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Mixed martial arts Champions League Acca Tips and Predictions: Knockouts Are Here
The Champions League is back with the first ever sighting of the Champions League playoffs. Winners of the two leg affairs will earn a place in the last 16. After an overwhelming MD8 of the group phase which saw the table change almost by the second, it’s these upcoming first legs which might prove to be even tenser affairs.
PSG face a team they often dominate and their main man should be front and centre for this. The fifteen-time winners face a stuttering City side, who, like the visitors, are riddled with injuries which should make this an interesting clash. Over in Rotterdam, an old marksman returns to likely haunt them as the Rossoneri aim for the next round.
Josh Ingram breaks down three Champions League games and picks out his best bets.
Champions League Acca Tips and Predictions
- Brest vs PSG: Dembele Anytime Goalscorer
- Man City vs Real Madrid: Real Madrid to Win
- Feyenoord vs AC Milan: AC Milan to Win
Acca odds: 13.05
Brest vs PSG: Les Pirates to be sunk by a familiar foe
France, Champions League, Tuesday, February 11th, 17:45 (UK)
The last side Brest would have wanted in the knockout stages of their first-ever Champions League appearance is PSG, who beat them regularly in France. Their previous ten meetings were one-sided and dominated by the perineal French champions. PSG have won nine of ten, with one game ending as a draw. The familiarity with opponents will play into the French giant’s hands massively, and they will expect themselves to go through to the next round. In the two fixtures between the two teams so far this season, PSG won handily in Brittany (5-2), and did similar 3-1 in the capital in September.
The defining figure in both meetings this season was Ousmane Dembele. The Frenchman scored a hat trick away from home and a brace on home soil. He’s found the net five times against them already, and with the fine form he’s in this season, it’s hard to look past him to do it again to break Les Pirates’ hearts.
When analysing his goal tally, the numbers have seemingly come from nowhere compared to recent campaigns. In some instances, the two-footed wideman has been operating up front by Luis Enrique and has borne fruit. A total of 16 goals in Ligue 1 in just 14 starts sees him top of the goal-scoring tree. A polarising player once subbed in the first half of a World Cup final in 2022 has seemingly turned into PSG’s most potent attacking option.
Dembele has a goal-per-90 domestic rate of 1.20. That’s staggering. In Europe, he has played five 90s so far and is letting fly whenever he gets a glimpse of goal. Dembele averages 6.03 shots per 90 and gets 2.01 on target per 90. This is a man in the best goal-scoring form of his life, scoring more than he ever has, and now he’ll be up against a team he loves playing against in the Champions League. I wouldn’t put people off the brace, which can be found at 8.00 in places.
- Selection: Ousmane Dembele anytime goalscorer(TRACKED BET) & Ousmane Demebele to score 2+ goals (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 2.10 & 5.50
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 12.5/10 & 5/10
Man City vs Real Madrid: Los Blancos to find a way
England, Champions League, Tuesday, February 11th , 20:00 (UK)
The previous two winners of this competition meet once again for the fourth season in a row. However, this is an entirely different Manchester City. It has been evident on several occasions this season that they can be exploited, and PSG did as much in their 4-2 loss away in Paris. Even Leyton Orient had joy in the first half against City at the weekend, going 1-0 down to the League 1 outfit. The injury to Nico Gonzalez was a real welcome to the lower tiers of English football; his presence will be missed if he is out. This will force Pep to use a midfield duo of Silva and Kovacic, who have looked lousy together, especially in Europe when Joao Neves dominated the pair in the Parc De Princes.
On the counter, Madrid will punish City. Pep’s side is light in midfield, and with no obvious choice at right back, there is a possibility of Mbappe and Co running at Matheus Nunes regularly, which will give the Portuguese midfielder nightmares.
It’s difficult to see how either keeps the other from scoring, simply due to how many midfielders/defenders are out injured. It will likely become a bit of a shootout, and if it does, Real Madrid holds more efficient firepower across their team this season. It can’t be forgotten that Madrid in this competition is the gold standard. They find a way to get the job done more often than not in the Champions League, and I don’t want to back against that.
Man City’s poor counter-press in forward areas has left them more susceptible to being caught in transition. It has been evident against those teams who are direct with the counterattack and progress the ball up the pitch with intent. The data shows City’s ageing midfield can’t keep up with the teams. The Premier League average for recovery runs by midfielders is 6.3 per 90, but this Manchester City Midfield is at 4.3 per 90, the worst in the league and an area that Los Blancos will exploit.
- Selection: Real Madrid to Win (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 3.70
- Bookmaker: bet365
- Stake: 7.5/10
Feyenoord vs AC Milan: Conceicao to coach a Masterclass
Netherlands, Champions League, Wednesday, February 12th, 20:00 (UK)
Feyenoord are not quite at the level to progress in this competition, especially after Milan has poached their best striker. Santiago Gimenez could well be the man that makes the difference in this one. The Dutch outfit are struggling domestically, languishing down in fifth, 12 points off the top, when typically they reside in the top three, so they have dropped below their standards since Arne Slot’s departure to Liverpool.
Feyenoord earned a reputable points tally of 13, and they would have clawed their way into the top eight if they had beaten Lille. In that crunch game on MD8, they were taught a lesson, losing 6-1 in France in a dismal display. If they can’t handle the magnitude of that occasion away at Lille, they will wilt when they travel to the San Siro. I can see that going a long way to how they will handle the tie and the first leg; it might just be too much to ask for them.
AC Milan’s man in the dugout nowadays is Sergio Conceicao. He was appointed on the 30th of December, and in eleven games since, he has impressed with some significant results, none more so than the Super Cup win over city rivals Inter, an excellent way for the fans to adhere to you. Conceicao’s team struggled away in Zagreb, but through no fault of his own, it was down to Yunus Musah’s stupidity in getting two yellows in eight minutes.
Feyenoord games consist of lots of goals, with an average of 4.88, second only to Barcelona. Their attack will be blunted now that the Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez has joined Milan for £26.6 million. He accumulated 2.92xG in the league phase, more than any Milan player. This is a rejuvenated forward line for Milan, with Joao Felix also added to the mix of Rafael Leao, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic. Brian Piske will have difficulty setting his team up to stop them from scoring. They only have one clean sheet in Europe, against Bayern Munich in a 3-0 win where the Germans created 2.42xG and couldn’t score.
Champions League Acca Tips and Predictions Odds via bet365 as at 12:00, February 10th, 2025. Odds may now differ.
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