The UEFA Champions League second leg of the knockout stage gets going once again this afternoon with two important, though somewhat predictable, games. Real Madrid leads as the favorite, now defending their home pitch and Wolsfsburg gets ready to host Gent on theirs. Keep reading for the game previews just below
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Real Madrid vs A.S. Roma
- Tuesday, March 08, 2016 2:45 PM ET
Betting on Real Madrid
Real Madrid made a big statement against Roma, felling the Italian champions on their home pitch in a convincing manner. Behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s obvious abilities the Spanish powerhouse are the heavy favorites now playing at home. And, once again, it will likely fall on Ronaldo’s shoulders to carry the team to victory.
Real Madrid is solid at home and though Ronaldo has inflamed his teammates egos, with more than his fill of derogatory comments, he’ll likely be chosen by Zidane to strike early in the game for the lead. Ronaldo scored his 12th goal in the competition against Roma and will score in this game as well.
Betting on Roma
Roma, down 2-0, is the unlikely victor in this game. However, as in any sport, anything can happen and Roma is playing very well after losing to Real in the Champions.
Perhaps the loss at at lit a fire under Roma’s players feet as might be shown by the results in their last few games. Roma has crushed opponents by a combined score of 12-2 in their League.
Stephan El Shaarawy and Mohamed Salah have lead Roma’s resurgence and might be a factor in today’s game. However, overcoming Real at Bernabeu is easier said than done, especially if they can’t shut down Real’s prolific scoring machine.
Free Pick: Real wins 3-1
Gent vs Wolfsburg
- Time: Tuesday, March 08, 2016 2:45 PM ET
Betting on Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg let a commanding 3-0 lead in the final ten minutes of the first game. When all was said and done, the scoreboard showed 3-2 and complicated matters for the German team. It’s unlikely however that Wolfsburg will risk repeating the same error twice and probably will look to take the early lead, especially considering they are a strong team at Volkswagen Arena.
Their only losses on their home pitch, have come at the hands of the Bundesliga leading Bayern Munich, late last month. Wolfsburg has won its next couple of games, following Julian Draxler, who scored two of Wolfsburg’s three goals against Gent in the first game.
Betting on Gent
Gent’s fairytale Champions’ appearance might come to end after this game. Though coming back to score two goals against Wolfsburg after trailing 3-0, it’s unlikely the Belgian team win in German territory.
Gent would have to win against Wolfsburg by a two-goal margin, either 2-0 or 3-1, to pass to the Quarterfinals. And, though the pressure is on Wolfsburg to win, which means the Belgians can concentrate of playing good football, Wolfsburg’s strength at home is probably too much to overcome.
Free Pick: Wolfsburg wins 2-1