The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 get underway and our experts have broken down all the games.
First we have RB Leipzig who host Liverpool, then the Pride of Paris, PSG, travel to Camp Nou to face Messi and Barcelona.
Let’s take a look at the action..
RB LEIPZIG V LIVERPOOL
february 17th 7:00am
Reigning Champions League holders Liverpool travel to Hungary for their first-leg Round of 16 tie against RB Leipzig at the Puskas Arena.
Having struggled to maintain the dominance it showed in the Premier League last season, Liverpool had a fairly comfortable time of it qualifying through to the knockout stage of the Champions League after finishing atop of Group D.
Rb Leipzig, meanwhile, left it to the last match of its group stage to book itself into the knockout phase with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Manchester United that saw it nab the second spot in Group H.
With the season-ending injury to Virgil Van Dyk, it is no doubt Liverpool has struggled defensively this season.
The injury list gets no shorter either with the Merseyside squad missing key players James Milner (hamstring), Joel Matip (ankle), Diogo Jota (knee), Joe Gomez (knee).
Naby Keita is set to return to the squad after overcoming a hamstring injury but he is unlikely to line-up against RB Leipzig tomorrow morning as he builds towards full fitness.
The form of goalkeeper Allison Becker would also worry Jurgen Klopp.
Allison has looked a shadow of his former self with some horrific goalkeeping errors costing Liverpool in recent Premier League fixtures, most recently in the 3-1 loss to Leicester.
RB Leipzig’s form could not be any more contrasting to Liverpool.
Julian Nagelsmann has his squad sitting in second spot on the Bundesliga table only five points adrift from league leaders Bayern Munich having gone on a three game winning streak.
The Leipzig defence will still have to account for the attacking threat posed by Liverpool with Mohamed Salah in goal-scoring form being joined up front by Sadio Mane.
With Jurgen Klopp all but conceding the hunt for back-to-back league titles is over, Liverpool will focus all its energy towards this champions league tie.
Prediction: RB Leipzig 2 Liverpool 2
Suggested Bet: Draw at $3.5
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Draw
Leg 2: Leipzig over 1.5 goals
Leg 3: Leipzig first team to score
Combined Odds: $11
barcelona v psg
february 17TH 7:00Am
Two European heavyweights go head to head here as Barcelona welcomes Paris Saint German to Camp Nou ahead of its Round of 16 first leg.
It’s been a topsy turvy season for both Barcelona and the reigning Ligue 1 champions as both sit in foreign places in their respective leagues.
The Champions League form of both teams was convincing enough to suggest whoever qualifies from this tie will have a big say in the outcome of the tournament.
Barcelona only missed top spot in Group G due to goal difference while PSG finished on level points with RB Leipzig but finished atop of the Group H thanks to a superior goal difference in what many considered ‘the group of death.’
After sacking Thomas Tuchel and hiring Maurizio Pochettino, PSG turned a slow start in the league to put itself back towards the top of the table to sit itself in second spot one point behind Lille.
Pochettino seems to have clicked his squad back into gear but Barcelona away is one of the most difficult fixtures in world football.
While Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has watched Lionel Messi inspire the Blaugrana to five league wins in a row and hit this match full of momentum.
Neymar and Angel Di Maria are both set to miss this game with injury and their omission will leave a gaping hole in the PSG front line.
Neymar is equal first in the Champions League goal scoring charts having buried the ball into the back of the net six times throughout the group stage and it will now be left to Mauro Icardi, Moise Kean and Kylian Mbappe to lead from the front.
Barcelona are effectively at full strength despite veteran centre back Gerard Pique being unlikely to play and we’re expecting this to be a winning start to the tie for the home side.
Prediction: Barcelona 2 PSG 1
Suggested Bet: Barcelona head to head at $2
