The most historic club in Champions League history, are sitting down 2-1 in aggregate scoring as they travel to Munich to play the best attacking team in the entire world. This match is going to be amazing. This is the match that I would tell non-soccer fans that they have to watch. The pitch will be loaded with incredible attacking talent on both ends of the pitch. Players like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Vini Jr., Luis Diaz and more will be out in full display. I predict the over 3.5 to hit, as well as the over 4.5 goals.
Arsenal are the favorites to win Champions League, and are still first in the Premier League. They have the best defense in Europe, and dominated in Lisbon for the first leg. They're doing all this, but, they're also slowly starting to unravel. They've been knocked out of two Cup competitions in the last month, and are coming into this match off a loss to Bournemouth. This team is tough, but mentally they're starting to break. I'm putting a little sprinkle, on the upset of the tournament for a Sporting side who won't back down.
Barcelona lost the first leg in a bit of an embarrassing fashion after Pau Cubarsi was sent off with a first half red card. Even though they lost, they looked terrifying in that match and dominated all the stats including possession while a man down. Atletico Madrid will continue to park the buss in this second leg, and I don't think they'll be able to stop this Barcelona attack firing on all cylinders and desperate for goals. I don't only think Barcelona will win, I think they'll advance (+250), if you want to get wild with it!
I keep seeing the same argument that "Liverpool have to go for it, they're down 2-0, so they'll push!" That's fine, I hope they do push, because if they do PSG are going to rip them to pieces on the counter-attack. Liverpool looked horrific in the first leg and showed an extreme lack in confidence on the pitch. While they'll be a bit more focused playing at home, I don't see LFC having it in them to beat one of the deadliest attacks in world football. I love DNB being playable, and wouldn't be shocked if PSG win the second leg as well.
Manchester United are currently one of the best home teams in the entirety of the Premier League. This team has been absolutely dominated when playing at Old Trafford, and they're fighting to maintain a top spot for Champions League qualification. On the other end of the pitch, Leeds have a horrendous away record, with a just a single win when playing on the road. Manchester United should win this one, and take a peak at Bruno Fernandes to score or assist as an additional bet!
Goal differential matters at this point in the season. As teams try to press for end of the season finishing, there is a chance that something called "Goal Differential" will matter. Goal differential is one of the ways they determine which team will move ahead of teams end up with the exact same amount of points. Long story short, at this point in the season, teams need to not only win, but rack up as many goals as they can. I expect United to run riot for 90 minutes, and I believe they'll cover this over by themselves.
Neither Manchester City or Chelsea are having a particularly great season. Chelsea are sixth on the table, a point behind Liverpool, fighting for a top five spot to qualify for Champions League, while City are nine points behind Arsenal for the EPL title with a game in hand. While both teams are a bit of of best form, head-to-head history is disgustingly in favor of Manchester City. City have played Chelsea 12 times over the last five years, and haven't lost a single time over those 12 years. I know this is a bit juicy for a ML play, but an out of form Chelsea isn't going to come close to beating Manchester City.
Choo choo!!! All aboard! We are once again fading Tottenham! The historic club is in a relegation battle so everyone is saying "They have to win this game because they have so much to lose"! I understand this logic and I get the importance of this game, but watching them, I don't think they have it in them to beat a Sunderland team who are an absolutely menace at home. Spurs just got thrashed by Nottingham, and now have to play a team who's gotten 26 points at home this year. I have Sunderland winning outright but love DNB here.
I always hate saying that "a team doesn't care about a match", but that's the truth here. Bayern Munich are nine points clear at the top of the table. This match against a relegation struggling St. Pauli side is sandwiched between two UCL matches against Real Madrid for the Bavarians. Vincent Kompany will have his squad rotate heavily for this match, prioritizing their UCL tie over this match. I expect St Pauli to play defense, be scrappy, and try to sneak a a point in a low scoring fixture.
Growing up my mom told me the classic, "if you don't have anything nice to say about someone, don't say anything at all." I love my mom, but I just have to say some bad things about Liverpool. They just lost 2-0 to PSG in Champions League and looked lifeless. Their issues on and off the pitch continue to mount as pressure between Mo Salah, Arne Slot, and the fans continue to grow. They also have to prep for the second leg against PSG which means they'll be distracted in this match. Right now, Fulham are the better club. I think Fulham on the spread is crazy value, and wouldn't be shocked in the slightest if they win this outright.
We're going to walk a bit of a tightrope for this match. I do believe that AC Milan will win this match. I do not believe, however, that they will win it by more than one goal. Udinese have done an incredible job in recent months of keeping matches close against the best teams in Italy. They've played Como, Juventus, Atalanta, Bologna, Roma, Inter and Lazio. This team has covered this spread in their last 15 matches. Even though AC Milan are the better team and will be motivated, I'm not fading a Udinese side who is continuously showing up.
I cannot overstate the importance of finishing in the top four in the Bundesliga. The top four teams at the end of the season are guaranteed a spot in next season's Champions League. With that not only comes the chance to win the biggest European title, but also comes with a great deal of extra finances for the clubs. Leipzig are currently sitting third on the table, but are even on points with Stuttgart who is in fourth, and only three points ahead of Leverkusen. Leipzig cannot slow down, and have been finding some good form as of late. I expect them not only to win at home, but win by 2+ goals.
Wolfsburg are drowning at the moment. The team is sitting 17th on the table, in the relegation zone, four points behind St. Pauli. The team has been struggling on both ends of the pitch, and currently have the most goals conceded in the entire league with 63 goals allowed. This team can't string together a pass from the back to save their lives. Frankfurt might not be in the best form, but this DNB line is a blessing, and I think Frankfurt win outright against their floundering opponents.
West Ham. It's go time. No more sitting back, no more playing for cagey draws, no more trying to sneak away with a single point. You are playing the worst team in the Premier League, and are sitting 18th on the table, in a relegation spot. Every single point from now till the end of the season could spell the difference between dropping to Championship play or staying in the Premier League. I expect West Ham to press because man their defense stinks. They'll need multiple goals to get all three points against a free-flowing Wolves side. Give me the over 2.5 goals, and I'd sprinkle over 3.5 as well!
Hoffenheim and Augsburg have been experiencing a bit of poor form as of late. Hoffenheim have now gone their last three matches without a win, losing to Mainz and Leipzig while drawing Wolfsburg. Augsburg have been in even worse form with no wins in their last four. Both teams desperately need to end their winless streak, but I believe that Hoffenheim are the side with the quality to make that happen. Sitting fifth on the table and fighting for a Champions League spot, expect the visitors to finally turn things around.