TheUEFA Champions LeagueRound of 16 return leg rolls on as theclashes on Tuesday, March 9,pit four soccer clubswith very different histories against each other. Liverpooland Leipzig will clash offon a neutral venue, at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary,while Barcelona travel to France to faceParis Saint-Germain.
It looks like both games have already been decided but there is always space for surprises, as history has shown us in the Champions League the past several years. Leipzig will try to use Liverpool’s recent poor and scorelessfoom but they are yet to come from a two-goal deficit. On the other side, it appears very unlikely but Barca will look to add at least three goals vs PSG so asto progress to the next round.
The Blaugrana have already produced an incredible comeback against the French sidein2017 when they won 6-1 in the second leg, after losing4-0 in the first one. While picking a straight winner might not be as attractive there are many betting opportunities in the over/under or who scores first that might be much more attractive. Let’s take a look at the sports betting options for these matchups.
Liverpool vs Leipzig betting picks
Ozan Kabak (right) of Liverpool holds Yussuf Poulsen (left) of RB Leipzig. (Getty)
This matchupis certainly going to be another test for Jurgen Klopp,a chance to see the light of day or to continue to disappoint even more. The Reds are yet torecover from the shocking performancesin the English top division. They have failed to win in six of the seven most recent Premier League games andto make it even worse,they have only scored fourgoals in those seven fixtures.In 2021, Liverpool have lost nine games already, which is surprisingly more than they have lost in the 2019 and 2020 calendar years combined.
On the other side of the pitch, there is the very inspired Leipzig who are currently in second place on the German Bundesliga table. They are unbeaten in the last six league games, having last lost to Mainz on January 23. TheRed Bulls have lost onlythree times this calendar year, with one being the defeat by Liverpool in the first leg.
It looks very likely that Liverpool will qualify for the next phase, but at the moment, things aren’t looking great for them, thus, betting that Leipzigwin this game 1-0 could be a certain bet.Thescore line is paying +1000, as per FanDuel.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelonabetting picks
Frenkie de Jong (left) of Barcelona competes for the ball with Kylian Mbappe (right) of Paris Saint-Germain. (Getty)
PSG have been very solid this season, suffering only two defeats in 2021, both in the French Ligure 1. They will attempt to reach the final this season, after failing for the past 10 years, despite being one of the several powerhouses in European football. To make it even worse, theyhad world stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani,Thiago Silva,Ezequiel Lavezzi, and still failed to lift the UCL trophy.
Meanwhile, Barcelona players arefacing the test of their lives, as they will hope for a miracle and a remake of the 2017 UCL Round of 16 clashes against PSG. However, the problem for the Spanish side is that they are hardly the Barcelona that once were and that we all know. An interesting fact isthatonly seven of the 18 players that were on the pitch and on the bench on March 8, 2017, are still members of the club. The recent comeback vs Sevilla in the Copa del Rey is Barca’s only ray of hope at the moment, meaning they know how to produce one when they want to.
Both sides have been in great scoring form, soit would be indisputable to think that this game will have Over 3.5 goals. A$100bet could earn the bettor $114, as per FanDuel.In addition, if you got to pick anyone to put the ball in the back of the net in this game, lookno further than Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe. The formerisat +370to bethe first one to score, while the latter is at +380.
Parlays for these two matchups of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 return leg
A solid parlay bet could be the following:Leipzig to beat Liverpool 1-0;Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelonato score over 3.5 goals, and Kylian Mbappe to score first. At $50, the bettor could win up to $747.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen of Barcelona reacts as Moise Keane of Paris Saint-Germain scores a goal. (Getty)
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