Champions League history: Which countries have had the most success?
As this season’s tournament reaches its final stages, we have looked back over Champions League history to see which nations have dominated it in various ways.
AC Milan vs Man Utd: Rossoneri have value appeal
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.
Arsenal vs Olympiacos: Goals to flow in second leg
Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League by Olympiacos last season despite winning the first leg so will be hoping lightning does not strike twice at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners are in control of their round-of-16 tie after a 3-1 win in Greece last week and their confidence was further boosted by Sunday’s derby victory against Tottenham.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Tottenham: Spurs defence to see them through
Tottenham hold a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg against Dinamo Zagreb and should reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League without too much fuss. Harry Kane’s brace proved decisive in the first leg last week and another solid defensive display would see Spurs through.
Rangers vs Slavia Prague: Gers to produce Ibrox improvement
Rangers battled back to claim a 1-1 draw with Slavia Prague last week and are now clear favourites to progress to the Europa League quarter-finals at Ibrox. We correctly tipped 16/5 for a score draw and 29/10 for both teams to score in the first half in the first leg so hopefully we can repeat that success.
Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid: Blues to shade it again
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 vs Lazio: Holders can cruise through
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.
Real Madrid vs Atalanta: Draw in Spain is value option
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.
Man City vs Borussia Monchengladbach: Blues to cruise through
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.
Euro 2020 teams: How each nation qualified
If good things come to those who wait then fans of international football are in for a treat this summer at Euro 2020. The tournament was postponed due to the continent being in lockdown last year but on June 11 it is finally set to kick off. In anticipation we have looked back at how each of the 24 Euro 2020 teams qualified for the tournament.
Leicester vs Sheff Utd: Foxes can boost top-four hopes
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 vs West Brom: Zaha ready to help Eagles soar
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.
PSG vs Barcelona: No way back for Catalan outfit
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 vs RB Leipzig: Another welcome Euro boost for Reds
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.