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Football | UEFA Champions League 2023 | Round of 16 Second Leg | Preview

By Robert Wheeler

  • Manchester City faces RB Leipzig at home with the score at 1-1
  • Liverpool has a tough match with Real Madrid as they are trailing 5-2
  • Chelsea is the only English team already through to the quarter-finals
Europe – It is a big week for Manchester City and Liverpool, City needs to defeat RB Leipzig at home if they are to progress but the Reds have a mountain to climb at the Bernabeu. 

 

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Manchester City (1) v RB Leipzig (1) 14 March 20:00

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Manchester City will be confident they can progress against RB Leipzig as they are playing at home and the score is currently level.

At the weekend, Pep Guardiola‘s side beat Crystal Palace 1-0, thanks to a penalty from Erling Haaland. It was Haaland’s 33rd goal in all competitions this season. Leipzig will know all about him as the Norwegian has three goals in five appearances against them in his career.

Haaland was the player brought in by City for the big games. Many wondered if they had him last season they would have beaten Real Madrid in the semi-final and gone on to win the trophy. Now they have a chance to see if he can make it county when needed.

Leipzig beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 on Saturday. On the scoresheet was former Chelsea forward Timo Werner. There German did not have the best of times at Stamford Bridge and will be vying to show English fans what he can do.

This trophy is the only one that eludes City, with top sides including Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus already out, this may be their best chance to finally go all the way.

Score prediction: Manchester City 2-0 RB Leipzig

 

Real Madrid (5) v Liverpool (2) 15 March 20:00

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Liverpool has a mountain to climb but they are known for great comebacks in the Champions League. Steven Gerrard‘s heroics in Istanbul immediately spring to mind. The Reds have also shown this season how freely they can score when they destroyed Manchester United 7-0.  They will need a performance like this if they are to progress.

However, in their last Premier League game, Jurgen Klopp‘s side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth. This showed how inconsistent the team are. It will be interesting to see which Liverpool team turn up, the high-scoring entertainers or the side that fails to get going.

Real Madrid enjoyed a 3-1 victory over Espanyol on Saturday. Vinicius Junior was their opening goalscorer and the Brazilian now has 19 goals in all competitions this season. He scored twice and got an assist against Liverpool in the first leg and is a player that they need to try and keep quiet if they can.

In La Liga, Los Blancos are currently nine points behind Barcelona in 1st place. The Champions League is Carlo Ancelotti‘s biggest hope of claiming major silverware this season.

With Real Madrid beating Liverpool in last year’s final, they have the psychological boost along with their result from the first leg. At the Bernabeu, Ancelotti’s side will be expected to get the job done but do not be surprised if Liverpool put up a fight.

Score prediction: Real Madrid 3-0 Liverpool