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.
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.
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.
Inter Milan features one of the most disciplined backlines in Europe, having recorded a clean sheet in four of their last six matches across all compeitions, which includes a 2-0 victory on the road at Ajax on Matchday 1. Inter have recorded three straight away victories, and I expect them to make it four in a row on Tuesday.
Tottenham knocked off Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semis last season, and now the home side will be without captain Ulrik Saltnes, who scored the lone goal against Spurs over two legs. Tottenham recorded a 2-0 away victory over Bodo/Glimt last season, and Thomas Frank’s men held Villarreal without a single shot on target on Matchday 1. I’m backing Tottenham to secure all three points on the road.
It’s rare to get this price with Barcelona, so I’m taking a chance that the Spanish side can come through in a tough environment that is St. James’ Park. Barca will be without young phenom Lamine Yamal, but they have enough attacking talent in Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford to break down a Newcastle side that has struggled to score in Premier League play.
PSV suffered a 2-0 defeat against Telstar in their last home match, but they still managed 23 shots and controlled 71% of possession in that fixture. PSV has scored four or more goals in three of their last five matches overall, and will use their European experience to collect all three points on Tuesday.
Two teams trending in opposite directions square off when Barcelona host Inter Milan. Barcelona have lost just one of their last 28 matches across all competitions, while Inter Milan are winless in their past four fixtures, suffering three losses during that span. Barca have won five of their six Champions League home matches this season, all of those victories coming by at least two goals. Barcelona’s quest to win the quadruple is very much intact, and I expect the home side to get the job done on Wednesday.
Barcelona have been spectacular in recent weeks, recording a clean sheet in four of their last five matches across all competitions. The home side has also been lethal in the attacking third, scoring eight goals in their last two home fixtures. I expect Barcelona to come out looking to extend their lead early in this match, which would lead to Benfica pressing and creating space behind their defenders for quality players like Robert Lewandowski and Raphina to exploit in the second half.
Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 15 matches across all competitions, which includes a thrilling 5-4 victory on the road against Benfica on Jan. 21. Barcelona enters Wednesday’s match having scored eight goals over their last two games and they’ve kept a clean sheet in five of their past seven fixtures overall. Hansi Flick’s men will take on a Benfica side capable of causing frustration, but I think the Spanish giants have too much quality for the home side to contend with. Look for Barcelona to make a statement with a win over Benfica in the first leg.
Inter Milan have had the best defensive record in the Champions League thus far this season, conceding just once in eight matches. Under 2.5 goals have also been scored in six of Inter’s eight matches in this competition, including all four away fixtures. Meanwhile, Feyenoord have scored more than one goal just once in their last five matches across all competitions, and I’m expecting we'll see another cagey affair on Wednesday.
Arsenal limp into Tuesday’s contest winless in three of their last four matches across all competitions. The Gunners have been unable to secure positive results because of an attack that has failed to create many scoring opportunities. Arsenal are without two of their best attacking players in Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, which has led to the Gunners being held scoreless in three of their past four fixtures. However, Mikel Arteta’s men boast a backline capable of frustrating the opposition. Arsenal have conceded more than one goal just once in their last eight matches across all competitions. With the second leg set to be played at the Emirates, I expect a defensive approach from Arteta's men on the road.
Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 3-0 victory on the road in the first leg, which means Sporting Lisbon will have to press early and often if they want to have any shot at advancing to the next round. Borussia Dortmund’s shutout victory was the first clean sheet they recorded since a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Nov. 27. These two teams combined for 13 shots on target in the first leg, and I expect plenty of scoring opportunities to come along for both teams again. Plus, Over 2.5 goals has hit in six of Dortmund’s past seven games overall, a trend I’m backing again on Wednesday.