Tony Kelshaw 
Manchester United’s first Europa League encounter with AC Milan at Old Trafford was a very even contest and few would argue 1-1 was a fair result. The return fixture in Italy promises to be another close contest, so we can’t see why the Red Devils have been made firm favourites to come out on top.
Chelsea start the second leg of their Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid with a 1-0 lead and are fancied to build on that advantage. The Blues troubled their opponents on the break in Spain and should have more counter-attack chances here with Los Colchoneros needing to chase a win.
Bayern Munich aren’t going to give up their hold on the Champions League trophy lightly, judged on a 4-1 triumph away to Lazio three weeks ago. Hansi Flick’s side have since gone on to secure a trio of entertaining Bundesliga victories, although they did fail to keep a clean sheet in any of those games either.
An injury-hit Real Madrid returned from Bergamo with a 1-0 Champions League win over Atalanta but the Italian outfit can’t be written off just yet. La Dea were reduced to 10 men after just 17 minutes by the harshest of red cards and are fancied to be competitive in Spain with a full compliment.
Manchester City made light work of beating a struggling Borussia Monchengladbach side in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. That smooth 2-0 success meant the Blues have gone over 10 hours without conceding a single goal in Europe’s elite club competition.
Leicester can enhance their Premier League top-four prospects by seeing off bottom club Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The Foxes have been hit by injury problems of late but have the strength in depth to secure a fourth straight head-to-head victory over the relegation-bound Blades.
Crystal Palace will hope to have Wilfried Zaha back up to full speed for Saturday’s Premier League clash with West Brom at Selhurst Park. The Eagles’ talismanic front man returned from injury as a half-time substitute at Tottenham last weekend and should be all the better for that blow-out.
Barcelona produced the greatest second-leg comeback in Champions League history against PSG four years ago and must attempt a similar feat this term. However, that famous triumph was on home turf and Barca were in far better shape than they are right now, so we fear this is a case of mission impossible.
Liverpool’s Champions League second-leg clash with RB Leipzig in Budapest presents punters with a fascinating conundrum. In terms of recent domestic results, the German outfit are in much better form, but the Reds were convincing victors in the first encounter, which was also played in Budapest.
Juventus have work to do to reach the Champions League quarter-finals after losing their opening leg away to Porto but we’re sticking with them. A late Bianconeri goal in that 2-1 defeat left this tie very delicately poised, but we feel the Italian giants have more scope for improvement in the return fixture.
Sevilla simply couldn’t cope with the pace and power of Borussia Dortmund’s forward line in Spain and we fear a repeat scenario in Germany. Los Rojiblancos did have their moments in a 3-2 loss at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but turning this Champions League tie around will be a tall order.
Sunday’s Premier League relegation battle between West Brom and Newcastle has all the makings of a tight tussle, with goals sure to be at a premium. Only one team has scored fewer times on home turf than Albion this term, while the Magpies have the third-lowest tally in away matches.
Southampton have struggled to pick up points during a tough run of fixtures but we feel they have a big performance in them at Sheffield United. Saints have tumbled down the table during a nine-match winless run in Premier League matches, but they have impressed in the FA Cup.
Everton can climb into the top four, even if only briefly, by winning at West Brom on Thursday evening and get our vote to achieve that feat. Albion are stubbornly clinging onto their Premier League survival hopes but may lack the quality to match in-form opponents on such a mission.