UEFA Champions League Preview

After last weekend’s thrilling football action across Europe, attention has now shifted to the lucrative EUFA Champions League as teams jostle to qualify to the next round of the money spinning tournament.

NRTC take a peep into some of the mouthwatering clashes we look forward to .

Dynamo Kyiv vs Bayern Munich

Dynamo Kyiv comes into this clash on the back of a resounding 6-1 win over Chornomorets Odesa in the Ukranian league at the weekend.

The Ukrainian top side could do with earning their first victory here as they look to secure a Europa League spot.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, fell to a surprise 2-1 loss at Augsburg on Friday night. It means they have won just three of their last five competitive games. Both defeats came on the road, though Dynamo Kyiv haven’t been in great home form themselves of late. They have failed to win four of their last six on home turf.

The fact that Bayern lost their first game after the international break means they will be out for a pint of blood in Ukraine on Tuesday.

Prediction: 1-3

Barcelona vs Benfica

Xavi oversaw a 1-0 win on his debut as Barcelona boss and will hope to follow that up with a victory over Benfica to book a place in the next round of the Champions League. The Spanish side lost the reverse fixture 3-0, so they will braying for revenge at Camp Nou.

Back-to-back defeats, admittedly at the hands of Bayern Munich, leave Benfica two points behind Barcelona, but they’ll need to pick up a first win in three on the road to improve their chances of progressing to the next round of the Champions League.

Barcelona had to fight hard for all three points on Saturday night and Benfica may give them a run for their money here.

Prediction: 2-1

Chelsea vs Juventus

Chelsea laid the marker for their title credentials with a fine 3-0 win at Leicester on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run to nine games in the English Premier League. The Blues haven’t lost since a 1-0 loss to Juventus in Turin back in September.

Following a three-match winless run, a 2-0 win at Lazio saw Juventus secure their third successive competitive victory in the Serie A, ending a two-game winless run on the road.

The Old Lady have secured their spot in the next round of the Champions League, and they’ll look to wrap up top in midweek, but with the form Chelsea are in, the hosts are favourites to win.

Prediction: 2-1

Manchester City vs PSG

Manchester City top Group A, but their lead over second-placed PSG is just one point. City lost the reverse fixture 2-0, and they’ll be keen to avoid another defeat as they seek to book their spot in the next round of the competition.

A 3-1 win over Nantes saw PSG extend their unbeaten run to seven games, winning five, though the Parisian powerhouse have won just two of their last six games on the road. They have also lost their last two trips to the Etihad Stadium.

City will look to exact revenge upon PSG and, importantly, not give up top spot. It’ll be a close encounter at the Etihad, but one City may edge.

Prediction: 2-1

Club Brugge vs RB Leipzig

Club Brugge must beat RB Leipzig and hope Manchester City beat Paris Saint-Germain to have a chance of finishing second with one game left.

RB Leipzig are bottom of Group A with no wins and three defeats from four matches. It’s been a tough start to the season for new manager Jesse Marsch.

Also Read: Champions League Preview

Leipzig have conceded the most goals in the competition (13) and were defeated 2-0 by Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga at the weekend. And bogged down by lots of injuries, another loss here would not be a surprise.

Prediction: 2-0

Atletico Madrid vs AC Milan

Atletico Madrid are third in Group B with two games to go after back-to-back defeats to Liverpool. Diego Simeone’s side are a point behind FC Porto, who face leaders Liverpool in the group’s other game.

AC Milan have an outside chance of finishing second despite having only a point from their first four group games. Given their form in the competition so far, however, that looks very unlikely.

The Serie A outfit, who lost 4-3 to Fiorentina at the weekend, would need to beat Atletico and Liverpool in their last two games and hope other results go their way to have a chance of qualifying.

Atletico have never lost three Champions League games in a row so you’d expect them to at least avoid defeat here.

Prediction: 2-1

Liverpool vs FC Porto

Liverpool romped to a 4-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday night in what was the ideal preparation for the welcome of FC Porto. The Reds have already wrapped up top spot in Group B, so we could see a changed Reds side on Wednesday.

Porto secured a 5-1 win over Feirense in the Taca de Portugal over the weekend to make it three wins from their last four. Their only defeat in the group stages so far came in a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Wednesday’s opponents in Portugal.

The home side should make changes, but Liverpool still have the quality in personnel to continue their 100% start to their Champions League campaign.

Prediction: 3-1

FC Sheriff vs Real Madrid

FC Sheriff have exceeded expectations in the UEFA Champions League this season. They have two wins from their four group games and are just a point off second place heading into the final two matches.

Real Madrid will qualify for the next round with a win here. They can also secure first place if Inter fails to beat winless Shakhtar Donetsk.

Real Madrid will know not to take FC Sheriff lightly on Wednesday after losing the reverse fixture 2-1 in Spain. They should expect a tough start to this game given the occasion for the home side.

Prediction: 1-2

And that’s the preview for the UEFA Champions League. Le’s enjoy the mouthwatering actions.