Barcelona will host Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday 8th March in the return leg of the Champions League round of 16. Given the horrendous 4-0 defeat at the Parc Des Princes in the first leg, the Blaugranas are in need of a miracle to overcome the deficit.
Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez and the rest of the Barca stars underperformed so alarmingly against the French champions that even thinking about qualification for the quarterfinals seems more like science fiction than a realistic possibility.
Having said that, if there is a group of players who can achieve such a feat, that is Barcelona. If Luis Enrique’s men score early enough in the first half and their attacking trident is inspired from the moment the ball starts rolling, nobody could rule out a thrashing of the Parisians at the Camp Nou — The ideal comeback to silence their ferocious critics.
There’s no two ways about it: Barca have not had a good season in terms of results and quality of football. That being said, their courageous 1-2 away victory against Atlético Madrid on Sunday could be the turning point Luis Enrique’s men so desperately needed. The morale boost achieved at the Vicente Calderón could very well continue into a magical night against PSG.
With that in mind, I predict that Barcelona will qualify for the next round — It would be foolish to bet against a confident, motivated Messi-led Barcelona in front of their home crowd. Even easier: Use the matchedbets.com matched betting software for a guaranteed way to make money — even if you have never placed a bet before.
Arsenal – Bayern Munich
Having trusted Arsene Wenger to call the shots since 1996, the North Londoners are crying out loud for a change of direction, a breath of fresh air. Losing to Bayern on what seems like a yearly basis shortly after the knockout stages of European competition start has taken any credibility left away from Wenger.
The environment around the Arsenal fan base and dressing room is so polluted and negative that expecting a miraculous result when they host the Bundesliga champions is totally unrealistic.
I predict another easy victory for Bayern in London.
Napoli – Real Madrid
Real Madrid beat Napoli (3-1) in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in a hard-fought match that was decided by Los Blancos’ obvious individual superiority.
While Madrid have not played spectacular football this season, they do have what it takes to overcome the challenge posed by the courageous Italians.
I expect Zinedine Zidane’s men to qualify for the next round without any major difficulty.
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