The Champions League is getting ready for another blockbuster gameweek of football.
With four games down and just two to go, things are really heating up in the group stages of this season’s competition. Spurs face a battle for their European lives as they host Inter at Wembley whilst Liverpool travel to Paris in a group that is wide open and could be won by three of the four sides in it.
We’ve had a look at the fixtures and had two of the Squawka team come up with predictions:
AEK vs. Ajax
Muhammad Butt: AEK have been Group E’s punching bags and with Ajax one win away from qualification for the last 16, it’s hard to see anything but an away win here for the talented young Dutch side. 1-3 Ajax.
Evan Smith: AEK are one of two point-less teams in the Champions League after four games played and no side has scored less. What’s more, they’ve lost their last three games in all competitions. Ajax should comfortably win and secure their place in the knockout rounds. 0-3 Ajax.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Hakim Ziyech has yet to score but he has had more shots on target (8) and completed more take-ons (11) than any player from either side.
CSKA Moscow vs. Viktoria Plzen
MB: CSKA’s failure to beat Plzen on the opening gameweek is the only reason they’re a heavy outside shout to make the round of 16, despite beating Real Madrid. However, a win over Plzen here gives them a chance to qualify on matchday six. 2-1 CKSA.
ES: Plzen have conceded more goals than any other side in this year’s competition (14) and have lost seven of their last eight away Champions League games. 2-0 CSKA.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Nikola Vlasic has created 14 chances in the Champions League, only three players have more in this season’s competition.
Manchester United vs. Young Boys
MB: Young Boys aren’t good, but then neither are Manchester United. The Red Devils are a hideously malformed side but they should have enough individual quality to sneak past the Swiss side. Just. 1-0 United.
ES: Manchester United are yet to score at home in the Champions League this season but that is bound to change when Young Boys come to Old Trafford for all their below-par displays. 2-0 United.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Paul Pogba was directly involved in all three goals in the reverse fixture in September.
Bayern Munich vs. Benfica
MB: Benfica lost at home to Bayern on matchday one, but the Bavarians form is so wretched right now that even a side as poor on the road as Benfica has every chance of stealing a result here. 2-2 draw.
ES: Bayern have never lost in nine Champions League meetings with Benfica, and despite their underwhelming start to the Bundesliga season, a win can still be expected here. 2-1 Bayern.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Robert Lewandowski, who has scored Bayern’s last three goals in the competition, is one goal away from becoming the seventh player in Champions League history to score a least 50 goals.
Hoffenheim vs. Shakhtar
MB: Hoffenheim have been draw specialists so far, twice holding Lyon with stoppage-time equalisers after conceding late against Manchester City and Shakhtar in the opening two fixtures. Another stalemate is on the cards. 2-2 draw.
ES: Both sides are awaiting their first win in the competition and I fancy Hoffenheim to break their duck given the abundance of chances they create from all over the pitch. Four different players have created 7 or more chances in the competition this season compared to just one for Shakhtar. 3-1 Hoffenheim.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Andrej Kramaric has scored a goal in each of his last five games for club and country.
Lyon vs. Manchester City
MB: City inexplicably lost to Lyon at home on matchday one, and the Stade Gerland is no joke, but City are in a supreme vein of form right now and have it in them to show up and turn the French side out. 1-3 City.
ES: Both unbeaten in this group, Manchester City have scored more goals than any other Champions League side after four games (12). Lyon took all three points at the Etihad and I think Les Gones have enough to put a halt to Man City’s eight-game winning streak in all competitions and hold them to a draw at home. 2-2 draw.
PLAYER TO WATCH: David Silva has scored in each of the last three Champions League fixtures for Manchester City from three shots on target.
Roma vs. Real Madrid
MB: Roma should have knocked Real Madrid out of the 2015/16 Champions League and their failure (including missing four sitters at the Santiago Bernabeu) was the spark that kickstarted Los Blancos’ hat-trick of titles. With Madrid on a low ebb, Edin Dzeko and Roma will be back for vengeance, and they’ll get it too. 2-0 Roma.
ES: Roma have failed to score the last three times these teams have met in the Champions League, but that should change following this match. Languishing in 6th in La Liga, Madrid are losing games they usually shouldn’t and this may be another. 2-1 Roma.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Edin Dzeko has been directly involved in seven goals in the Champions League which is more than any other player in the competition.
Juventus vs. Valencia
MB: Juventus are obviously a great side but Valencia come into this game having won three in a row (and four of their last five) and know that their future in the competition depends on getting a result here. This season’s draw specialists will strike again! 1-1 draw.
