Champions League is back: who will advance in ⅛ final matches and what 1xBet analysts think about that.
Reliable betting brand 1xBet evaluates the chances of participants in the first four matches of the world’s main club tournament.
February 14, PSG – Bayern: stardom and tactics
Parisian stars will meet in battle with the German machine. That is the most powerful pair of all the matches on February 14-15. Therefore, the greatest attention is focused on it.
First, the match will be a coaching battle between the experienced Galtier and the tactical freak Nagelsman. Julian’s players do not show the football that fans dream of seeing. Foolish loss of points in the first three January matches and the minimum number of goals scored – how is that even possible? The Germans are to get in shape closer to mid-February and show tactical flexibility in the game with the French.
The Bayern coach will likely try to overload the Parisian defensive midfield area as much as possible. But, anyway, at a high level, in any scheme, at least eight players should defend, and PSG always has seven if there is a place in the first team for Messi, Neymar and Mbappe.
Actually, this trinity demonstrates a very effective game. Sometimes there are matches where the team doesn’t know what to do and just gives the initiative to Messi. The Argentine wizard shows magic outside of Hogwarts, and poof! – the ball is already at the feet of Mbappe or Neymar, who just have to make the final touch. They can easily take advantage of the mistakes of the key players in Munich’s defence – De Ligt, Pavard and Upamecano. But before the match, Galatier got more problems – in the game against Montpellier, Mbappe was injured. The Parisians reported that Kylian would be out for three weeks and would miss the match against Munich.
The biggest problem for Galatier is game discipline. In recent games, PSG’s key players have taken too many little breaks for themselves, receiving too many red cards. And here, Neymar is out of competition. This season, the Brazilian has been sent off five times already, and in this regard, he is confidently leading in Ligue 1.
It may be because of this that PSG alternates between wins, losses and draws. After the championship resumption, the Parisians lost points three times and let Lens very close to them. However, we are sure the PSG players will come into the game against Bayern with the right mindset. Despite all the world’s money spent on the club development and superstars’ transfers (add to these monstrous French taxes), the team has not yet won the Champions League.
The gaming conditions of the opponents raise a lot of questions, and that’s why the odds of the top bookmaker 1xBet will be quite high. And if you love sports betting, you can earn more than usual.
You can bet on PSG – Bayern here: 1xBet
February 14, Milan – Tottenham: ambiguity and ambiguity
Two teams from which it is not clear what to expect. Two teams that have a deplorable situation in domestic championships. Two teams where the coaches do not understand what they are doing.
Almost every Londoners’ game consists of defensive mistakes, Lloris’s heroic saves, comebacks and the forwards’ outstanding individual play. It is full of emotions, and there is no hint of controlling what is happening on the field. That is nothing that should have distinguished Antonio Conte’s team in games against high-level opponents.
Of course, anarchy is becoming less and less the mother of order and the key to success. They failed to win back two balls in the match versus Aston Villa, and the same happened while playing against Arsenal. Plus, there was a draw against Brentford and a loss against Man City. Losing the North London derby is painful, but it’s even worse to be deluded about the reasons for failure. Although at the end of January, the team began to play more consistently and even managed to defeat Man City at home (in this game, Harry Kane scored his 267th goal for the club and surpassed the historic achievement of Jimmy Greaves). It was a classic match of unequal rivals: Spurs scored in the 15th minute and gave the ball away. Tottenham are battling to hear the Champions League anthem next season, but do they have fresh ideas for this tournament right now? Almost every game becomes a repetition of the familiar scenario, where the players, frightened by the coach, lose the first half of the match, after which, having no other choice, they involve aggression and save the game. Well, maybe not.
Before the match with Milan, Conte underwent surgery to remove a gallbladder and is unlikely to appear on the coaching bench anytime soon. However, the attitude towards the coach is such that many Spurs fans are jokingly wondering if Conte would be kinder without a gallbladder.
Pioli and his Milan are in much the same situation. They played well in the Champions League group stage and were quite confident in Serie A. Alas, on January 8, the Rossoneri could not keep the victory against Roma (greetings from José Mourinho), and their next matches were of interest only to sports psychologists. The Italian Cup exit from Torino. The Italian Super Cup final loss from Inter. Loss of points in Serie A. Complete absence of victories. Sometimes there was a feeling that the coach did not understand what was happening with the team. Maybe Milan should go to the Duomo and listen to mass? However, the club’s management still fully trusts the coach and expects results from him. Perhaps he will be given the last chance exactly in the Champions League match.
Anyway, Milan – Tottenham is a battle of underdogs, and it will definitely be scorching.
You can bet on Milan – Tottenham here: 1xBet
February 15, Borussia Dortmund – Chelsea: speed and money
It feels like during the transfer window, the president of Chelsea decided to play Football Manager. Dissatisfied with his team’s results, Todd Boehly bought players for €329.5 (!) million. It is €76 million more than clubs from La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 spent combined. This is madness.
The irony is that Chelsea has signed more players (16) in the last six months than they have won matches this season in all competitions – 12. At the same time, in the Premier League standings, Potter’s team is now in the middle, while Brighton, his previous club, has a real chance of getting into the Europa League.
The coach builds on Tuchel’s work in the Champions League, playing with three centre-backs and two defensive midfielders. Mykhailo Mudryk, Hakim Ziyech and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can shine in attack. We especially believe in Mudryk – this €100 million guy has already proved he is the fastest player in the Premier League.
Borussia has their own trump card of Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old star with the captain’s armband is still shining brightly. Last season, the young Englishman became one of the club’s leaders in the number of matches and one of the Edin Terzić favourites. Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, Giovanni Reyna and, probably, Youssoufa Moukoko can support the Bumblebees’ pressure in the attack – if, of course, Jude is out on the field. Dortmund is doing well in the championship – after the season’s resumption, the team wins and is in a great mood before the Champions League match.
According to the reliable bookmaker 1xBet, it would be one of the most spectacular matches of the winter. Will Bumblebees bite Aristocrats?
You can bet on Borussia – Chelsea here: 1xBet
February 15, Brugge – Benfica: surprise and maturity
In autumn, the Belgians created a sensation and made their way to the Champions League playoff for the first time, having secured the desired result with two rounds before the group stage ended. Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet played the most important role in this success when he kept a clean sheet in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Brugge is not doing so well. They got fourth place in the championship, a lot of draws and losses and just one victory in January. Scott Parker came to save the day. The English specialist is not a typical figure in Belgium, but he is no stranger to extreme conditions and knows exactly how to allocate limited resources best. Parker will certainly benefit from the experience gained in Bournemouth, but will it be enough for Benfica?
The Eagles will play without the heart of the team but with a big bag of money. During the winter transfer window, Benfica sold Enzo Fernández to Chelsea for €121 million (a new Premier League transfer record) and Darwin Núñez for €85 million that became the most expensive signing in Liverpool history. In total, the Portuguese earned more than 200 million, so the Champions League prize funds no longer look so desirable and necessary for Lisbon.
With Enzo and Darwin, the Portuguese came early in the Champions League 1/8 finals, although they played in the same group as PSG and Juventus. They managed to take over Juventus twice and not lose to the Parisians. Such a background of Roger Schmidt’s team allows us to speak about their maturity.
In contrast to the opponent, Benfica is doing well in the championship – the team is an undisputed leader, and the gap from Porto is 12 points. Thus, the Eagles can give a rest to their leaders before the crucial playoff matches.
You can bet on Brugge – Benfica here:1xBet
