This Tuesday evening the final round of group stage matches, of the UEFA Champions League promises to entertain football fans.

Barcelona and Juventus face off against each other, however, both teams have already qualified for the round-of-16 comfortably, leaving a slim chance for us to watch two of the greatest players in the history of the competition, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo renew their rivalry at opposite ends of a football pitch.

Chelsea and Sevilla have also booked their tickets to next round from Group E, while in Group F, Lazio host Club Brugge in a straight shootout to join Borussia Dortmund in the next stage.

Although, all eyes will be on the “Group of Death”, with Manchester United making the trip to Germany to lock horns with RB Leipzig. Paris-Saint Germain, Man United and RB Leipzig are level on nine points each. Istanbul Basaksehir are expected to be outclassed by the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, which leaves Man United with the equation of avoiding defeat at the Red Bull Arena to qualify, a draw would mean the Red Devils progress to the next round.

Tuesday 8 December

Group E

Rennes 22/10

Draw 9/4

Sevilla 12/10

Rennes chances of clinging on to third spot in order to gain entry into the UEFA Europa League vanished with last week’s 1-0 defeat to Russian outfit Krasnodar. Coach Julien Stephan is under severe pressure, the Red and Blacks have now lost eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions. 

Sevilla are through to the knockout stage which means the Europa League holders won’t have the opportunity to defend their title, but Julen Lopetegui’s men will be keen to get the round-of-16 action underway after displaying what a fantastic cup team they are last season. Sevilla offer great value at 12/10.

Chelsea 1/4

Draw 47/10

Krasnodar 17/2

Chelsea will top Group E regardless of the result between Rennes and Sevilla. Frank Lampard is expected to ring the changes and give fringe players the opportunity to stake their claim going into the English Premier League’s gruelling December schedule, where squad depth will prove to be imperative. 

Midfielder Billy Gilmour said, “There’s competition for places in this team, it’s hard to get in. We have to go into the game to win. Chelsea are a massive team and everyone knows the standards.” Krasnodar had moments in the reverse tie but eventually fell to a 4-0 defeat to the Blues. Select Both Teams to Score (Yes) at 17/20.

Group F

Lazio 13/20

Draw 29/10

Club Brugge 36/10

Lazio welcome the Belgian champions Club Brugge to Rome, where Biancocelesti claimed victories against Borussia Dortmund (3-1) and Zenit St. Petersburg (3-1). Simone Inzaghi’s Eagles are unbeaten in the competition, sharing the spoils in all three away ties. Ciro Immobile has been in inspired form for the Italians and knows an early goal will set his team on the right track. 

A point for Lazio will see them enter the last-16 for the first time since the 2000/01 season. Club Brugge will be trying gate-crash the party, only a win will change their fortunes, if not Philippe Clement’s side will resume their European adventure in the Europa League. Totals Home Team: Over 1,5 Goals is my play at 13/20.

Zenit St. Petersburg 34/10

Draw 3/1

Borussia Dortmund 7/10

Zenit St. Petersburg held Lazio to a 1-1 draw that chalked up their only point and have lost their other four ties convincingly. Sardar Azmoun will spearhead the attack for the Russians and claimed his team are committed to giving their best performance, there are no friendlies in the UEFA Champions League, and they’re coming to win a football match. 

Borussia Dortmund are through to the next round but; their next task will be topping this group to avoid drawing a heavyweight opponent when the competition continues early next year. Erling Haaland is still recovering from a hamstring injury so this week I’ll have to look for something other than, Haaland in the Anytime Goalscorer market. I suggest taking Dortmund and Yes at 37/20 in the Matchbet and Both Teams to Score market.

Group G

Dynamo Kiev 8/10

Draw 26/10

Ferencvaros 34/10

Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros will battle it out for third spot in the group, which is valuable to clubs from Ukraine and Hungary. These sides drew 2-2 in the reverse tie with Ferencvaros clawing back from 2-0 down at half-time. 

Dynamo Kiev will be better prepared on home soil as well as their experiences in previous seasons of the Champions League which gives them an upper hand over the first-timers. The visitors found the net at the Nou Camp and Turin but will now try to go one better by claiming their first UCL victory. Both Teams to Score (Yes) is the way to go at odds of 8/10.

Barcelona 21/20

Draw 28/10

Juventus 43/20

Barcelona dropped points in La Liga for the fourth time directly after midweek UEFA Champions League action. The Catalans look like a shadow of the team that struck fear into everyone during the past 10 years. Barca’s unbeaten record of 37 UCL games at the Nou Camp will be put to the test when Ronaldo returns to Spain. 

Messi will cherish the visit of his closest rival in what could be the Argentine’s final season for the Blaugrana. Juventus suffered a 2-0 defeat in Turin, while Ronaldo was in self isolation and recovering from covid-19. The Portuguese forward has scored 7 goals in eight games since returning to action and will have his sights set on adding to the 18 times, he’s already scored against Barca in his career. My money is on Juve on the Win/Draw Double Chance at 7/10.

Group H

Paris Saint-Germain 1/10

Draw 8/1

Istanbul Basaksehir 20/1

Paris Saint-Germain will top Group H by winning this match at Le Parc des Princes, due to their superior head-to-head record over both Man United and RB Leipzig. Neymar and Mbappe are fully fit which spells danger for the Turkish champions.

Istanbul Basaksehir come into the clash winless in six games across all competitions and their only UCL victory in the club’s history came against Man United, five weeks ago. Last time out, Irfan Kahveci scored a memorable hattrick in a 4-3 humdinger against RB Leipzig, but left the game with nothing as the Red Bulls stole all three points in stoppage time. Both Halves Over 1,5 Goals is tipped at 13/10.

RB Leipzig 13/10

Draw 26/10

Manchester United 7/4

RB Leipzig come into this high-profile clash off the back of a stellar display against Bayern Munich, where the Red Bulls had to settle for a share of the spoils in a 3-3 stalemate, but will take enough positives from the Allianz Arena despite conceding late on. While their previous game saw Julian Nagelsmann’s men leave Turkey with maximum points thanks to a 93rd minute Alexander Sorloth strike. We’re set for a goal-filled encounter as RB Leipzig aim to extend their impressive record of seven wins on the bounce at the Red Bull Arena. 

Man United’s season and Ole Gunnar Solksjkaer’s job hinges on this matchup, failure to make the round-of-16 could easily mean the end of Solksjkaer’s tenure as Red Devils manager. United have won five of their last six matches, only conceding defeat to PSG, six days ago. At Old Trafford, United have been below par but have impressed on the road, winning seven of the eight matches (losing once to Istanbul Basaksehir). It won’t be another 5-0 victory for the Reds but, I firmly believe they have enough to edge out a win.

TUESDAY’S TREBLE @ 6/1

Lazio vs Club Brugge – Totals Home Team: Over 1,5 Goals 13/20

Chelsea vs Krasnodar – Both Teams to Score (Yes) 8/10

PSG vs Istanbul Basaksehir – Both Halves Over 1,5 Goals 13/10

Written by Bryan Naicker