Before the 1/8 finals games, the global betting company 1xBet is trying to look into the future of the main Europe club tournament.
March 7, Chelsea – Borussia (0:1 after the first match)
On February 15, Londoners could take on the role of Neo from The Matrix movie. They faced a difficult choice – a red (Manchester City – Arsenal) or a blue (Borussia – Chelsea) pill. More than half of London TV viewers chose red. And if you joined them, you have lost little.
Graham Potter’s team depressive football brought no surprises – Borussia beat Chelsea with the score of 1:0. The winning goal in a quick counter-attack was scored by Karim Adeyemi, who didn’t notice 201 million euros, beating Enzo Fernandez and Kepa Arrizabalaga. Have you forgotten that Kepa is the most expensive goalkeeper in football history?
After the Bumblebees, it was Southampton’s turn. Before the game against Chelsea, the Saints ranked last in the standings, and their squad total transfer value is miserable for EPL 387 million euros. And what? The league’s top underdog beat the Blues by the same score as Dortmund.
For now, Chelsea’s near future looks utterly hopeless. One win in eight games after the new year, a bunch of discordant star rookies and only four goals scored in two months. The club’s management is feverishly looking for a head coach replacement, knowing full well that this season cannot be saved. What could be worse?
Borussia is unstoppable in 2023: it’s the only team in the top 10 leagues to win every match since the World Cup. A bright detail of Terzic’s team is the center forward, playing in wing defence. It is just like Sébastien Haller and several times Modeste did. Also, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel returned from injury: in the first match against Chelsea, he showed an excellent reaction and a competent game off his line. But there is also bad news: the hero of the first game, Karim Adeyemi, was injured in the match versus Hertha and will not be able to help the team in the return battle.
In Dortmund, Chelsea had 53% of possession and 21 shoots, but that didn’t make the Blues fans any happier. Maybe they’ll have better luck in London? After all, to equalize the teams’ chances, only one goal is enough.
Reliable bookmaker 1xBet offers you to guess the match outcome.
You can bet on the Chelsea – Borussia match here:
March 7, Benfica – Brugge (2:0 after the first match)
Brugge lost the 1/8 finals first game to Benfica with a score of 0:2. Both goals happened after blunders. The first one was scored from the penalty spot after an obvious foul by Jack Hendry in his penalty area, and the second – after the defender’s Bjorn Meijer inexplicable manipulation, who in a simple situation lost the ball near his goal.
Where is the magnificent Brugge that did the unimaginable during the Champions League group stage matches? Where have the favorites who beat Bayer, Porto and Atlético with a total score of 7:0 and then defended a draw in Madrid gone? Alas, autumn Brugge and winter Brugge are two different teams.
In the Belgian League, things are no better for the Blue-Black. The team is an obscene number of points behind the leading Genk and suffers from a draws epidemic. So it’s no longer about winning. Getting at least in the European Cups next season would be good.
As for Benfica, it has already smelled the blood and is unlikely to stop. The current Eagles look more interesting than many of the Champions League playoffs and also made a lot of money during the winter transfer window by selling Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea for 121 million euros. The two wingers, Joao Mario and Goncalo Ramos, create big problems for the opponents. Both already have 12 goals in the championship and 5 in the Champions League. This performance helps Benfica maintain a solid lead over Porto in Primeira.
After Fernandez left, the club can show Europe new talents. For example, 21-year-old forward Goncalo Ramos and shining 19-year-old center-back Antonio Silva can enter a match against Brugge. Remember these names: perhaps the Portuguese will agree to trade these players for a small container of gold bars in the future.
Betting fans should take advantage of this battle because the top bookmaker 1xBet offers the highest odds for it.
You can bet on Benfica – Brugge match here
March 8, Bayern – PSG (1:0 after the first match)
Bayern made a great return to the Champions League: they saw Paris, did not die and beat PSG in the 1/8 finals first match. The only goal was scored by Kingsley Coman. This is special for him – he beat his native club. Coman also took us back to 2020 – remember his winning goal in the Champions League final? PSG also suffered back then.
The only excuse for the Parisians is that the team leaders were not 100% ready. Before the game with the Germans, only Neymar was considered completely healthy, while the participation of Messi and Mbappe was in doubt. Nevertheless, Leo went out initially, and Kylian started the game on the bench. Also, PSG coach Christophe Galtier had to release into the center 16-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery, who became the starting lineup youngest player in the Champions League playoffs history. On the day of the match against Bayern, he will turn 17.
After the European Cups, PSG leaders remembered they were considered modern football superstars and helped the Parisians beat Lille in Ligue 1. The match of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe gave the fans a ray of light, but the team’s defensive play is far from perfect, and before the second leg against Bayern, it is not the best news.
The Germans also began to grope their game but still conceded consistently in every championship match. After the victory over PSG, they were filled with hopes of improving their position in the Bundesliga, but again something went wrong. In the game against Mönchengladbach, Bayern defender Upamecano got a red card in the 8th minute. As a result, his team lost with a score of 3:2. Also, the matches against Borussia are tough for Julian Nagelsmann – since 2021, the Bayern coach has got only 2 draws in 4 games. But there is good news: the most famous German club’s failures have made the Bundesliga the most unpredictable European championship of the season.
According to the top bookmaker 1xBet, the second round of the titans battle will be spectacular and cause great interest worldwide.
You can bet on the Bayern – PSG match here
March 8, Tottenham – Milan (0:1 after the first match)
Milan beat Tottenham in the 1/8 finals first leg of the Champions League thanks to a goal from Brahim Diaz. Both teams are far from their best form, and the match at the San Siro reminded this once again. Although only a desperate optimist could bet on Milan before that game, the Rossoneri gave everything they could and won.
Before the second leg, the British and the Italians are full of problems. Ismaël Bennacer has not played for Milan long, and Tottenham lost a pair of Dier – Bentancur. The first misses the match due to disqualification, and the second dropped out till the end of the season. In addition, we keep in mind the loss of the main keeper Hugo Lloris.
Harry Kane – the Spurs’ main hope – can offset all Tottenham traumas. Recently, the forward was solemnly awarded as the best scorer in the club’s history – with 267 goals, he broke the famous record of Jimmy Greaves. And Tottenham unexpectedly became the Premier League leader in goals scored after set pieces (11). Kane, set pieces, and quick counter-attacks are a short list of Antonio Conte’s team strengths. The Spurs compete for the Champions League zone and the FA Cup this season. Why not improve your income and aim for a Champions League quarter-final? Moreover, on March 8, the team will play at its stadium.
Milan 2023 is still a major failure – the team has won only twice in nine matches. At the same time, Pioli’s team (bend the fingers) flew out of the Italian Cup, lost to Inter in the Super Cup match and set a club anti-record, conceding more than 4 goals in two rounds in a row.
The World Cup in Qatar drove another nail in Milan’s coffin. The indispensable club leaders were exhausted physically and mentally, and what worked last season stopped working this season.
Fans believe they were jinxed, but a successful performance in the Champions League can lift the team spirit, albeit briefly. Now, this is perhaps the main task not only for Milan but also for Tottenham.
You can bet on the Tottenham – Milan match here
