Five Champions League play-offs second leg tips starring Celtic and Man City

Lee Gormley | August 22, 2016

Five Champions League play-offs second leg tips

There is still one final obstacle in the way for some of Europe’s big names before reaching the Champions League group stage this season, with a host of play-off second leg encounters taking place this midweek.

Among those sides is Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, with the Spaniard hoping to build upon their 5-0 first leg demolition of Steaua Bucharest, while Scottish Premiership champions Celtic continue their ventures after a 5-2 win over Hapoel Beer-Sheva.

So, ahead of the clashes across the continent, Coral outline five Champions League play-offs second leg tips featuring the big names at this decisive stage…

Celtic to fire in four or more goals again

Scottish champions Celtic have been in flying form of late, with their forwards running riot in the previous domestic and European outings, including star striker Leigh Griffiths and new summer signing Mousa Dembele.

The Hoops have rampantly fired in four or more goals in their last three consecutive outings, having smashed Motherwell 5-0 and overcome St Johnstone 4-2, as well as the impressive play-offs first leg outing.

So, in light of the Bhoys’ brilliant scoring run, exciting odds of 14/1 can be had on them netting four or more goals in 90 minutes for a fourth successive match against Hapoel Beer-Sheva, as they aim to blast their way to the Champions League group stage.

Man City’s Iheanacho to bag brace

Guardiola’s Sky Blues stormed to a 5-0 thrashing of their Romanian opponents on their travels, with Sergio Aguero hitting a hat-trick, while Spaniard duo David Silva and Nolito also got on the scoresheet.

With the Citizens holding a huge advantage going into their second leg at the Etihad, Guardiola is likely to rest some key players ahead of an important Premier League clash against West Ham United just four days later.

Therefore, young forward Kelechi Iheanacho should be set to feature on the road and the Nigerian teenager is a terrific 3/1 with Coral to bag a brace or more against Bucharest, having put pen to paper on a new contract recently.

Roma to see off Porto to nil

Following a 1-1 draw in their first leg encounter at the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal, Italian giants Roma will be confident of getting the job done on home soil in the second clash at the Stadio Olimpico.

Luciano Spalletti’s Giallorossi started their Serie A campaign in superb style, when comfortably dispatching Udinese 4-0 in their own backyard, and they will look to add to that solid outing this time around.

Having started strongly on home turf, Roma enter this second leg encounter at a promising 15/8 to prevail within 90 minutes without conceding a goal.

Monaco to sink Villarreal and both sides score

Ligue 1 side Monaco edged a 2-1 away victory in the first leg meeting with Villarreal and will enter the second match-up in the much better form, having won three of their last four games, including a single draw.

Leonardo Jardim’s men earned a narrow 1-0 triumph over Nantes last time out, their first clean sheet of the term so far, and they are 7/2 to sink the Yellow Submarine with both teams getting on the scoresheet within normal time.

Villarreal were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Granada in their La Liga season opener last time around, following their European defeat, and Monaco will look to capitalise on that poor start.

Both Legia Warsaw and Dundalk to score

Dundalk have earned many new fans and plenty of plaudits in their European ventures, having become the first Irish side in history to reach the Champions League play-offs.

Although, the County Louth outfit’s run hit a stumbling block in their first leg clash with Legia Warsaw, as they suffered a 2-0 home defeat, setting up a tough second encounter in Poland.

The Irishmen will need an inspired performance in order to overturn their two-goal deficit and book a historic Champions League group stage spot, but backing both teams to score could prove rewarding at 6/5.

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