The business end of most leagues around Europe is approaching, the biggest competition of all – the Champions League – has reached the quarter finals stage. Not that you could tell if you follow most UK based football media, as there are no British teams left in either comps.
Their loss though as the final 8 features some quality match ups, the highlight is another Madrid derby, and a replay of last year’s final. Atletico surprisingly for all their rivals mega spend are undefeated against Real Madrid in all competitions this year, but with Real turning the corner form-wise in the league it should be a cracker. Or El Cracker for those who can speak Spanish.
Another two of Europe mega teams meet in Paris in the game between PSG and Barcelona. A shame that the super ego Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t playing due to a ban from the French football body for some disparaging remarks about France. He is rumoured to be off to Liverpool next season, which could be some kind of volatile front two if Balotelli stays.
The other two games feature two sides that are running away with their respective home championships in Bayern Munich and Juventus against the two underdogs left in the Champions League in Porto and Monaco.
The Garfunkel of European competitions the Europa League is also on show on Thursday night Europe time. It features heady mix of two Russian and Italian sides, plus a side each from Germany, Spain, Ukraine and Belgium.
The lower divisions are deemed not quite important enough to not have the night off with the big European comp and it is theirs and anyone else’s loss who doesn’t follow it.
Whilst League One and Two’s title race is down to two teams realistically, the Championship has four possible winners separated by two points with the fourth last games being played on Tuesday night. Add to that 5th to 8th covered by just one point, and it is the tightest Top 8 battles in any division in Europe.
The dreaded relegation battles are a different story though, with Blackpool already going down to League 1 and second last and third last seven points behind fourth last Rotherham with four to play. Unfortunately for Wigan and Millwall they play each other in this fixture list and either side can send the other down, and if Rotherham win, a draw will keep them up only mathematically if not realistically.
Relegation from League to the abyss of the conference is down to five teams with four to play, and with a five point gap from third last to fourth last, it is looking like two of the last three will fight to avoid that honour – Hartlepool, Tranmere and Cheltenham.
Yeovil Town secured back to back relegations as they fell from their surprise year in the Championship to League Two in two seasons. The last three to go down could come from anywhere between 15th and 23rd, with games in hand very vital at this stage.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
MULTI $28
OVER 2.5 GOALS – Atletico Madrid / Real Madrid
MONACO or DRAW v Juventus
BAYERN MUNICH to score the 2nd GOAL v Porto
SUAREZ to score for BARCELONA v PSG
CHAMPIONSHIP
MULTI $11
IPSWICH to beat Cardiff
NORWICH to beat Leeds
MIDDLESBROUGH to beat Wolves
DERBY to beat Blackpool
BOURNEMOUTH to beat Reading
LEAGUE ONE
MULTI $35
PRESTON to beat Gillingham
SHEFFIELD UTD to beat Yeovil
BARNSLEY to beat Notts County
PETERBOROUGH to beat Crewe
ROCHDALE to beat Swindon
LEAGUE TWO
MULTI $30
PLYMOUTH to beat Wimbledon
HARTLEPOOL to beat Accrington
STEVENAGE to beat Portsmouth
DRAW – York v Morecambe
EUROPA LEAGUE
MULTI $18
CLUB BRUGGE to beat Dnipro
DYN KYIV to beat Fiorentina
SEVILLA to beat Zenit
KEVIN DE BRYNE to score for Wolfsburg v Napoli
Or choose your own from the below….
[soccer-info id=’20’ type=’fixtures’ title=’CHAMPIOSNHIP GAMES’ limit=’12’ /]
[soccer-info id=’21’ type=’fixtures’ title=’L1 GAMES’ limit=’12’ /]
[soccer-info id=’22’ type=’fixtures’ title=’L2 GAMES’ limit=’12’ /]
