Will away goal rule influence this week’s Champions League outcomes?
By Greg Stewart
Not all football fans may be aware that the away goal rule has been changed in the 2021/2022 championship and that there is no longer an automatic qualification based on away goal difference if they end in a tie after the second leg. Extra time is now added on and then a penalty shoot-out if no decider has been scored.
Of all the top 16 teams playing their 2nd leg this week, 3 of 4 first leg matched ended in a draw with only Chelsea having a clear advantage after a 0-2 away win in their first leg clash against LOSC. A Chelsea win, is my top football betting tip for the week, and they are at 1.91:1 for a win on SunBet.
While on paper Ajax should be a clear winner in their match against Benfica on Tuesday night, they have had a tendency to make the going tough for themselves in seemingly straight-forward matches. The Dutch squad are currently in first position in the Dutch Eredivisie with 3 wins from their last 4 and have only conceded 9 goals in their season so far. Dutch Striker Sebastien Haller is in incredible form, helping Ajax to a record 22 goals with 9 conceded in the championship. Rivals Benfica are 3rdon the Portuguese League table with two draws and three wins in their last 5 matches.
While Ajax are odds-on favourite to win with 85% of football fans voting it will go their way, if it comes down to extra time and penalties the match could go either way. My pick is for Ajax to win and they are at 1.41:1 for a win on SunBet. Value bet for this game – back Sebastien Haller to score first or last at 4.6:1 on SunBet.
In their first round match, Juventus got an early lead against Villa from young striker, DusanVlahovic, who scored in the first minute of the game with a cracker of a goal. They failed to covert this early lead into an away win and Villa clawed their way back to a draw when Midfielder Daniel Parejo pushed home a soft goal in the 66th minute, with the Juventus defence completely missing their mark. With Home ground advantage in the second leg, it is hard to see Juventus not pushing through for a win and they are at 1.91:1 for a win on SunBet. Dusan Vlahovic is at 4.8:1 to score first on SunBet.
The lesson for Atletico Madrid’s players and coach must be that the game is not over until the final whistle has blown. The first round was only saved for United by a late goal via the agile boot of young substitute Athony Elanga who brought a much needed burst of creative energy back into their lack lustre squad. It was certainly not the match that coach Ralf Rangnick had anticipated. He may well start the youngster in the match tomorrow night and will need to do something creative with his line-up if they are to take the game to Atletico.
Atletico Madrid have won 6 from their last 7 matches in the Spanish Premiership with a good run of goals. Their journey to a quarter final berth will have to be making sure their defence is solid. They have scored only 8 goals so far in 7 Champions League matches but conceded 9.
Atletico are at 3.45:1 for a win on SunBet and are my best outsider bet for this round of matches
