Soccer Picks

6 defeats from 6 games ensure that RB Leipzig’s Champions League campaign will end after the league phase concludes, but they should contest a high-scoring meeting with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday. Die Roten Bullen are 1 of 3 teams yet to pick up a point in the competition, although it must be noted that they were handed one of the toughest draws in the league phase. Meetings with Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool, Celtic, Inter Milan and Aston Villa have all ended in defeat, but Sporting have only won 5 of their 13 games since Ruben Amorim’s departure for Manchester United so Leipzig could be competitive. An abundance of goals looks likely, with 4 of the hosts’ 6 Champions League games and each of Sporting’s last 3 in the competition all featuring 3 or more goals. Each of the hosts’ last 6 in all competitions have also gone over 2.5 goals, so that looks a solid bet.

A tricky Champions League fixture list handed AC Milan opening games against Liverpool, who have gone on to lead the league phase, and German champions Bayer Leverkusen, resulting in 2 losses for the Italian giants. However, they did not let that demotivate them and 4 consecutive wins, including 1 against Real Madrid, have followed, leaving them with a strong chance of securing a top-8 spot and automatic progression into the knockout stage. Paulo Fonseca was in charge for those matches but poor league form led to his dismissal in December. But, if anything, Milan have actually looked better under his successor, Sergio Conceicao, and they should have no issues against Girona.

Girona did brilliantly to finish 3rd in La Liga last season but a mass exodus of their key players in the summer means they have struggled to be competitive in the Champions League, losing 5 of their 6 games.  Girona entered this round of games 5 points outside of the playoff places, meaning their European season is practically over already, suggesting they will rest players in Italy as they bid to get their domestic campaign back on track – they have won just 2 of their last 9 games in all competitions. With that in mind, plus Milan’s strong form that has seen them lead at halftime in 3 of their 4 Champions League victories, the Italians should register a comfortable win.

Two of the betting favorites to win the Champions League at the start of the tournament clash in Paris on Wednesday and both are in desperate need of 3 points after poor campaigns so far. PSG and Manchester City are separated by just a single point in the new league phase of the Champions League, with City sitting 22nd and Les Parisiens 25th in the standings. 2 games remain in this stage, and both teams need to win both remaining games to stand any chance of automatic qualification to the last 16.

While PSG and Manchester City have endured a difficult time in this competition so far, both head into this game in good form. PSG are 9 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after beating Lens 2-1 at the weekend, while Manchester City’s 6-0 thrashing of Ipswich made it 4 wins from their last 5, having seemingly recovered from their unprecedentedly poor run of form through November and December. The Citizens have scored 22 goals across these 5 matches and, with PSG also in good scoring form, expect an entertaining game at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. Over 2.5 goals has landed in 6 of PSG’s last 8 matches and in each of Manchester City’s last 4 games, as well as 4 of their last 5 in the Champions League. With both teams in such hot goalscoring form, it’s worth taking the added risk and backing 4+ goals to be scored here at plus-money odds.

Aston Villa have just 2 games left in the League Phase of the Champions League and they’re on course to secure a place in the Last 16. Unai Emery has shown his European expertize with the Villans picking up 13 points from their first 6 games, putting them 5th in the 36-team standings. Liverpool and Barcelona are the only 2 teams to have secured more points than Villa in the competition. Emery’s team is looking to secure a top-8 finish and bypass the first knockout round, which would be a huge boost given how tough they’ve found juggling this competition with their EPL games.

Monaco also made a great start to their Champions League campaign, taking 10 points from their first 4 matches. However, consecutive defeats have left Monaco 16th, pushing them out of the race for a top-8  finish. The hosts have lost 3-2 at home to Benfica and 3-0 to Arsenal, suggesting they will struggle to deal with a Villa team that has adjusted well in their return to Europe’s top competition. The visitors won 3-2 at RB Leipzig in their last European game, with that coming in a 9-match stretch where over 2.5 goals has landed 8 times. Hosts Monaco have scored at least twice in 8 of their last 10 at home, while 5 of their 6 European games have featured 3 or more goals. Of the 24 teams on course to make the next round, only Dinamo Zagreb and Feyenoord have conceded more goals than Monaco. Expect another high-scoring game here.

Bologna’s Champions League journey has been a difficult one with the Serie A team failing to win any of their opening 6 European games and scoring only 1 goal in the process. However, they are finding some form domestically and a 5-week break from Champions League action could see an upturn in results. Vincenzo Italiano’s men have lost only 1 of their last 10 matches in all competitions and that includes ties in the league with Juventus, Roma and Inter Milan. That highlights their recent improvement and this could be a good opportunity to get a positive result against Borussia Dortmund, who are going through a tricky spell.

Dortmund have won only 1 of their last 8 matches and they have suffered 3 straight defeats against Bayer Leverkusen, Holstein Kiel and Eintracht Frankfurt. Dortmund have conceded 9 goals on that run and Bologna, having scored 2 or more in 8 of their last 10, certainly have the attacking quality to exploit those defensive frailties.