The penultimate round of games in the Champions League league phase are upon us and there’s no shortage of intrigue.
Those in the top eight are under pressure to stay there to secure automatic passage to the last-16, while teams in behind are jostling to secure their place in the first knockout round and there is plenty to play for.
There are 18 games split across Tuesday and Wednesday as part of Matchday 7. The opening night highlights include Atletico Madrid hosting Bayer Leverkusen in the Spanish capital, alongside Barcelona travelling to Benfica and high-flying Aston Villa going to Monaco.
On Wednesday, Manchester City travel to France for a blockbuster clash with Paris St-Germain, while RB Leipzig and Sporting Lisbon meeting in Germany and Celtic will be hoping home advantage can see them over the line and potentially into the knockout round when Young Boys visit Glasgow.
Tip 1: Juventus to beat Club Brugge @ 2.25 with Mogo Bet
Juventus start this round of games in 14th spot in the Champions League table, Thiago Motta’s side already all but assured of progress to the knockout round at least.
A win away at Club Brugge would give them a shot at climbing into the top eight and progressing directly to the last-16.
Juve were winners at RB Leipzig earlier in the competition and remain unbeaten in three away games. They held Villa and Man City scoreless in their previous two games in Europe and dispatched AC Milan 2-0 on league duty at the weekend.
Club Brugge are just a point worse off, though Nicky Hayen’s side were the beneficiaries of extreme good fortune in the goals that helped them take four points from their games with Aston Villa and Celtic. The Italian side could have too much savvy for them now.
Tip 2: Manchester City to beat Paris St-Germain @ 2.57 with Mogo Bet
Man City got their act together in the Premier League on Sunday, firing six past Ipswich Town and there were definite signs in that performance that they are regaining confidence.
The mercurial Phil Foden hit a brace in that game, making it five goals in three Premier League games, while Kevin De Bruyne had three assists. Both players have toiled at times this season, but their resurgence can be key.
PSG have struggled in Europe despite cruising in Ligue 1. They have already been beaten by Arsenal, Atletico and Bayern Munich and may come up short against another heavyweight now.
City have won four and drawn two of the seven previous meetings and Pep Guardiola’s side can leave Paris with three points that will ease their qualification worries and leave their hosts facing an all-or-nothing trip to Stuttgart on matchday eight.
Tip 3: Bayer Leverkusen to beat Atletico Madrid & Florian Wirtz to score @ 12.95 with Mogo Bet
Diego Simeone’s Atletico saw their 15-game winning sequence ended on Saturday in a surprise La Liga loss at Leganes.
And Atleti have leaked 10 goals in six Champions League games so far, an alarming rate for them.
Xabi Alonso takes Leverkusen to his homeland in search of a win that would put them on the brink of locking in a top-eight finish.
Aside from a 4-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield, Leverkusen have only conceded once in five games in the Champions League.
Atletico have lost five of nine games against German opposition since 2019 and when these sides met in the 2022/23 group stage, Leverkusen scored twice, both home and away.
Florian Wirtz has five goals in six Champions League games already and the 21-year-old playmaker has four goals in his last four Bundesliga starts. He can inspire his side to a win in the Spanish capital at a decent price.
