All articles by: Thomas Mcgrath

Real Madrid vs Manchester City – Match Preview

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Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Wednesday 26th February 2020
UEFA Champions League, Santiago Bernabeu.

Live on BT Sport 1 – Kick-Off: 20:00 GMT.

Real Madrid and Manchester City lock horns in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday night.

Some would argue this tie is the pick of the bunch for this stage of the competition, with both sides heavily backed to lift the trophy at the end of May.

Real Madrid come into this fixture second in Spain’s La Liga, two points behind leaders Barcelona and without a win in their last two league outings. Zinedine Zidane’s side were beaten 1-0 away to Levante on Saturday, and in the aftermath of that defeat it was confirmed that forward Eden Hazard is likely to miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.

Manchester City  reduced Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League to nineteen points with a hard-fought win against third placed Leicester City on Saturday evening. Gabriel Jesus struck the winner late on for Pep Guardiola’s side, who’s focus is heavily on this competition following Liverpool’s sheer dominance this campaign.

Real Madrid finished 2nd in Group A behind PSG, and were defeated once in the group stage which came away at the Parc de Princes on the opening group night. Manchester City on the other hand finished top of Group C and ended the phase unbeaten with four wins and two draws from their six matches.

In the group stage alone, thirty-three goals were scored between these sides, so more goals are likely in on Wednesday evening. (Real Madrid – 17. Manchester City- 16). SkyBet are offering odds of 6/4 for over 3.5 goals for this encounter.

Manchester City have never won the Champions League, and their best finish in the competition came back in the 2015/16 season, where they were knocked out in the semi-final to Wednesday night’s opponents, Real Madrid.

Real Madrid have won this competition a record number of times (13), and their last win came in 2018. Their 2018 win sealed three consecutive Champions League triumph’s, etching the Spanish side’s name in European football history.

Real Madrid vs Manchester City will be televised live in the UK on BT Sport 1 with kick-off at 20:00 GMT.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2-2 Manchester City

Suggested Tips – Real Madrid vs Manchester City – (BET 365)

  • Correct Score – Draw 2-2 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Karim Benzema – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Real Madrid vs Manchester City – (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Group Betting – Draw 1-1, 2-2, or 3-3 – 3/1.

Millwall vs Birmingham City – Match Preview

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Millwall vs Birmingham City
Wednesday 26th February 2020
The Championship – The Den

Live on Sky Sports Football – Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT.

Millwall and Birmingham lock horns on Wednesday night in the latest instalment of midweek SkyBet championship action.

Both sides will be hoping to bounce back with a midweek win following failure to do so at the weekend. Millwall were defeated 1-0 away to Wigan Athletic; a result which could turn out to be crucial for the Latics’ bid for survival, and Birmingham were involved in the pick of the games from the weekend, drawing 3-3 at home with Sheffield Wednesday.

The Lion’s defeat on Saturday was their second on their last five, and saw them miss the opportunity to reduce the gap between themselves and the play-off places. Gary Rowett’s side sit 11th in the Championship, seven points behind Preston who occupy 6th place.

Blues on the other hand have lost only once this year in all competitions, and are arguably one of the more in-form sides in the division. Pep Clotet’s side have strung together an eleven-match unbeaten run in all competitions, and in that time have also secured passage to the 5th round of the FA Cup. Birmingham are unbeaten in their last five away fixtures, stretching back to the middle of December, and have picked up eleven points from the fifteen on offer on the road.

Birmingham’s away form has been tremendous in recent weeks, and SkyBet are offering odds of an away win at 5/2.

The newly formed strike partnership at St Andrews has been nothing short of deadly in recent weeks. Lukas Jutkiewicz and Scott Hogan have both netted four times in their last six appearances respectively, and are priced at 11/1 to both score on Wednesday night.

These two sides last met in November, and played out a 1-1 draw at St Andrews. Millwall have won four of the last six meetings in this fixture, meanwhile Birmingham’s last win came in November 2018, a 2-0 win at the Den.

The referee for Wednesday night’s encounter is David Webb. Webb has averaged under three yellow cards in his nineteen Championship matches this season. The Englishman is also yet to award a red card in any competition this season. This considered, I would recommend a maximum of 40+ booking points for this fixture.

Millwall vs Birmingham City will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event with kick-off at 19:45 GMT.

Prediction: Millwall 1-2 Birmingham City

Suggested Tips – Millwall vs Birmingham City – (BET 365)

  • Correct Score – Birmingham City to win 2-1 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Jude Bellingham – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Millwall vs Birmingham City – (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Group Betting – Birmingham City to win 1-0, 2-0, or 2-1 – 3/1.

Markets Updated 18:58 GMT on Wednesday 26th February 2020.

Cardiff City vs Nottingham Forest – Match Preview

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Cardiff City vs Nottingham Forest
Tuesday 25th February 2020
The Championship, Cardiff City Stadium.

Live on Sky Sports Football – Kick-Off: 19:45 GMT.

Cardiff return to return to home soil this week as they host Nottingham Forest in the Championship on Tuesday night.

The Bluebirds will be looking for a more positive result in their latest encounter, following the weekends disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Stoke City. Saturday’s defeat means that it’s now two without a win for Neil Harris’ side, who need to return to winning ways if they are to secure a place in the play-off places.

Nottingham Forest on the other hand have lost their way in recent weeks, and with that have lost ground in the race for automatic promotion. Forest have won once in their last five, picking up five points from a possible fifteen. After the victory over Leeds at the start of the month Sabri Lamouchi’s side looked as though would take some stopping, but their recent capitulation has seen them fall as low as fifth.

These two last met in at the end of November where Cardiff ran out 1-0 winners at the City ground. In fact, the Bluebirds have been what can only be described as a bogey team for Forest, and are unbeaten in this fixture since 2012. Cardiff have won nine of the last ten meetings between these two sides, which makes grim viewing for any Forest fan hoping their side can get back on track in midweek. Forest’s last win away at Cardiff came almost a decade ago.

Forest to their credit have displayed positive away form this season, and have lost twice in their last ten matches on the road. SkyBet are offering odds of an away win at 2/1.

The referee for this encounter is Stephen Martin. Martin has taken charge of twenty Championship matches, averaging just under three yellow cards per game. The Englishman has also awarded two red cards this season. This considered I would recommend a minimum of 20+ booking points for this fixture.

Cardiff City vs Nottingham Forest will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Football HD with kick-off at 19:45 GMT.

Prediction: Cardiff City 1-1 Nottingham Forest 

Suggested Tips – Cardiff City vs Nottingham Forest – (BET 365)

  • Correct Score – Draw 1-1 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Lee Tomlin – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Cardiff City vs Nottingham Forest – (SKYBET)

  • Correct Score Group Betting – Draw 1-1, 2-2, or 3-3 – 3/1.

Markets Updated 18:00 GMT on Tuesday 25th February 2020.