Benfica’s chances of reaching the knockout stage look slim after losing five out of seven games so far. They’re third in the Portuguese league, and they recently crashed out of both Portuguese cup competitions, so it’s shaping up to be a dismal season. Manager Jose Mourinho will make them difficult to break down, but they could struggle to keep Real Madrid’s world-class forwards at bay for 90 minutes. The likes of Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior should lead Real Madrid to victory here.
Barcelona should outclass Slavia Prague in this game. The Spanish champions have scored 2.7 goals per game this season, with Lamine Yamal, Ferrán Torres, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Marcus Rashford leading the charge. They have a great deal of firepower in their squad, and they could run riot against this struggling Slavia Prague team. Slavia have only scored twice in six Champions League games this season, and they've conceded 11 goals. They're coming off a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham, and they could suffer a similar fate on Wednesday.
PSG have a strong record in this season’s Champions League: four wins, one draw, and one defeat from six games. They’re third in the standings, but they’re only 3 points ahead of Barcelona, who are 15th. The table is looking really congested, so the Parisians need to keep winning to boost their chances of securing automatic qualification for the Round of 16. They should be able to grind out an away win against Sporting Libson today. The Portuguese champions lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich in their last Champions League game, and they may struggle to cope with PSG’s attacking brilliance, so PSG should win this game.
Newcastle should extend their winning streak to three games when they host Leeds Utd this week. Leeds have the third-worst away record in the Premier League, with six defeats from 10 games on the road. Newcastle are starting to build momentum, led by captain Bruno Guimaraes. They've won six out of 10 home games this season, and they look superior to Leeds in every department.
Man City have fallen behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race after drawing their last two games. They're missing several key players through injury right now, and they look especially vulnerable in defense. Brighton beat Man City 2-1 earlier this season, and they're unbeaten in their last three games against Pep Guardiola's men. The Seagulls would've covered a 1.5-goal spread in 17 out of 20 Premier League games this season, and they could do so again on Wednesday.
Local rivals Sunderland and Newcastle will clash for the first time in 10 years this weekend. Sunderland spent a decade languishing in the lower leagues, but the Black Cats are now back with a vengeance. They're ninth in the EPL table, a point clear of Newcastle, and they'll be fired-up for this game. Sunderland have scored 2 goals per game at home this season, but they also concede a goal per game. Newcastle's last 7 games saw over 2.5 goals, so that looks like a great bet.
Arsenal should ease to a comfortable victory over Wolves in this game. Wolves have the worst away record in the EPL, with zero wins, one draw, and six defeats from seven games. They've only scored once on the road all season. Arsenal's home record is superb (six wins, one draw, zero defeats), and they should outclass their struggling opponents.
Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso is under huge pressure after his team lost 2-0 to Celta Vigo at the weekend. Los Blancos have just 1 win from their last 5 league games, and they're now 4 points below Barcelona in La Liga. They were poor when losing to Liverpool in the Champions League last month, and they could struggle against Man City. Pep Guardiola's men are on a three-game winning streak, and Erling Haaland is on fire right now.
PSG should be far too strong for Athletic Club in this game. Athletic Club have struggled in this competition, with just one win in five games. They were heavily beaten by Dortmund, Arsenal, and Newcastle. They could only draw with a weak Slavia Prague team, and their only win came against Qarabag. Their league form has been underwhelming too, so I expect them to be outclassed by the reigning European champions in Bilbao.
Chelsea should be full of confidence after scoring 10 goals in their last three Champions League games. The Blues cruised to a 3-0 victory over Barcelona last time out, and they look dangerous in attack. However, Chelsea’s defense is leaky. They’ve conceded a goal per game this season, and they may struggle to contain Atalanta’s forwards on Tuesday. Atalanta have picked up three wins and a draw from their last four Champions League matches, so they also have a great deal of momentum, and this could be an entertaining game.
Under 2.5 goals has paid off in the last five meetings between Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, so this promises to be a low-scoring game. Rayo Vallecano’s home games have averaged just 1.2 goals this season. They’ve scored just 3 times in 5 matches, and they’ve only conceded 3 goals. None of their home games have seen over 2.5 goals, so this isn’t exactly shaping up to be a classic. Valencia’s away record is poor, as they’ve scored just 3 goals in 6 games on the road, so they’re unlikely to cause many problems for Rayo’s tight defense.
This should be an entertaining game between two fierce local rivals. Over 2.5 goals has paid off in 77% of Sevilla’s games so far this season. It’s also landed in 6 of their last 7 matches. Their games have averaged 3.08 goals, while games featuring Real Betis have averaged 2.62 goals. Real Betis beat Sevilla 2-1 in their last meeting, and Sevilla will now be determined to gain revenge.
Strasbourg should be full of confidence after beating Crystal Palace in midweek. Their Ligue 1 form has been inconsistent, but they boast a strong home record this season. They’ve won 5 out of 6 games at Stade de la Meinau, with 13 goals scored and just 2 conceded. Meanwhile, Brest have gone backwards this season. They’re 14th in the Ligue 1 table, 8 points behind Strasbourg, and they’ve lost 4 out of 6 away games. They suffered a 3-0 defeat at Marseille in their last away match, which doesn’t bode well.
Everton are surging with momentum after beating Fulham 2-0 and Man Utd 1-0 in their last two games. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been superb, and the defense looks rock-solid right now. Everton’s forwards aren’t exactly setting the world alight, but the Toffees keep grinding out results. Under 2.5 goals has paid off in two-thirds of their games this season. Newcastle are strong at home, but they struggle on the road. Their away matches have averaged 1.83 goals, so this could be another low-scoring clash.
Man City should be too strong for Leeds this weekend. Manager Pep Guardiola rested several key players for their midweek Champions League game, including star striker Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker will be raring to go, and he could run riot against Leeds. Man City have won 5 out of 6 home games this season, scoring 16 goals and conceding just 4. Meanwhile, Leeds have lost 5 of their 6 away games, and they tend to struggle against the best teams in the league.