Predictions 21-24.02.2023

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli | Champions League

21/02/2023 20:00

Prediction: 0-1

The Champions League also restarts for Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli. The rulers of Serie A 2022–2023 will return to the field at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, for the first leg of the round of 16 of the competition against Eintracht Frankfurt.

A goal apiece from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, the latter scoring for the seventh day in a row, helped the Azzurri to a 0-2 victory at home against Sassuolo in the most recent round of Serie A play, giving them their fifth consecutive victory. In the previous round, Eintracht also scored a 2-0 victory, but this time they did so at home against Werder Bremen.

Eintracht comes to this challenge with a balance of 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 defeat in the last 5 games between the Bundesliga and DFB Pokal, while as regards only the games played at the Deutsche Bank Park, we are at 5 wins in a row. All five of Napoli’s recent victories have come in Serie A. Away from home, however, there is a streak of 4 consecutive victories, all without conceding goals.

• Napoli have won their last 5 official matches, all played in the league.
• Napoli have won their last 4 official away games, all played in the league.
• Eintracht Frankfurt have won their last 5 official matches, played between the league and the German Cup.
• Napoli have not conceded a goal in their last 4 away games and in 4 of their last 5 overall.
• There are two precedents that refer to the 1994/1995 UEFA Cup round of 16, both won by Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0. 

Liverpool vs Real Madrid | Champions League

21/02/2023 20:00

Prediction: 0-0

The Champions League is back with a fascinating round of 16: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid. At Anfield Road, the Reds have the opportunity to make sense of a very difficult season in which Klopp navigates to eighth place and is trying to make a comeback towards fourth position in the Premier League, currently six points away. Real Madrid, fresh from their victory in the Club World Cup, are chasing Barcelona in La Liga and arrive at the challenge in good shape. Ancelotti leads his and the Mérengues into the Champions League for the umpteenth time after a trouble-free group stage.No worries even for the Reds, who, however, finished second behind Napoli.

Liverpool raised their heads after losing two games in a row to Wolves and Brighton, winning 2-0 at Everton in the derby and 2-0 at Newcastle, inflicting their first home defeat championship on the magpies, who had been unbeaten for months in the Premier League.Real Madrid, on the other hand, has won four in a row, the first two against Al Ahly (4-1) and Al Hilal (5-3) ensuring the merengues’ victory in the Club World Cup, and the other two in La Liga, 2-0 with Osasuna and 4-0 with Elche.

• Liverpool has four under 2.5 goals in its last six games.
• Away, Real Madrid is back after three under 2.5s in a row.
• Both teams have not conceded a single goal in their last two outings.
• The previous two precedents both ended with the Under 2.5.
• The merengues have only conceded one goal in their last five games in La Liga.

Inter Milan vs Porto | Champions League

22/02/2023 20:00

Prediction: 3-1

After maintaining their second position in the championship standings with a 3-1 victory against Udinese, Simone Inzaghi’s Inter resumed their Champions League campaign with a delicate Round of 16 match against Porto. As mentioned, the Nerazzurri are returning from a success against Udinese thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Lautaro Martinez, and find Porto led on the bench by their former player, Sergio Conceiçao. The Lusitanians, who are second in the Primeira Liga, are coming off a 1-0 victory over Rio Ave thanks to a goal from Toni Martinez.

After the home defeat against Empoli on January 23, Inter achieved 4 wins and 1 draw in the following 5 official league and cup matches. Porto, on the other hand, boast an enviable run of 10 consecutive league and cup wins and are unbeaten in 22 straight games in all competitions with 19 wins and 3 draws.

• Inter and Porto have met four times in the past, with the Nerazzurri winning twice, drawing once, and losing once.
• Porto have lost in their two appearances at the Meazza. In the round of 16 of the 2002–2004 season for 3-1 and in the group stage of the 2005–2006 season for 2-1.
• Porto is unbeaten in 22 consecutive official matches with 19 wins and 3 draws. Conceiçao’s team scored in 21 of those 22 matches.
• Porto have won their last 5 away games in all competitions.
• Inter is on a roll after just five games, with four wins and one draw. 

