The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 continues with the second day of leg 1 action.
German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund face a red hot Sevilla team, then we break down the clash between the pride of Portugal, FC Porto, and their local hero Christiano Ronaldo.
Time to get serious…
sevilla v borussia dortmund
february 18th 7:00am
Erling Haaland and Borussia Dortmund have a Round of 16 date booked with Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Thursday morning.
While this game might not be the most popular elect with fans it is a game that represents a great betting opportunity with Haaland scoring goals for fun.
Dortmund’s form in the league Bundesliga has been hot and cold this season as it sits in sixth spot but its Champions League group stage effort saw it perched atop of Group F three points clear of second placed Lazio.
Haaland sits equal first in the champions league this season for goals scored with six of his own and has managed an incredible 15 goals from 15 games in the Bundesliga this season.
He is the soul reason Dortmund can come away from this tie with a win.
Sevilla, meanwhile, had to settle for second place in Group E only one point behind Chelsea.
Coach Julien Lopetegui has guided his men to five straight La Liga wins to sit entrenched inside the top four and only a point behind third-placed Barcelona and four points with a game in hand to second-placed Real Madrid.
32-year-old Ivan Rakitic will pull the strings in midfield for Sevilla and his champions league experience will continue to assist his team immensely.
Both teams possess opposing game styles which is sure to make this an intriguing tactical affair between Lopetegui and Dortmund coach Edin Terzic.
Sevilla, with it’s robust defensive style has only conceded on 16 occasions and delivered 32 goals in the league, compared to the attacking flair of Dortmund who has conceded 31 goals but scored 41 in the Bundesliga.
Sevilla should be able to clamp down at home but expect both teams to score in this one and the home team to gain the upper hand in the first leg.
Prediction: Sevilla 2 Borussia Dortmund 1
Suggested Bets: Sevilla head to head $2.30
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Sevilla head to head
Leg 2: Both teams to score
Combined odds = $4
Porto v Juventus
february 18TH 7:00Am
Group G winners Juventus travel to Portugal ahead of its Round of 16 battle against FC Porto at the Estadio Do Dragao.
Juventus enters this clash having been unable to notch up a win in its past two fixtures following a 0-0 draw with Inter Milan in the Coppa Italian and a 1-0 loss to Napoli in its most recent fixture.
Of greater concern for Andrea Pirlo’s line up will be the omission of Juan Cuadrado who has bossed the wings for Juventus throughout the 2020/21 Serie A and Champions League fixtures.
Cuadrado leads the Champions League for assists this season with six but picked up a low grade thigh injury against Napoli that is enough to keep him out of this midweek clash.
Meanwhile, FC Porto has remained undefeated in its last seven fixtures throughout all competitions in Portugal with its last loss coming against league leaders Sporting Lisbon.
The attacking threat posed by Sérgio Conceição’s attack is genuine after finishing runner-up in Group C three points away from Manchester City.
FC Porto managed four wins, a draw and a loss as it scored 10 goals and only conceded three in its six group stage matches.
Having scored 43 goals in the Primeira Liga – which is the highest in the Portuguese league – the Juventus defence, likely to be composed of Leonardo Bonucci, Danilo, Matthijs De Ligt and Alex Sandro, will need to be on high alert.
The Champions League knockout stage also means one thing: Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 134 Champions League goals he has to his name is all but certain to increase on Thursday morning.
Ronaldo managed four goals in the group stage and as always he is the man Porto will need to stop but as many teams can attest to all you can hope for is luck when it comes to a player of his calibre.
Juventus to start off its tie with a victory.
Prediction: FC Porto 1 Juventus 2
Suggested Bet: Juventus head to head at $2
Suggested Same Game Multi:
Leg 1: Juventus head to head
Leg 2: Cristiano Ronaldo to score anytime
Combined odds = $2.5