ES: Juventus’ defeat at home to Manchester United was a bit of a shock but lightning won’t strike twice here. Juventus are still unbeaten in the league and have never lost back-to-back games in European competition. 2-1 Juventus.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Cristiano Ronaldo could equal Raul’s Champions League record of scoring against 33 different sides in the competition if he scores vs. Valencia.
Atlético Madrid vs. Monaco
MB: Monaco lost at home and now they face the rejuvenated Atlético Madrid, including a Diego Costa who has remembered that he’s allowed to score goals. The beast is back. 2-0 Atleti.
ES: Monaco won their first league game at the weekend but their Champions League picture is still pretty bleak. Atletico hardly lose at home (only once in the last 16 Champions League games) so Monaco may well remain with just one point Рtheir worst-ever return in the competition. 2-0 Atl̩tico.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Antoine Griezmann has been involved in four out of Atletico Madrid’s seven Champions League goals (57%).
Lokomotiv Moskva vs. Galatasaray
MB: Lokomotiv don’t have a single point in the group stages yet and that’s not likely to change as they host a Galatasaray side scrapping to stay in the competition. 0-1 Galatasaray.
ES: Lokomotiv Moskva are one of two sides yet to earn a point in the Group Stages. Galatasaray themselves haven’t scored since the opening game but they should come out of this one victorious. 0-2 Galatasaray.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Aleksei Miranchuk has created 15 chances in the Champions League, only Neymar and Toni Kroos have created more.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Club Brugge
MB: Dortmund just about beat Brugge in Belgium on matchday one. Now they welcome them back to Germany and with the form they’re in, this could get ugly. 4-1 Dortmund.
ES: Borussia Dortmund are flying high and top the Bundesliga with an unbeaten record. They will be too much for Club Brugge. 3-1 Dortmund.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Paco Alcácer has scored with each of his first nine shots on target in the Bundesliga.
PSV vs. Barcelona
MB: Barcelona took PSV apart at the Camp Nou and even though they’ll be missing Luis Suárez and Arthur you’d back them to leave Eindhoven with a win, especially as Leo Messi (who has five goals in two games so far this season) is back. 1-3 Barcelona.
ES: With PSV winless in their last 12 Champions League games and Barcelona top of the group with 10 points, Barcelona should ease to a comfortable victory in this one. 0-3 Barcelona.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Ousmane Dembele has won Barcelona 7 points with five La Liga goals, more than any other player.
Spurs vs. Inter
MB: Spurs’ mistake in Eindhoven means they now must win this game. They were just minutes away from turning Inter over in Milan, which given they’re now playing at Wembley where they’ve won seven games in a row, you’d back them to do. 2-1 Spurs.
ES: This is a must-win game for Spurs and I fancy them to beat Inter at Wembley, coming off the back of a big win against Chelsea on Saturday. 2-1 Spurs.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Mauro Icardi has scored in three of Inter’s four Champions League fixtures this season.
Porto vs. Schalke
MB: Both sides played out a draw in Germany and Porto are a rugged and solid side at home, which should give them an advantage over the travelling German team, even if Schalke did win big at the weekend. 1-0 Porto.
ES: Both of these sides are unbeaten in the Champions League so far. Schalke haven’t been tested much in terms of shots on goal faced – just eight, five of which came in this reverse fixture. Porto were unfortunate to only draw that game but they should win at home to clinch knockout qualification. 2-1 Porto.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Moussa Marega has scored in each of the last three games for Porto in the Champions League, they have won all of them.
Napoli vs. Red Star Belgrade
MB: Napoli need to be taken seriously, even if they’ve only won one of their games so far in the Champions League. The Italians know that they travel to Anfield on matchday six so will be looking to give themselves a huge advantage by winning this game, which you’d suspect they will do and do so handsomely. 5-0 Napoli.
ES: Napoli are unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions and with the stakes as high as they are in Group C, Napoli can’t afford to suffer a shock defeat as Liverpool did. 3-0 Napoli.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Lorenzo Insigne has scored in the last five consecutive home fixtures in the Champions League, the first Italian to do so.
PSG vs. Liverpool
MB: Unquestionably the tie of the gameweek, PSG basically have to win or they risk a humiliating group stage exit for the most expensively assembled team on the planet. Neymar, Cavani and Mbappé were disappointments at Anfield. But with Verratti having now served his suspension, can they turn it around in Paris against. a Liverpool side who have lost their last three away games in Europe? Just about, yes. 3-2 PSG.
ES: With both sides still unbeaten in their league and the high stakes of the group, this is the tie of the round. They’ve collectively scored 18 goals in the Champions League after 4 games and 72 in the league at this early stage. 2-2 draw.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Neymar’s 29 successful take-ons are at least 13 more than any other player in the Champions League this season.
The post Champions League predictions for all 16 matches this gameweek appeared first on Squawka News.
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