By Shahan Ahmed
Round of 16 – 2nd Legs
View all Champions League picks
Tuesday
Inter Milan v Marseille (Marseille lead 1-0 after 1st leg)
Bayern Munich v FC Basel ( Basel Lead 1-0 after 1st leg)
With both home teams down 1-0 and unable to manage an away goal, Tuesday’s ties are wide open. Inter are playing better football as of late after a horrific slump dropped them from the contending for a Champions League berth to 7th place, where they currently sit. Bayern, too, have been playing better football after they smashed 7 goals past Hoffenheim last weekend. Mario Gomez scored the hat trick, and the big boys of the Bundesliga hope to continue their advance toward the Champions League final, which is being played in Munich. Basel, however, helped knock out Manchester United and their 1 goal lead is no fluke. Inter Milan host Marseille after Inter managed a rare victory and Marseille fell ahead of last weekend. Both teams played last Friday, so fatigue should not be a factor.
Wednesday
Chelsea v Napoli (Napoli lead 3-1 after 1st leg )
Real Madrid v CSKA Moscow ( tied 1-1 after 1st leg)
Real Madrid are expected to put CSKA Moscow away at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Los Blancos have only 2 losses this season, both to Barcelona. With an all-important away goal secured, Mourinho’s men will hope to hold Moscow scoreless and advance without feeling the pressure. Chelsea were dismantled by the pace of Napoli in the 1st leg. Lavezzi, in particular, shredded the Blues, and he managed another goal last weekend. Cavani was rested in Napoli’s 6-3 win on Friday, as the Uruguayan only came on in a substitute’s role. Chelsea and Roberto Di Matteo face their first real test since the sacking of AVB. If Di Matteo can secure advancement and qualify for next season's Champions League, he may earn the opportunity to continue as Chelsea manager next season. More likely, he'll crash out of Champions League and finish 5th behind Arsenal, Spurs, and the two Manchester Clubs. No pressure.
Resident’s Pick
Inter Milan vs Marseille
Pick:
Inter Milan to win at 2.020.
Inter have not been good and have had a serious problem scoring goals recently. However, even when Inter was in poor form about a month ago, they matched up rather well against Marseille. The Italians out played the French team and were unfortunate not to walk away with a victory in France. With Inter playing better in their last match and Diego Forlan finally showing the quality the whole world knows he possesses, this match is set up for an Inter Milan victory. At even odds, there's value here.
AccuScore’s simulations currently have Inter Milan as 59% to win at the San Siro on Tuesday, compared to odds makers who only give the home side a 48% chance. There is definite value in this pick.
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