise on Tuesday.