Enda McElhinney’s selections for the midweek European matches include wins for Juventus and Celtic.
It’s the penultimate round of games in the inaugural expanded version of the Champions League this midweek and it should see lots of jostling for position as the fate of those teams aiming to progress to the knockouts starts to become clear.
There are some cracking contests to look forward to and we’ve put together a four-fold acca for the Champions League action.
Midweek Champions League four-fold
Aston Villa over 1.5 goals vs Monaco 6/5
Juventus to beat Club Brugge 13/10
Celtic -1 vs Young Boys 17/20
AC Milan to beat Girona 9/20
Acca pays 12.33/1
Villa can make inroads at Monaco
Aston Villa’s return to the European elite has gone remarkably well, the highlight being Unai Emery’s team defeating Bayern Munich on matchday two. The Villans have won four from six and their only loss arrived in bizarre fashion at Club Brugge.
They were denied a win over Juventus on matchday five by a controversial late VAR intervention and beat RB Leipzig 3-2 on the road before Christmas.
Monaco made a fast start but have come unstuck, conceding six times in defeats to Benfica and Arsenal to leave them sweating on qualification.
They are on a four-game winless run in Ligue 1 and have conceded eight times in their last three games. Fresh from coming from 0-2 down to draw at Arsenal, the Premier League side can find the net on a couple of occasions at the Stade Louis II.
Juve to shine in Brugge
Club Brugge are amongst the surprise packages at this stage, Nicky Hayen’s side within touching distance of a place in the knockout round having picked up 10 points from six games.
They have only scored six goals, however, and two of those – against Aston Villa and Celtic – were gifted to them.
Juventus are unlikely to be as charitable when they visit. Thiago Motta’s side beat AC Milan 2-0 at the weekend and are unbeaten on their travels in the Champions League. They can grind out a win in Belgium.
Bhoys to make no mistake
Celtic have qualification in their sights ahead of facing Young Boys at Parkhead. Brendan Rodgers’ side have lost just one of six games, responding rather well to a seven-goal drubbing at Borussia Dortmund on matchday two.
At home, they have scored nine goals in three games and were clear cut winners against Slovan Bratislava (5-1) and RB Leipzig (3-1).
The draw has been kind to the Scottish champions, with Young Boys in town for this penultimate game meaning they will have faced the current bottom three sides in the 36-team table in Glasgow.
With Villa away on matchday eight, Celtic will know that a win here is vital. Their Swiss visitors have lost four of six games by more than one goal and have only scored three times.
Milan to cruise past Girona
After the highs of last season, Girona are finding things tough this term. They finished third in La Liga last time but have won only eight of 20 games this time around.
Their maiden voyage in European competition has also proved chastening, with five losses from six and just a home win over a limited Slovan Bratislava side to show.
They have not scored in any of their three away defeats so far and should be leaving the San Siro empty-handed as the Rossoneri aim for five straight Champions League wins.
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