Bayer Leverkusen vs Atletico Madrid – Tuesday 21st February 2017 – 19:45 - BT Sport 2
Bayer Leverkusen welcome Atletico Madrid to the BayArena in a huge Champions League match, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.
The German side come into this match on the back of a 3-1 win, away against Augsburg in an excellent win.
Karim Bellarabi (23) opened the scoring for the visitors, scoring the 50,000th goal in the German league in the process.
Javier Hernandez (40) scored Leverkusen's second goal just before half time, to give Leverkusen a great advantage going into the break.
Augsburg did pull one back on the hour mark (60), to make it 2-1, before Javier Hernandez (65) scored his second to make it 3-1 on the night.
The win is an excellent result for Leverkusen, just what they needed heading into a game of this magnitude.
Bayer In Great Form
The Germans come into this match in great recent form, with successive wins in the German Bundesliga.
Wins against Augsburg, Frankfurt, and Hertha Berlin have been sandwiched in between two defeats (Hamburg & Monchengladbach) and a draw against Cologne.
Leverkusen will be looking to transfer that form to the Champions League, with Atletico Madrid one of the toughest draws possible.
They finished as runners-up in Group E, with AS Monaco beating them by a slender point after the final round of games.
Germans Underdogs
Leverkusen go into this match as the underdogs, despite their excellent recent form and home advantage.
They will be looking to register their third win in the competition, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.
Bayer will be looking to complete only their second ever Champions League win over the Spanish giants.
Bayer Leverkusen are 12/5 with Javier Hernandez at 6/1 to score first.
Atletico Back On Track
Diego Simeone's side come into this match on the back of a 4-1 win away against Sporting Gijon, a thumping win.
Ferreira Carrasco (46) opened the scoring for Atleti, with all of the goals coming in the second half of the match.
Picon (49) equalised for the home side, making it 1-1 until very late on in the game.
Kevin Gameiro (80,81,85) scored a hat-trick in the space of five minutes, to give Atletico an inflated scoreline.
It was both ruthless finishing and poor defending, with Sporting Gijon looking set for a point until nine minutes from time.
Madrid Need Win
Atletico have been in good form of late, with three wins in their last four matches.
Simeone's men currently sit in fourth place, three points behind Barcelona who have a game in hand.
That is simply not good enough for Atletico especially given their recent high standards, they will be looking to advance in Europe as well.
They topped their respective Champions League Group D, finishing three points above runners up Bayern Munich.
More Of The Same
The match against Bayer sees Atletico emerge as favourites, with their excellent European form finding favour with the bookies.
A win will mean they are in the driver's seat in this tie, an away goal will be key to their chances of progression.
This is the fourth meeting between the two sides, with both sides winning one each and drawing the other two.
Atletico Madrid are 5/4 with Antoine Griezmann at 9/2 to open the scoring.
Manchester City vs Monaco – Tuesday 21st February 2017 – 19:45 - BT Sport 2
Manchester City welcome Monaco to the Etihad Stadium in a huge Champions League match, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.
Pep Guardiola's side come into this match on the back of a 0-0 draw, away against Championship high fliers Huddersfield.
It was the last result that Guardiola wanted, with City competing on three fronts, the FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League.
The winners of this replay will go on to face Middlesbrough in the Quarter Finals, with the FA Cup a very realistic chance for Guardiola to secure his first silverware.
It does ensure that City remain unbeaten in their last six matches, with four wins and two draws in their last six matches.
That form is a great fillip for City , just what they needed heading into a game of this magnitude.
City In Great Form
This means that City come into this match in great recent form, this competition will be vital for Guardiola.
Wins against Bournemouth, Swansea, West Ham and Crystal Palace have been sandwiched in between two draws against Tottenham and Huddersfield.
City will be looking to transfer that form to the Champions League, with Monaco a tough draw with Tottenham able to vouch for that.
They finished as runners-up in Group C, with Barcelona beating them by a comfortable six points after the final round of games.
City Favourites
Manchester City go into this match as the favourites, with their excellent recent form and home advantage informing the bookies.
They will be looking to register their fifth win in the competition, with a place in the Quarter-Finals at stake.
This is the first meeting between the two sides in the Champions League.
Manchester City are 8/13 with Sergio Aguero at 3/1 to score first.
Monaco Enjoying Life
The French side come into this match on the back of a 1-1 draw away against Bastia, a disappointing result for the top side in Ligue 1.
Sadio Diallo (19) opened the scoring for Bastia, ensuring the hosts got off to the perfect start against the league leaders.
They went into the break with a 1-0 lead, frustrating the best side in the league in the process.
Bernardo Silva (52) scored the equaliser just after the break, it proved to be a decisive goal for the visitors.
Despite it being a disappointing results, it was a great show of resilience, they will need to show the same in this tie.
Monaco Unbeaten
Monaco have been in great form of late, with four wins and two draws in their last six matches.
They currently sit in top spot, three points ahead of their nearest rivals Nice, who have 56 points.
That is excellent for Monaco, who have failed to get a look in due to PSG's dominance over the last few years, and they will want to make it count in Europe as well.
They topped their respective Champions League Group E, finishing one point above runners up Bayer Leverkusen.
More Of The Same
The match against Manchester City sees Monaco emerge as underdogs, despite their excellent European form they have failed to find favour with the bookies.
A win will mean they are in the driver's seat in this tie, an away goal will be key to their chances of progression.
This is the first meeting between the two sides in the Champions League.
Monaco are 17/4 with Falcao at 5/1 to open the scoring.
Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Griezmann to score first @ 9/2 and a 2-2 draw @ 16/1
Tip 2 – Falcao to score first @ 5/1 and Man City to win 2-1 @ 7/1