Arsenal Vs Besiktas
Arsenal were fortunate to leave Turkey with a draw and they will need to improve significantly if they are to progress to the group stages of the competition. It was a hard-fought game that saw Ramsey as well as Besiktas manager Slaven Bilic both sent off, while Mikel Arteta sustained an ankle injury in the first leg and has been ruled out of the return fixture. The Turks arguably had the better chances in front of a noisy home support but Oxlade-Chamberlain was unlucky not to snatch victory after he hit the post late on.
I’m expecting a more dominant Arsenal performance at the Emirates on Wednesday and with home advantage in their favour, Arsene Wenger will be confident of progression. I’m predicting yet another open game in North London but I feel Arsenal’s quality up top will prevail over a fragile Bestikas defence.
Prediction 3-1
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Porto Vs Lille
Porto go into this fixture as heavy favourites to advance to the group stages following their 1-0 win at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. The Portuguese were the better side throughout the first leg as Lille struggled to cope with their opponent’s attacking movement. I can’t see Julien Lopetegui making too many changes for the game at the Estadio do Dragao and fully expect Porto to complete the job and sail into the next round with another comfortable victory.
Prediction 2-0
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Celtic vs Maribor
Celtic are hugely fortunate to still be involved in this years Champions league. They got absolutely demolished by Legia Warsaw and they look a shadow of the team who provided strong accounts of themselves in games at the Nou Camp a few years back. Ronny Delia has not got the financial backing he desires to effectively compete at this level and the Board must also take some responsibility for this. Maribor will certainly be a tough test for this Celtic side, however I expect Celtic to capitalise on their second chance and claim a narrow home victory to secure qualification.
Prediction 2-1
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Atletico Bilbao vs Napoli
The tie of the round. Both teams could easily slot straight into the champions league group stages and provide a tough test for any top European club. It is a shame that one of these teams will have to be eliminated at this early stage. Bilbao will be hugely satisfied with their performance in a tough stadium in Naples. Napoli will have their work cut out and Benitez will need to get his tactics spot on if he intends to reach the group stages. I believe that Napoli have the edge in terms of experience and quality but Atletico will push them all the way. Bilbao will look to make their home advantage count but given Benitez’s experience in these important fixtures I believe he will guide them through.
Prediction 1-1 (Napoli AET)
