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COMO
One thing you can count on during Champions League nights is history repeating itself, especially when Paris Saint-Germain is involved.
They’re like the guy that spends 9 months toasting the girl, finally gets a chance to prove he is capable of rocking her world and suddenly develops stage fright at the worst possible moment. It’s as dependable as our National Grid outages!
No other team in UCL history has ever been as toothless at the moment of glory as PSG. And even worse, it has now become predictable, with football fans waiting to see how PSG step on a rake each season.
They sign some exciting names, have a great run of form, and fumble at the moment of truth. Methinks they could do with some stiffened…ahem, resolve.
Anyway, the round of 16 first leg games were full of instances where history repeated itself. In Champions League fixtures of this kind, history is supreme.
We even have Cain dealing with Abel again! I have put together 4 surefire predictions for the second leg. They are so obvious, it will be ridiculous to not go with them, just like your typical Daily 2 odds. You should jump on it now. Don’t wait for tomorrow o. Oya, let’s go:
Premature FC will lose again
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One thing that has always characterized Luis Enrique’s teams in high stakes clashes is their ability to hold on to possession for long periods, pass the ball around and ultimately fail to make their possession count. The notable exception was 2014 when his “MSN” front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar ran through every team before them to deliver the UEFA Champions League and treble.
Since then, his teams have done the opposite, causing many football fans to feel like that was the rare exception, and lending credence to the argument that the MSN front three worked in spite of his tactics, rather than because of them.
Now, this might be the perfect marriage; a coach whose teams are famous for being foreplay experts and a club famous for being Foreplay FC on the UCL stage. Many people thought both parties were finally going to dispel those allegations, especially with how PSG has been scoring for fun this season. But any bet wizard could have told you for free that it was never going to happen, despite Ousmane Dembele finally reaching his potential.
Liverpool did their best Real Madrid impression in the first leg, completed by a goalkeeping masterclass from Alisson and a late winner against the run of play. The second leg at Anfield should be even more fun to watch as a rested PSG throws the proverbial kitchen sink at the home side.
Who are you backing to qualify? Your answer better be Liverpool. The Reds at Anfield on a CL knockout night, with a first leg advantage, against a team that shrinks when the stakes are highest? It’s a no-brainer.
Bet on Liverpool to win @ 2.30
Bela Guttmann’s Curse Will Knock Out Benfica Again
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If you thought Hansi Flick didn’t have it in him to be pragmatic, the first leg certainly showed you how wrong that POV is. After Pau Cubarsi picked up a red card early in the first half, Flick’s rection was an admirable one, as he quickly instructed his team to drop deeper.
Perhaps, it was the two late Atletico goals during their recent 4-4 draw that spooked him. Perhaps, it was him having the common sense to know that the UEFA Champions League knockouts will always brutally punish you for arrogance or naivety. Either way, he did the smart thing and it paid off handsomely with a 1-0 lead to take back to the Camp Nou.
Meanwhile, we all know that Benfica are actually cursed, right? No, that is not just an expression. Their former coach, Bela Guttmann, is said to have cursed them in 1962 that they would not win a European Cup – now Champions League – in 100 years. Since then, Benfica have lost 5 CL finals and they have even lost 3 Europa League (UEFA Cup) finals in that time.
2062 is still some distance away, so this looks certain to continue for another few decades. Interestingly, Guttmann placed the curse because they wouldn’t pay him more money after he delivered a second consecutive European Cup. What’s the lesson here? Don’t play with people’s money, as you would not let them play with yours.
This should be a straightforward second leg win for Barcelona.
Bet on Barcelona to win @ 1.38 boosted odds with BetKing
Cain vs Abel again in Madrid
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“Am I my brother’s keeper?” sounds exactly like something that Real Madrid would say about Atletico. Their recent history has been the stuff of nightmares for the younger brother in this tale of brothers. Every time Atletico are on the verge of doing something historic, Real Madrid show up to spoil it. It is not even that they do it, it is how they do it. They always give Atletico the impression that there is some hope, that it is possible. When Atletico start to believe, everything goes south.
Real Madrid have knocked Atletico out of the Champions League 4 times, and it happened back-to-back-to-back-to-back in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Two of those happened in the final of the competition; in the first one, Atletico were seconds away from a triumph and the second one was decided on penalties. Last Tuesday, Real Madrid went ahead on aggregate again, winning 2-1 while Atletico seemed happy to go back home with just a 2-1 defeat.
Going by history, Atletico will cry once again in their 5th exit to Real Madrid. No, it’s not juju. It’s just that history has a way of repeating itself and the Champions League doesn’t pity the underdog. Whatever Atletico have prepared for the second leg, Real Madrid will be up for it.
Bet on Real Madrid to qualify @ 1.33
Arsenal to Qualify in a High-Scoring Game
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The champions of the Netherlands lost 7-1 at home in a CL knockout game, against a team with a CM playing as their striker. There have been many humiliating results in the CL over the years – as Arsenal themselves can attest, having been on the receiving end of so many – but this one is special.
Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho created the template for playing against Arsenal decades ago – limit the spaces they have to operate in and hit them on the counter. And yet, PSV did the opposite against the 2nd place treble winners and allowed them to score 7 goals. If they’re hoping for something different in the second leg, that’s simply not going to happen.
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Simply put, another thrashing is in the works. PSV can’t even play for pride, because Arsenal also left the Netherlands with all the pride they have left. All they can do is turn up, take another beating when they leave themselves open again to attack, and go home.
Easy prediction here is that Arsenal will score more than 5 goals and win.
Bet on over 4.5 goals @ 5.10
Visit the best betting site in Nigeria to place your bets today, win big and get added backing for your good morning message for her on Thursday!
By Jolayemi Jones
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