10 Expert Picks
Atletico Madrid, RB Salzburg square off in the Champions League. ...
Borussia Dortmund host Shakhtar Donetsk in Champions League play. ...
Bayern Munich may not have reason to go all out. ...
Both Stuttgart and PSG may play for a draw Wednesday. ...
Man City and Club Brugge both need a result to advance. ...
Feyenoord tends to play in exciting fixtures in the UCL ...
Inter Milan have conceded just one goal in the Champions League ...
Atletico Madrid will qualify for the top eight with a win ...
Inter Milan has seen less than 10 combined goals in 7 matches...
RB Salzburg has conceded the second-most goals in UCL...
Past Picks
Man City looked back to their brilliant best when they thrashed Ipswich 6-0 on Sunday. Pep Guardiola’s men have picked up four wins and a draw in their last five games, and they appear to have turned a corner following a dismal run of results in November and December. They have only won two of their six Champions League games this season, and their chances of reaching the knockout stage are in jeopardy. City desperately need to beat PSG on Wednesday, and they could get the better of Luis Enrique’s inexperienced team.
Certainly Bayern Munich should be a road favorite but getting that half-goal I believe will be the difference as our model has Feyenoord losing 2-1 (as do a few others). It faces more urgency to win/draw than Bayern, which is in better shape to advance. Feyenoord has won 12 of its 19 all-time matches against German teams in Rotterdam and we only need a one-goal loss. Feyenoord has scored three goals or more in 10 of its past 18 matches overall, and if that happens again, we surely cover. Bayern has a single win in its past six at a Dutch side.
Not even sure home cooking at the epet (yes a small "e") Arena is going to provide help for Sparta Prague, which has lost four straight in this competition and been beaten by scores like 5-0 (Man City), 6-0 (Atleti on Nov. 26) and 4-2 (Feyenoord). Meanwhile, Inter is about to advance straight thru to the Round of 16 and avoid the Knockout 16-24 phase. Simone Inzaghi's men had won four straight in this competition prior to the bitter Bayer Leverkusen loss, and has been racking up plenty of goals in recent weeks as it chases Antonio Conte's Napoli atop Serie A. Top gun Marcus Thuram was aback on the scoresheet with a goal in Sunday's 3-1 win vs. Empoli. Play Inter Milan on Spread.
It's crunch time in the Champs League as a loss here for either side puts it at risk for missing out on the knockout phase entirely. Man City seems to have steadied after its significant November-December struggles but it's been a soft portion of the EPL fixture list that has allowed Pep Guardiola's side to right itself. PSG has a lot more firepower than Ipswich or West Ham or the others that City have taken down in recent weeks, but Erling Haaland is scoring goals again (four in the last four EPL matches) for Guardiola. Meanwhile PSG has banged in 20 goals over its last eight as Luis Enrique's men will go all out to score at Parc de Princes. Play PSG-Man City Over
Red Bull is already out of this competition but has hardly looked outclassed with a succession of one-goal losses to Aston Villa, inter Milan, Juventus, and Atletico de Madrid. Red Bull is still swinging away in the Bundesliga, however, sitting fifth and just a point out of fourth, and has been involved in a series of entertaining matches in which at least three goals have been scored (six straight). Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko has been especially hot with goals in four straight games. Meanwhile, Sporting has banged in seven goals in its two January outings, and the remarkable season for Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres continues with an astounding 27 goals in all competitions (five already in the Champs League). Play Red Bull-Sporting Lisbon "Over"