Monaco v Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund to win – 8/11
Monaco swept Borussia Dortmund aside when the sides met in the quarter finals of the Champions League in 2017, but with the sale of most of their prized assets they have deteriorated rapidly and are now a far cry from that promising squad.
You’ve got to hand it to Thierry Henry; he’s somehow managed to make what was already a perilous situation even worse for Monaco. Henry’s appointment brought with it a winless run that lasted well over a month and saw Monaco slip to 19th in the league. That streak also included a humiliating 4-0 defeat at home to group minnows Club Brugge and that played a large part in Monaco’s early elimination from Champions League.
With nothing to play for, Monaco come up against a Borussia Dortmund team that is also unrecognisable to the one that played in the 2017 quarter final. Jadon Sancho, Paco Alcacer and Thomas Delaney among others have swelled the Dortmund ranks and they currently hold a seven-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
The Germans have been phenomenal this season for the most part and are already through to the last-16 in this competition. With Alcacer appearing to score with every shot he takes, it’s difficult to see how Henry’s charges will keep the German league leaders out.
Dortmund need a win to keep their hopes of topping the group alive, and they should have far too much for their French hosts.
Club Brugge v Atletico Madrid: Atletico to win – 4/7
Club Brugge are cemented in third place in Group A and are already destined for the Europa League.
The Belgian champions face an Atletico side that needs to pick up three points to secure top spot and that should prove the difference on Tuesday night. Atletico have been unspectacular thus far in the Champions League and yet still find themselves in pole position to top the group.
Antoine Griezmann was the match winner when the sides met in Madrid as his brace either side of half-time helped Atletico stutter to an unconvincing victory.
Unsurprisingly, Griezmann is Atletico’s top scorer in the competition with four goals, and his class could prove to be the difference again this week.
Inter Milan v PSV: Inter Milan to win – 1/3
Sorry Tottenham fans, but Inter Milan will pick up three points here, meaning Spurs will have to win in the Nou Camp to progress. Inter are level with Tottenham on points, but an inferior head to head means that they need to better Spurs’ result on Tuesday night.
Facing an already eliminated PSV at home, whom they have already beaten in Eindhoven, Inter couldn’t have handpicked a more ideal opponent.
PSV have picked up a solitary point from five games in Europe this season and have lost both of their away games so far.
Teams with nothing to play for can often be dangerous opposition, but there is far too much at stake for the Italians to take this lightly and they should record a relatively straightforward victory.
Schalke v Lokomotiv Moscow: Schalke to win – Evens
This one is a complete dead rubber for Schalke who can’t catch Porto and top Group D, but also can’t be caught in second place.
Having said that they still should have far too much for the Russian champions in Gelsenkirchen and it is a mark of how poor the group is that eight points is enough to qualify for the last-16 with a game to spare.
Lokomotiv Moscow have been poor on their travels, conceding seven goals in their two away games in Europe this season, losing both games. The Russians have only managed to win three of their nine away games in their league and find themselves well off the pace in fifth.
Schalke’s league form has also left a lot to be desired, and eight defeats from 14 games has seen them drop into the bottom half of the Bundesliga.
They have been solid in Europe though, and home advantage should see them over the line against a very ordinary Lokomotiv outfit in what is undeniably the weakest group in the competition.
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