TUESDAY:
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT V NAPOLI
Frankfurt are having a decent season in the Bundesliga with the Europa League winners currently 6th and just two points outside the Champions League spots. They've been solid in both departments and have been playing their part in what has been an open Bundesliga season.
Not many people thought they would be at this stage of the competition as they were in a tough group with Spurs, Marseille and Sporting Lisbon who all had much more experience at this level. They'll head into this tie believing that they can get through having got out of that tough group.
Napoli are flying in Serie A this season with Luciano Spalletti's side 15 points clear at the top with just one defeat to their name all season. They've arguably been the best team in Europe as a whole as they've won a lot of games across the season and have been in excellent form right throughout. They head into this off off the back of 7 straight wins in Serie A.
They've never gone beyond the last 16 in this competition and they have a great opportunity to do so here. They'll be the clear favourites for this tie with the way they've been playing this season and they could win it reasonably comfortably as they're a side who have a lot of goals in them.
PREDICTION: 0-2
I'm backing Napoli to go ahead in this tie because of the form they're in and the quality they have in their side. They've got a lot of goals in their side and because of that I can see them gain the upper hand in this tie.
LIVERPOOL V REAL MADRID
Liverpool will no doubt want to avenge that defeat in Paris last season but their chances of doing so here will be very slim. They've been a shadow of their former selves for much of the season as their intensity levels have dropped off drastically because of the team ageing.
The reds however picked up recently with back to back wins in the Premier League over Everton and Newcastle. They've got some much needed confidence on board as a result of those wins and a win in this first leg will give them even more confidence to take into the rest of the season.
Real Madrid have had a tough title defence in La Liga this season as they find themselves eight points behind leaders Barcelona. With the title looking a long way off they might put their sole focus on winning the Champions League again in an attempt to save their season like they have done before.
Casemiro has no doubt been a miss for them as their defence hasn't been as well protected without him in the team. They have rotated the defence and midfield a lot this season mainly due to injuries which hasn't helped them at all. But Casemiro has still been a big loss to their midfield.
They still pose a threat going forward though in Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior who scored the winning goal in Paris last season. Benzema has a decent record against Liverpool scoring four times in his last six games against them. He had a fairly quiet game against them in the final last season but he'll still back himself to build on that record knowing the kind of player he is.
PREDICTION: 1-3
I'm going for a Real Madrid win in this first leg because of the recent record they have against Liverpool in the Champions League. Liverpool will have the crowd behind them as they usually do on European nights but I think Real's quality will give them the advantage here.
WEDNESDAY:
INTER MILAN V PORTO
Some people might call this game the Jose Mourinho derby as the man himself managed and won the Champions League with both club. Inter in 2010 and Porto in 2004.
Inter Milan have been in decent form since the World Cup winning 6 of their 8 league games since the season resumed. Their return to form has seen them move from 5th to 2nd in Serie A with the form of Lautaro Martinez playing a big part. The Argentine netted six goals from those eight games after a poor World Cup with Argentina.
Inter haven't done well in this competition in recent years but they have the chance this season to do better. They have a winnable tie here which they're more than capable of winning with the quality they have and the form they've been in since the World Cup break.
Porto are a side who you never know how far they'll go depending on what kind of side they face at this stage. They've got a tough tie in this one against Inter who will be the clear the favourites with the quality in their side being much greater than Porto's.
The Portuguese champions are currently 2nd in the Portuguese Primeira Liga just two points behind leaders Benfica and are one of the in-form sides left in this competition. They head into this tie off the back of 10 straight wins in all competitions which will give them the confidence they need to gain the upper hand going into the home leg.
PREDICTION: 2-1
I'm going for Inter to gain the advantage in this tie because I think they'll have enough quality to win this 1st leg. Porto will make it difficult for them as they're a strong team defensively but Inter should still have enough in them going forward to win this game.
RB LEIPZIG V MAN CITY
Leipzig have been a surprise package in this competition in recent seasons going back to the 2019/20 season where they reached the semi finals. They beat Real Madrid during the group stages and the experience gained from that victory will give them confidence going into this tough knockout tie.
Christopher Nkunku will be their main goal threat having scored 12 times in the Bundesliga this season and his pace could cause City's backline a number of problems. The Frenchman will be off to Chelsea in the summer and he'll want to show City what they'll have to get used to when they face him next season.
Man City haven't been at their best since the World Cup break and their patchy form could be carried in Europe. They were beaten in this fixture during the group stages last season and Pep will need to get his side playing at their best if they're to avoid another shock result this time round.
City are the favourites to win this competition at the start of every season only for them to overthink things and disappoint. They were my favourites at the start of the season because I though Haaland would be the difference for them. But their recent inconsistent form is beginning to put some doubt into my mind.
PREDICTION: 1-2
I think City will gain the advantage here as they have more than enough quality to win this first leg. They not be at their best yet but if their big players turn up they should have enough to win this game.
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