Real Madrid and Manchester City will provide a memorable spectacle for all the fans around the world this Wednesday. The two powerhouses are meeting in the 1st leg of the Champions League Round of 16, and are bringing the most anticipated matchup of the entire stage. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus are traveling to Lyon to meet with the French representative Olympique, who is eager to make a surprise.
Preview
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
Los Blancos suffered two hard setbacks this weekend. The first one was against Levante, once they lost 1-0 on the road and handed the top place in the standings to Barcelona. Meanwhile, the day after the game came the news about Eden Hazard’s fractured ankle, which added more problems. A contest versus Levante was the third over the past four in which Real didn’t win. Two of them were at home, which causes fear among the fans. After a period of superb performances, this drop in quality was something unexpected, and the main reason for that is the defensive part of the team. In those four events, Real allowed 8 goals, previously having three straight clean sheets.
Man City didn’t lose its morale despite the ban UEFA imposed on them recently. Pep Guardiola’s side, defeated Leicester in the last round, and pretty much erased those two losses they suffered against Man United in the EFL Cup and Tottenham. This was the 6th straight match in which Sky-Blues participated and without goals on both sides. Also, during that stretch, five of them were under 2.5 goals, and it seems that Guardiola’s focus in the late part of the season shifted on to defense.
Now, many would fall under the influence of these lines written above and predict a low-scoring affair, but we won’t. There is no way for these two teams who have such a great offensive potential to play an inefficient match. Over 2.5 goals are, in our opinion, very realistic, and the odds at BetXChange are superb 0.61. We would recommend you to go with this.
Olympique Lyon vs. Juventus
The Kids, as the fans call them, had a mini-crisis at the start of February once they posted three straight matches without a victory. But right now, they look much better, and with two wins and a draw, Rudi Garcia’s side regained its morale. Lyon is playing tough football, with not so many goals involved. Apart from a 4-2 loss to PSG in Paris, the other four games in the last five all saw under 2.5 scores. Garcia’s guys are much better at home than on the road, and have five wins and two draws in the previous seven games at Groupama stadium.
Juventus is carried by fantastic Cristiano Ronaldo, who now has 11 straight Serie A games in which he netted. He tied the league record, and is on the way to break it pretty soon. The Old Lady and its fans profit from his efficiency a lot, and Sarri’s team is much more productive than before. Just two events over the previous 10 saw fewer than three goals. Juve is in a tough situation with Lazio and Inter breathing down their neck in the Serie A, but also with an imperative to win this event and decide this matchup early on. Previous five matches on the road, the Italian champs played saw both teams to score.
This match will be a bit different than the first one. Lyon is playing defensive football, and Juve won’t be eager to overexpose themselves in the back. Therefore the efficiency won’t be high. A moderate one, meaning 2 or 3 goals, is our solution for this case. Odds at BetXChange are 0.88 for this one.
