Champions League Round of 16 action continues with two big matches on March 8.
Paris Saint Germain look to advance to the quarterfinals, carrying a 4 – 0 lead into their second leg encounter with Barcelona.
Borussia Dortmund host Benfica in Germany, as the Portuguese side hopes to increase their 1 – 0 result from their home leg in the round of 16 of Champions League.
As I reveal the lines, remember to login to DSI to find all your needs when it comes to soccer.
The first match comes at Camp Nou, and Barcelona is strongly favored to win.
Barcelona vs Paris Saint Germain
3-Way 1×2 Lines:
Barcelona -225
Paris +545
Draw +415
Handicap/Spread:
Barcelona -1 -140
Paris +1 +120
Total 3.5:
Over -110
Under -110
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There will be an all-German officiating staff for this match, appearing as follows:
Referee:
Deniz Aytekin (GER)
Assistant referees:
Guido Kleve (GER)
Markus Häcker (GER)
Additional assistant referees:
Daniel Siebert (GER)
Benjamin Brand (GER)
Fourth official:
Mike Pickel (GER)
So the big question on this day will be if Barca can pull off something no one has done. As I mentioned in the March 7 Champions League article, Bayern too is up four goals in their tie with Arsenal, but that was a 5 – 1 result.
No club has ever lost the first leg 4 – 0 and come back to advance in the tournament.
I think the anticipation for the fans of Barcelona is the most intriguing story, because they believe!
Four goals for Barcelona is no rare find, and we’ve seen it happen three times in the last five La Liga outings for the Spanish outfit. Barca scored five this past weekend against Celta Vigo, and six goals against Gijon just three days earlier on March 1. Granted PSG is not either of those two clubs, but we all know the ability Barcelona has to score.
Angel Di Maria, Thiago Motta, Marquinhos and Adrien Rabiot are all set to miss this second leg for PSG. Di Maria scored two of the club’s four goals in the 4 – 0 first leg win in Paris.
The goal for PSG is relatively obvious here. Don’t allow four damn goals, and try to slow this game down to a crawl, if possible. Kill the clock, and don’t let Messi and company have their way with you! At the same token, every road goal is worth twice its weight in gold for PSG. Of course, trying to compete with Barcelona in Spain playing the entire match in your own end, probably is not the best idea either. Sure PSG can sit back and defend their ass off, but all in all, no one can afford to let Barcelona keep possession and just attack and attack.
The line setters want to test our discipline here, offering a 3.5 on a total after four goals in Paris.
I don’t care if PSG put all 11 bodies in the box, because they have no shot of slowing down Barca.
I am just going to see if the total is too low, because I do expect a road goal for PSG to come. Granted the loss of Di Maria will hurt, but with Barca pressing, that will leave some opportunities in transition.
Suggested Play:
Barcelona / Paris SG Over 3.5 @ -110
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In the other match, Dortmund returns home to BVB Stadion strongly favored as well.
Borussia Dortmund vs Benfica
3-Way 1×2 Lines:
Dortmund -275
Benfica +850
Draw +400
Handicap/Spread:
Dortmund -1.5 +100
Benfica +1.5 -120
Total 3:
Over +105
Under -125
The officiating staff will all be from England, and they are listed as follows:
Referee:
Martin Atkinson (ENG)
Assistant referees:
Stephen Child (ENG)
Stuart Burt (ENG)
Additional assistant referees:
Michael Oliver (ENG)
Kevin Friend (ENG)
Fourth official:
Constantine Hatzidakis (ENG)
The first leg of this Champions League round of 16 tie took some time to develop. The lone goal came just as the second half got underway, as Kostas Mitroglou found the back of the net in the 48th minute. Luckily, the second half opened with some fireworks, because the first half was actually quite uneventful, to say the least. Just 10 minutes after the goal for Benfica, Dortmund had their chance to level the score. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was denied a chance from the penalty spot by keeper Ederson, and Dortmund were unable to find the net in the 1 – 0 loss.
Benfica’s lone goal came from their only shot that was on frame in the entire match.
Who could forget the last time these two met in European club competition? Where were you in 1963? I missed it myself being born in 1969, but we know Dortmund kicked Benfica’s ass in that second leg tie of the first round at home.
Franz Brungs scored a hat trick in the 5 – 0 win for Dortmund, as they advanced past Benfica after a 2 – 1 loss in the opening leg in Portugal.
In fact, being at home against Portuguese opposition has been quite favorable to the German side. Overall, Dortmund has played 11 matches against Portuguese clubs, holding a 7W and 4L record. But at home, Dortmund is a perfect 5 – 0 when hosting clubs from Portugal.
Dortmund has already tasted success against Portuguese competition in this year’s Champions League tournament. Sporting appeared in Group F with Dortmund, and Dortmund won both the home and away fixtures.
Benfica has an extensive history against German competition in European club competitions.
In 43 matches played against German sides, Benfica hold a 13W – 14D – 16L record. Are you ready for their road record? It’s ugly, so you might want to hide the women and children’s eyes!
Benfica has 2 Wins, 6 Draws and 14 Losses in 22 away encounters in Germany. Ouch! Last year, Benfica’s Champions League run ended against a German club. After a 1 – 0 loss in the front leg with Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals, the two played to a 2 – 2 draw in Portugal, seeing Bayern advance 3 – 2 on aggregate.
On each occasion that Benfica has won the first leg of UEFA tie by a 1 – 0 score, they have advanced to the next stage of the tournament 12 of 13 times. Most recently, they did it a year ago at this very stage, taking out Zenit St. Petersburg en route the quarterfinals.
History against history here! Can Benfica stretch those 1 – 0 first leg results to 13 of 14, or will Dortmund stay perfect at home against Portuguese competition?
I am personally surprised to see the +1.5 handicap sitting there on Benfica at -120. I mean that is rather reasonable in this spot, expecting a tight match throughout.
I cannot resist that line myself, so it is going on the board.
Suggested Play:
Dortmund vs Benfica
Benfica +1.5 AH @ -120
And that, will take us to next week, so enjoy the matches and Make it Rain!
