Super 6 fixtures: Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool; Borussia Dortmund vs PSG; Macclesfield vs Plymouth; Southend vs Gillingham; Oxford Utd vs AFC Wimbledon; Portsmouth vs Exeter
Monday 17 February 2020 17:37, UK
Phil Thompson has made his Super 6 selections for Tuesday's Champions League and EFL games. Predict all six scorelines to win £250,000...
Thommo is expecting Liverpool to get the job done and Erling Haaland to put his mark on the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund this time, but who else is he backing and what are you tipping in the free-to-play game? There's £250,000 for the taking so get your scores in now!
I think it is nice for the boys to go back to the Wanda Metropolitano. They are not going anywhere they do not know. This Atletico Madrid side are perhaps not as defensive-minded as they were three or four years ago, where they were tough to break down. Over a two-legged game, they were more than happy with a 1-0 aggregate score. They have had loads of injuries, Diego Costa is touch-and-go as to whether he will be fit or not, and Alvaro Morata is injured. Joao Felix is still looking to find his feet; hopefully it is not in this game. Diego Godin was the thorn in the side for many opposing players, and was one of the main players behind their defence.
It is a bit like our top six, La Liga is going through transitions at the moment, and the same can be said about Atletico Madrid. With that, you know there is a big result just around the corner, and that is what Liverpool need to be very much aware of. This Liverpool team is made of different stuff. Everybody thinks it will be all-out attack. There have been plenty of games where Jurgen Klopp and his staff have sussed out a team and set up their shape to engage at just over halfway. Liverpool could go for it and press quite high or they could sit in and draw them in because of their reputation, looking to hit them on the counter. Overall, it is a really intriguing match. Liverpool cannot play any other way than to attack at the return leg at Anfield.
Liverpool will shape up similarly to how they always do. Roberto Firmino will complete the three amigos and the back four will be the same. It is only the midfield and the dynamics that he could change here. He will pick Fabinho as he was rested at Norwich, and will look for his physical presence and ability in the air for set-plays at both ends so he will come into the starting team. It will be the usual suspects of Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum in front of him, as Wijnaldum was substituted with a view of starting this game.
It was great to have Sadio Mane back at Norwich. With him being out for a while, he has become as important as Mohamed Salah in terms of goalscoring this season. He has been nothing short of top class so you want him to be available. You could have seen him being on the bench with the Champions League game coming up on Tuesday, but whether we would have been winning or losing, he would have been coming on to gain the relative game-time. How fresh he looked will have warmed the heart of every Liverpool fan and probably the most of his team-mates too. He had this energy in his legs, which was an added bonus to Liverpool winning the game.
Super stat: The Magic of the Wanda?
Liverpool won last year's Champions League at the Wanda Metropolitano, and 57 per cent of Super 6 players are backing Jurgen Klopp's side to take a win back to Anfield, with 32 per cent predicting a 2-1 win. Play for free. Entries by 7:45pm.
Erling Haaland has made an incredible statement in the Bundesliga. Jadon Sancho has come through a difficult patch and is producing the goods again. Thorgan Hazard is dangerous too. The biggest thing PSG have in their favour is the return leg in Paris. Dortmund will give them a run for their money and I do think they will take a lead going into the second leg. Will it be enough? I am not too sure.
PSG are always going to be one of the favourites for the Champions League. The owners have set their stall out and this is a competition that they want to win, in terms of making statements of big intent. You do feel like PSG, although they can be unpredictable at times, and can be open to a big reverse score, if they get going, then you have a real job on your hands.
Super stat: Mission Impossible?
Staggeringly, one per cent separates all three predictions in this one. Super 6 players will be scratching their heads as they see 33 per cent have gone with a win for either Borussia Dortmund or PSG, while 34 per cent are sitting on the fence. Where will you play your cards, with £250k to play for? Play for free. Entries by 7:45pm.
Atletico Madrid 1-2 Liverpool
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 PSG
Macclesfield 1-3 Plymouth
Southend 0-2 Gillingham
Oxford Utd 1-0 AFC Wimbledon
Portsmouth 3-2 Exeter
