Sports Blog 15/03/2016: Match Preview – UEFA Champions League Last 16 2nd Legs, Tuesday 15th March 2016

After a potentially title race ending draw in Norwich Manchester City will be hoping for a quarter-final securing result against Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Tuesday.

That goalless draw at Carrow Road leaves City 12 points away from league leaders Leicester (with a game in hand), and only 2 ahead of 5th place West Ham, effectively removing them from title contention and leaving their place in the Champions League next season an uncertainty. Well, uncertain, that is, unless they win the whole thing, an unlikely feat that could be made a bit easier if the Manchester side get a similarly fortunate draw like they did in the last 16.



For whilst Dynamo Kiev managed to escape a group containing both Chelsea and Porto they wilted when City travelled to Ukraine last month, Manuel Pellegrini’s side coming away with 3 precious away goals (but, admittedly, with 1 conceded). Sergio Aguero unsurprisingly led the charge that night, scoring the opener in the 15 minute, and goes into Tuesday evening at a Super Mega PGM of 56-64; David Silva, meanwhile, is at 15-19 whilst Kelechi Iheanacho is at 28-34.

A 59th minute goal from Vitaliy Buyalskyi leaves Dynamo Kiev with the slimmest chance of qualification, though they need to nab at least 3 goals if they want to stand a chance of reaching the quarter-finals. And whilst they may have won their last 2 games in the Ukrainian Premier League since returning from the lengthy winter break, seeing them overtake Shakhtar Donestk to top the table, that kind of domestic form likely doesn’t matter much on Europe’s biggest stage. It is understandable, then, why our Spreadex traders so heavily favour a home win, offering a Manchester City/Dynamo Kiev Goal Supremacy spread of 1.1-1.3 with a Total Goals spread of 2.8-3.



If City near enough have their place in the last 8 sown up, things are still all to play for in Tuesday’s other tie, as Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven try and break their 1st leg deadlock. Ending goalless in the Netherlands, Atletico will be hoping they don’t rue the fact they failed to score an all-important away goal when PSV travel to Spain. Both sides have been in fine form in the interim: Atletico have won 4 in 4, including a 1-0 win over bitter city rivals Real, leaving them in 2nd place in La Liga, whilst PSV’s victories over ADO Den Haag and Groningen leaves them atop the Eredivisie by a solitary point.

Despite there being seemingly little to separate the two sides the relative gulf in quality between the Spanish and Dutch leagues leaves Diego Simeone’s side with a clear advantage in the eyes of our Spreadex traders, who are offering an Atletico Madrid/PSV Eindhoven Goal Supremacy spread of 1.5-1.7 with a Total Goals spread of 2.6-2.8.

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