The UCL quarterfinals get underway on Wednesday morning (AEST) when Bayern Munich plays host to Inter Milan.
Bayern have won three of their last four games across all comps (1D), and have lost just once across their last 15 (11W,3D).
Meanwhile, the Inter have gone 10 games without defeat (7W,3D), but enter this game off the back of two draws.
Both Munich and Inter have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last three respective fixtures.
Bayern has won the previous two meetings between this pair, and I’m backing them to take a lead into the 2nd leg in Milan.
The Gunners are set to face their biggest test on their long and gruelling quest to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time.
That “test” is the most successful side in the history of European Football, the 15 time and defending UCL Champions, Real Madrid.
Arsenal and Real have only played two competitive fixtures against each other, both coming in Home & Aways legs in the 2005/06 UCL Quarterfinals.
The Gunners will be hoping to replicate their efforts of 19 years ago, where they progress through to the semi-finals with a 1-0 aggregate over both legs, they ultimately went on to the Final that season, where they lost out to Barcelona, the closest the North Londoners have ever gotten to the fabled European Cup.
As fun as it’s been to take a trip down memory lane, let’s look at current form.
Both sides are sitting 2nd in their respective leagues, Real are four points adrift of La Liga rivals Barca, while the Gunners are currently 11 points off the pace in the Prem.
Arsenal are unbeaten across their last seven games in all competitions (3W,4D), and have kept their opponents to under 1.5 goals in eight of their last nine fixtures.
Alternatively, Los Blancos have lost four of their last eight games in all competitions, although two of those defeats were inconsequential as they progressed on Pens in the UCL against Atletico and on aggregate across two legs in their Copa Del Rey semi against Real Sociedad.
With both teams struggling for winning form, I’m backing a nervous draw, with Arsenal’s defensive structure holding the Galácticos at bay.
The form side in Europe play host to an outfit fighting for a place in the top half of the Bundesliga.
Barca are unbeaten across their last 22 games in all competitions (18W,4D), and have won eight of their last nine UCL games this campaign (1D), including a 3-2 victory on the road to Dortmund in the league phase.
Alternatively, BVB are beginning to find a bit of domestic form, winning back-to-back games in the Bundesliga, that being said, they’ve been largely inconsistent on the road, winning five, and losing five of their previous 10 away games.
Barca is undefeated against Dortmund in all five of the pairs previous meetings (3W,2D), and have won both matches played in Spain.
I have Barca dominating this fixture from the opening whistle, and I’m backing them to hold the lead at the close of each half.
Aston Villa travels to Paris to face the side who knocked off the top seed in the league phase, PSG.
The Parisians have already secured the Ligue 1 title with six games remaining, as they turn their focus to winning the trophy that has long continued to elude them.
Alongside Barca, PSG are arguably the form side in Europe, winning 25 from their last 27 games across all competitions (1D,1L), that one defeat coming in a game against Liverpool in which Alisson Becker made about a thousand saves.
Meanwhile, the Villans form has also been notable, winning seven straight competitive fixtures, and four straight on the road.
As good as Villa have been of late, it’s impossible to look past this PSG side at home, and I think they’ll take care of business in Paris.