Roma v Real Madrid

  • Champions League last 16, first leg
  • Wednesday, February 17th
  • Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
  • Stadio Olimpico, Rome
  • Live on BT Sport Europe

Goals galore expected in Rome

It’s fair to say that Roma were lucky to reach the last 16 this year, as they scraped through Group E achieving just six points from as many games, and now they face the team that gained the most of the pool stage.

Real Madrid (4/5 odds-on match favourites and 1/7 to qualify) were unbeaten, and drew just once, in their Group A, scoring an incredible 19 goals and conceding only three.
Roma have had their fair share of thrashings in the Champions League in recent years, with Manchester United smashing them 7-1 in 2007 and Bayern Munich beating them by the same result last season.
This campaign, Barcelona inflicted a 6-1 drubbing on the Giallorossi, while the Italians were also involved in three other high-scoring matches – 4-4 with Bayer Leverkusen and 3-2 against BATE Borisov on two occasions.
Therefore, take tempting odds of 7/2 for there to be over 4.5 goals in this clash too, and 6/1 for Zinedine Zidane’s Real to net four or more.

Omens don’t look good for Roma

However, despite Los Blancos winning three of the last four matches against Roma away, their most recent meeting at the Stadio Olimpico finished 2-1 to the hosts in 2008, so they are 7/2 to claim an unlikely victory once more.
Former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko will be the main threat for Luciano Spalletti going forward, having scored twice in Group E, and he is 2/1 to net anytime again.
For Real, Cristiano Ronaldo already has a whopping 11 goals so far in the Champions League, and so is 3/1 to bag a brace or better. Karim Benzema is even-money in the anytime market.

Gent v Wolfsburg

  • Champions League last 16, first leg
  • Wednesday, February 17th
  • Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
  • Ghelamco Arena, Ghent
  • Live on BT Sport 2

CL knockout rounds newcomers duel

In the other match of the night in Europe’s elite club competition, Gent (7/4 to win the match) and Wolfsburg (13/8 slight favourites) meet for the first time ever.
The German’s are heavily backed at 1/4 to qualify, after coming through a relatively challenging Group B involving PSV Eindhoven, Man Utd and CSKA Moscow, but Gent’s achievement was perhaps the more impressive.
Belgian outfit Gent (13/5) finished second in Group H, ahead of more fashionable clubs Valencia and Lyon, and were just behind Andre Villas-Boas’ Zenit St-Petersburg.
Being in uncharted territory and in their debut Champions League year, though, the hosts are likely to falter to Wolfsburg, who are in their second campaign of this event and have higher quality players to pick from.

Wolfsburg have array of attacking talent

Die Wolfe spread out their goals with the likes of Max Kruse, Andre Schurrle and Julian Draxler all netting one apiece, and they are respective 6/4, 11/4 and 11/4 shouts in the anytime market again.
Others on offer for the visitors include January window signing Bruno Henrique (7/4),Nicklas Bendtner (15/8), and highly-rated wing back Ricardo Rodriguez (5/1).
Boss Dieter Hecking will be without the likes of injured striker Das Bost and imposing centre half Naldo, who bagged an unlikely brace to send Man Utd crashing out of the competition in the final group game. The Brazilian picked up a third yellow card in the Champions League in the process which sees him suspended for this match.
For the hosts, Daniijel Milicevic smashed home three goals in the groups, and is an enticing 5/1 shout to score again anytime, while Laurent Depoitre (7/4), Sven Kums (2/1) and Kalifa Coulibaly (11/4) hope to add to their tally of one apiece.

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