Monaco and Sevilla to hand more English woe in Champions League
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Manchester City and Leicester City will have taken note at Arsenal’s hammering versus Bayern Munich last week, as they prepare for their own Champions League clashes.
The Citizens will host Monaco on Tuesday, while the Foxes play their first ever knockout tie in the competition at Sevilla on Wednesday.
But there is every reason that we could see no British sides progressing to the last eight.
Under Leonardo Jardim Monaco have been scoring for fun this season, and are by far the most potent attack force in Europe.
The Ligue 1 leaders have fired in 76 goals in 26 league games this term, and had no trouble putting Tottenham aside home and away in the group stages.
Given that Pep Guardiola’s men have failed to beat Spurs in both league clashes this season, that should put the Monaco challenge into some sort of perspective.
And Leicester won’t have it any easier in Spain this week either.
Sevilla are enjoying their strongest campaign in years, and are still in the La Liga title hunt.
They ended Real Madrid’s unbeaten run last month, and only Barcelona and Juventus have won at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan this term.
Not only that, but having won the Europa League in each of the last three seasons, there’s arguably no side with greater experience of the latter stages of European football right now.
And given the Foxes’ dismal run of late, it’s hard to see their continental adventure continuing.
Leicester are 11/5 to reach the last-eight, while City are 4/11 favourites to oust Monaco over two-legs.
But we wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if neither progressed, with many tipping up both Sevilla and Monaco as dark-horses for this year’s tournament.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
