The round of 16 in the Champions League comes to a conclusion on Wednesday, when the remaining second-legs take place.
In the early evening game, Lille and Borussia Dortmund clash in the sole Champions League tie where the scores are all-square after the first-leg.
Arsenal claimed a victory by such a margin that the second-leg of their tie with PSV Eindhoven is essentially irrelevant, but that will not stop us finding some value as Mikel Arteta shuffles his pack.
Aston Villa also have one foot in the quarter-finals, though their first match against Club Brugge was a closer encounter than the scoreline might suggest.
Finally, there is the main event that is the Madrid derby between Atletico and Real, in which the Champions League holders are 2-1 up after the first-leg.
- LILLE WIN VS BORUSSIA DORTMUND
- ARSENAL WIN AND UNDER 3.5 GOALS VS PSV EINDHOVEN
- ASTON VILLA WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE VS CLUB BRUGGE
- ATLETICO MADRID AND REAL MADRID DRAW AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
Lille vs Borussia Dortmund
Lille will have been the happier of these two teams having fought back to claim a 1-1 draw in the first-leg.
Hakon Amar Haraldsson cancelled out Karim Adeyemi’s opener to continue the French club’s fine form in this competition.
Lille finished seventh in the league phase, with notable victories against both Madrid giants and a concluding 6-1 home thrashing of Feyenoord, when the pressure was really on them to secure their spot in the top eight.
Dortmund just missed out on an automatic spot in the last 16, with their 10th-place finish seeing them meet and defeat Sporting Lisbon in impressive fashion.
Yet the form of the Bundesliga club has not been radically improved by the appointment of Niko Kovac, with the 1-0 home defeat to Augsburg over the weekend meaning that he has only won three of his first eight games in charge.
They now face a Lille side that are unbeaten in four home Champions League games this season, which includes a 1-0 victory over the holders Real Madrid and a draw with Juventus.
Lille really should be favourites to win this one and the fact that they are not means that there is value in backing them.
LILLE WIN VS BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Arsenal vs PSV Eindhoven
PSV Eindhoven realistically hold no hope of overturning the six-goal deficit that exists between them and Arsenal.
The Dutch club were beaten 7-1 at home in the first-leg and their main focus in this match is likely to revolve around keeping the scoreline respectable.
Only one English team has even scored 10 goals across a Champions League tie and Arsenal have the chance to equal or better Manchester City’s achievement against Schalke from 2019.
Yet their own priorities are likely to lie at the weekend, when the second-placed Premier League club face a Chelsea side in fourth.
Arteta looks certain to rotate, with this game providing a stress-free opportunity for the Gunners to field their fringe players and give minutes to others looking to build fitness, such as right-back Ben White.
Arsenal should have enough attacking talent on display to win this match, but it is unlikely that the scoreline will reach the levels of last week.
With PSV desperate to avoid further humiliation, a narrow home win could land.
ARSENAL WIN AND UNDER 3.5 GOALS VS PSV EINDHOVEN
Aston Villa vs Club Brugge
Aston Villa’s 3-1 win at Club Brugge in the first-leg looks like a comprehensive victory from the scoreline alone.
In reality, it was a minor smash-and-grab, that while not in the same class as Liverpool’s snatched victory at PSG, still had an audacious feel to it.
The Belgian hosts had more possession and shots on target, with the scores level until eight minutes from time.
An own goal by Brandon Mecheke and a late penalty from Marco Asensio saw Villa steal the win, which they followed with a 1-0 domestic victory at Brentford.
They have now won three games in a row and have only lost one of their last eight matches across all competitions.
Yet Unai Emery will not be taking anything for granted against a Brugge side that won 3-1 at Serie A club Atalanta in the play-off round.
The visitors are certainly capable of scoring and though Villa should win, this promises to be another competitive game.
ASTON VILLA WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE VS CLUB BRUGGE
Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid have a 2-1 advantage, with goals from Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz giving them victory at the Bernabeu.
It was the third time that these city rivals have faced each other this season, with both of the two LaLiga games finishing as 1-1 draws.
Julian Alvarez scored his second goal at the Bernabeu this season, with his spectacular strike ensuring that Atletico are still very much in this tie.
This will be their fourth attempt to beat Real and to stop the visitors’ star-studded attack from scoring.
Real Madrid have scored in each of their last 10 games and with Jude Bellingham returning to join the likes of Rodrygo, Vinicius Jnr and Kylian Mbappe in attack, they are going to be difficult to stop.
Atletico Madrid may well have to score more than once to even bring this tie level and that is something that has been beyond them in three matches so far this season.
A third draw seems a possible outcome and once again we are expecting goals from both teams.
ATLETICO MADRID AND REAL MADRID DRAW AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