RB Leipzig vs Manchester City | Champions League

22/02/2023 20:00

Prediction: 0-1

On Tuesday, Manchester City will take on Leipzig away in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League. The citizens arrive at the match after winning their group, while the Germans finished behind Real Madrid. The English, back in the race to win the Premier League title, are aiming to win the “Big Ears Cup”, the only important trophy Guardiola has been missing since he led the team from across the Channel. Leipzig needs a real feat to eliminate an opponent of this caliber, and they will try to do it with their many offensive talents and greater awareness compared to the beginning of the season when they went through a deep crisis. They are now in fifth place in the Bundesliga, four points behind leaders Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

The good news for Leipzig is the return after a three-month break of Nkuku (16 goals in the season), who returned to the field in the final with Wolfsburg, also putting an assist on the scoresheet. The transalpine does not have ninety minutes in his legs and will go on the bench, creating attack space for Forsberg with Andre Silva (9 goals) and Werner (11 goals). Behind them are the Hungarian Szoboszlai, who have five goals this season, including one last Saturday.

In terms of Manchester City, defender Stones will be the only absentee, obviously the goal machine Haaland in the center of the attack, Foden at his sides despite a lackluster period travels towards confirmation, on the other side, Grealish, a goal and an assist in the last few two exits, challenge Mahrez, who remains the favorite to start from the start.

• Over 2.5 goals have been scored in five of Leipzig’s last seven games.
• Manchester City has five Over 2.5 goals in the last eight meetings.
• In the six games played in the Champions League this season, four for both City and Leipzig ended with over 2.5.
• Atomic attacks in Europe for the two teams that scored 13 and 14 goals in 6 Champions League matches, an average of over two per game.
• All three of the Germans’ home games in European competition have finished with at least three goals on the final scoreboard.

Nantes vs Juventus | Europa League

23/02/2023 17:45

Prediction: 0-1

It starts again with the 1-1 draw at the Allianz Stadium in Turin in the Europa League play-off match between Nantes and Juventus. Whoever passes this round will advance to the 16th round of the competition. It will be played at the Stade de la Beaujoire (Louis Fonteneau) in Nantes on Thursday, February 23, 2023. Dusan Vlahovic opened the door for Massimiliano Allegri’s bianconeri in the first leg, and in the following championship match, Juve defeated La Spezia 0-2 thanks to goals from Moise Kean and Angel Di Maria.On the other hand, for Antoine Kombouare’s Nantes, Ludovic Blas’ equalizer in the second half was fundamental in Turin, while in the following championship match, the yellow-greens were defeated 3-1 in Lens with a goal by Florent Mollet.

The draw in the first leg had interrupted a winning streak of three games in a row between the league and the Italian Cup for Juventus, who had not conceded goals in each of those matches. The positive trend in this sense resumed in La Spezia with the final score of 0-2. After a series of two draws and 2 wins, Nantes instead suffered a knockout in the championship.

• Juventus are unbeaten in 5 consecutive league and cup matches with 4 wins 1 draw.
• Juventus has only won one European match this season, with one draw and five defeats.
• In none of Nantes’ last 6 home games have goals been scored in the first half.
• Juventus have kept clean sheets in 4 of the last 5 games and in the first 45 minutes of all matches.
• In each of their last five games, Juventus has scored in the first half. 

Manchester United vs Barcelona | Europa League

23/02/2023 20:00

Prediction: 1-0

An evening of great football takes place on Thursday, February 23, at Old Trafford; in fact, the second leg of Manchester United-Barcelona is valid as a play-off to qualify for the round of 16 of the Europa League. The match ended 2-2 at the Camp Nou in the first leg; all the goals came in the second half with the blaugrana ahead thanks to Marco Alonso, but they came back from Rashford and Koundé’s own goal, fifteen minutes from the end, to rebalance the situation. Two of Europe’s big names, both in extraordinary form, are ready to challenge each other again. Whoever wins goes on; whoever loses leaves the competition.

Manchester United, third in the Premier League, won 3-0 last Sunday as Leicester went on to score an eighth consecutive unbeaten run with six wins and two draws. Ten Hag have only lost once to leaders Arsenal in 17 games since returning from the World Cup break, and Old Trafford has become a veritable fortress, with 15 wins and a draw in their last sixteen.Barcelona has been unbeaten in La Liga since October 26—16 wins in 18 games since then, including the most recent 2-0 victory over Cadiz (the league’s seventh consecutive success). Super Blaugrana are also away from home, where they have not lost in over four months, and arrive at Old Trafford with eleven wins in a row.

• Over 2.5 goals have been scored in four of Manchester United’s last five games.
• The first leg ended 2-2 with a total of 35 shots on both goals.
• Manchester United have scored at least two goals in all of their last nine games.
• Over 2.5 goals have been scored in seven of Barcelona’s last ten away games.
• The Blaugrana have scored in all of their last eleven away games.
• Nine of United’s last ten games at Old Trafford have finished over 2.5.