Manchester City head into Madrid looking to do the impossible and overcome a goal deficit from the first leg of their superstar clash in the Champions League, while Juventus look to maintain their advantage against PSV, as the first knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League concludes on Wednesday. We have previews and predictions for all four matches on Wednesday.
Sporting CP at Borussia Dortmund
(Borussia Dortmund leads 3-0 on aggregate)
The departure of Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP has been a disaster for both teams, Dortmund wrecked Sporting in the first leg of this tie, while Amorim’s new side Manchester United continue to languish in the Premier League. Dortmund came alive in the second half, scoring three in Lisbon and now they have the protection of the Yellow Wall at home as they just need to see out 90 minutes without faltering repeatedly. Dortmund have a relatively fully fit squad, Sporting has superstar Viktor Gyokeres so they have a chance, but it’s not much of one. Prediction: Dortmund 2-Sporting 1 (Dortmund wins 5-1 on aggregate)
Manchester City at Real Madrid
(Real Madrid leads 3-2 on aggregate)
Pep Guardiola was left in anguish once again, as Real Madrid stormed back against his Manchester City side, scoring late to take a 3-2 lead to the Bernabéu stadium in the most watched Champions League clash this season. The substitutions didn’t pay off for Man City in the first leg as they lost momentum.
Real Madrid are currently locked into a compelling La Liga title race with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, while Manchester City have placed all of their hopes for a meaningful season on this year’s Champions League. Manchester City showed the talent of their attack in the Premier League, smashing Newcastle 4-0, and that will put Real Madrid on red alert in this game, as their makeshift backline will be under pressure from the first minute of this game. Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba may come in to play defensive roles for the Spanish champions, Rudiger may be set to try to manage Erling Haaland, who scored both Manchester City goals in the first leg.
The standard trio of Bellingham, Vinicius Jr. and Mbappe will look to give Real Madrid more breathing room on the scoresheet. At times they have looked disjointed, but with Man City showing weakness at the back, neither team should finish this game scoreless. It should be a thrilling clash, but Madrid at home is tough to overturn. Prediction: 3-3 Draw (Real Madrid wins 6-5 on aggregate)
Juventus at PSV
(Juventus leads 2-1 on aggregate)
The hosts of the first leg left Italy with an advantage, Juventus leads 2-1 on aggregate and will springboard off a big weekend where they upset Serie A favorites Inter Milan. PSV for their part are off to an awful start this year in domestic football and continue to suffer problems with injuries that has players like Sergino Dest stuck on the sidelines. Veteran talent like Ivan Perisic will ensure that PSV are not completely out of this tie, but Randal Kolo Muani is bringing his best form to this game and should lead the Juventus attack at a level high enough to produce a goal. Prediction: 2-2 Draw (Juventus wins 4-3 on aggregate)
Brest at PSG
(PSG leads 3-0 on aggregate)
A confident and energetic PSG side did what was expected of them in the first leg of this tie, demolishing their domestic rivals 3-0 and leaving little doubt when they host in Paris. With a comfortable lead in the Ligue 1 table once again, and the result nearly in hand from the first leg margin, PSG are already dreaming of a run to the Champions League final. Brest plays with house money and can launch waves of attack in this one, as the scoreline won’t matter in terms of conceding, but it would be a monumental collapse for PSG to lose this. Ousmane Dembele should keep flying as the hosts will keep winning. Prediction: PSG 2 Brest 0 (PSG wins 5-0 on aggregate)
Main Photo Credit: IMAGO: Manchester City, Pep Guardiola
