Champions League: Benfica and Trabzonspor feature in Greg Lea's midweek accumulator

Benfica vs Dynamo Kyiv

Kick-off: 8pm Tuesday

Dynamo Kyiv have a mountain to climb in Portugal after suffering a 2-0 defeat in the first leg. The Ukrainian champions may well have fared better had they been able to play the game at home, but Benfica outclassed them in a neutral venue in Poland and now have one foot in the group phase.

It is hard to see Dynamo mounting a comeback at the Estadio da Luz. Benfica boast a comfortable buffer over their opponents and we will probably see Roger Schmidt’s side hold Dynamo at arm’s length throughout the second leg. Go for another Benfica win and clean sheet combination.  

Selection: Benfica to win to nil @ 2.18

Crvena Zvezda vs Maccabi Haifa

Kick-off: 8pm Tuesday

These two teams played out a thrilling match last week. Maccabi Haifa fought back from 2-1 down to beat their travelling rivals Crvena Zvezda 3-2 in a game that saw all five goals ripple the net in the first hour.

Given the way that game panned out and the fact that the tie remains up for grabs, it is hard to envisage a tight, low-scoring return leg, particularly if Red Star can cancel out the aggregate deficit early. As a result, I’ll be backing a high-scoring affair in Belgrade.

Selection: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.87

Viktoria Plzeň vs Qarabağ

Kick-off: 8pm Tuesday

Qarabağ and Viktoria Plzeň could not be separated in a tense first leg which lacked chances and quality. Qarabağ slightly edged the encounter and restricted their opponents to just one shot on target, but they were unable to make the breakthrough themselves.

This tie will eventually have to open up, with both sides likely to become more attack-minded - if not necessarily adventurous - as the second leg wears on. With that in mind, the second half of Tuesday’s match will probably feature more goals than the first.

Selection: More goals second half @ 2.12

Dinamo Zagreb vs Bodø/Glimt

Kick-off: 8pm Wednesday

This is another tie that is finely balanced at the midway point. Bodø/Glimt hold a slender 1-0 aggregate advantage ahead of Wednesday’s return fixture, but whether that is enough remains to be seen. Both teams will be quietly confident of qualifying for the group stage from here.

Dinamo have won nine home games in a row in the Croatian league, while their last 12 Champions League fixtures at the Stadion Maksimir have yielded just one loss, and that came against the brilliant Manchester City. A home win is the best choice here.

Selection: Dinamo Zagreb to win @ 1.84

PSV vs Rangers

Kick-off: 8pm Wednesday

A 2-2 draw at Ibrox handed PSV the advantage in this play-off. Rangers’ chances of progressing to the last 32 were always likely to hinge on the result in the home leg, and their failure to win last week could ultimately prove costly.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side shouldn’t be written off, of course, but the importance of their home form was evident throughout last season’s run to the Europa League final. This tie is now PSV’s to lose. Expect their free-flowing attack to be on show again.

Selection: PSV to score in both halves @ 2.5

Trabzonspor vs Copenhagen

Kick-off: 8pm Wednesday

Tasos Bakasetas’s late goal in the first leg could yet prove vital. Copenhagen led 2-0 as the match entered its final 15 minutes, but the Trabzonspor forward struck gold and kept his team in with a chance of making it through to the group stage.

Expect the Turkish champions to come out on top after 90 minutes at the Akyazi Stadium, where Trabzonspor are unbeaten in their last 24 games in all competitions.

Selection: Trabzonspor to win @ 2.02

Recommended trades

Back Benfica to win to nil @ 2.18
Back Crvena Zvedza-Maccabi Haifa over 2.5 goals @ 1.87
Back Viktoria Plzeň-Qarabağ more goals in the second half @ 2.12
Back Dinamo Zagreb to win @ 1.84
Back PSV to score in both halves @ 2.5
Back Trabzonspor to win @ 2.02