It’s the the middle of March, and that means its tourney time here in the States, better referred to as March Madness. Thanks to the NCAA Tournament’s blockbuster game slate from Tuesday through Sunday of this week, basketball fans will get what they yearn for every collegiate season: mega matchups between historical blue blood programs and shocking game-ending upsets by cinderella slippered mid-majors.  With that said, there’s a bit of March Madness brewing across the pond in Europe, as the Champions League, Europa League and various other domestic leagues feature hotly contested and entertaining fixtures.  Therefore, this week, I’ll be providing a handful of must-see matches, in another edition of LSB’s Footballing Shorts.

UEFA Champions League

Leicester City FC vs Sevilla FC (Round of 16, 2nd Leg)
King Power Stadium, Leicester, England, United Kingdom
Tuesday, March 14th, 2017 3:45PM EST FS1

Heading into this second leg, the tie is hanging in the balance for either side to seize as the aggregate is 2-1, with Leicester having earned a crucial away goal.  Sevilla dominated the first leg in Spain, but wasn’t clinical enough in front of goal to put the tie away early.  Thus, despite the Foxes poor Premier League performance this season, Leicester still has a realistic shot of advancing to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 result at home.  They’ve been better since the change in management, as Vardy and Mahrez have come back to life offensively.  But make no mistake, the aggressive, up-tempo Sevilla is still fancied to win this match. 

LSB Prediction:  Leicester is sure to score as they’ll feed off of the home crowd, but the Blanquirrojos are sure to answer with one or two of their own through from Ben Yedder, Jovetic, or Vitolo.  2-2 Draw (Sevilla FC advance on 4-3 aggregate)

AS Monaco FC vs Manchester City FC (Round of 16, 2nd Leg)
Stade Louis ll, Fontvieille, Monaco
Wednesday, March 15th, 2017 3:45PM EST FS1

The first leg in Manchester was a real cracker, as the two teams combined to score 8 goals, with the Citizens ultimately winning 5-3.  This go round I expect much of the same, at least from Monaco anyway.  The Rouges et Blancs lead Ligue 1 in goals scored with an astounding 84 goals through 29 games, and couple that with them playing at home, there’s no question that Monaco will be striking the back of the net multiple times.  Man City however, has offensive firepower of its own, with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and Leroy Sane running amok in the opposing sides final third. But this group has been hot and cold at times this season which makes me think that a second leg comeback is in the cards for the men from Monaco.

LSB Prediction: Monaco will maul Man City, as the lethal offensive attack of Falcao, Lemar, Mbappe, and Silva will prove too potent for the Citizens.  3-1 AS Monaco FC (AS Monaco FC advances on 6-6 aggregate thanks to away goal tiebreaker 3-1)

UEFA Europa League

Besiktas JK vs Olympiakos CFP (Round of 16, 2nd Leg)
Vodafone Arena, Istanbul, Turkey
Thursday, March 16th, 2017 2:00PM EST FS1

A rare FS1 televised fixture between two clubs outside of the “Top 5” leagues.  These two teams may be viewed as “mid-majors”, but they're both very talented and have been incredibly successful domestically.  The Black Eagles of Besiktas won the Turkish Super Lig last season, and are currently in first this campaign through 24 matches.  Olympiakos meanwhile have won 18 of the last 20 Greek Super League Titles, while holding domestic records for the league, cup, super cup, and greater super cup.  Needless to say, this fixture should be a real treat and a rare opportunity for us to see these two talented clubs take the pitch.  

LSB Prediction: With the aggregate at 1-1 heading to Istanbul, the Black Eagles are in a solid position.  If they keep a clean sheet, then they are through.  If they win 2-1 they are through.  With that said, I think it’ll be 1-1 after regular time, with talented Brazilian Talisca scoring the game and tie winner in extra time.  2-1 Besiktas JK (Besiktas JK advances on 3-2 aggregate)

Athletic Club vs Real Madrid CF (La Liga Santander)
San Mames, Bilbao, Basque County, Spain
Saturday, March 18th, 2017 11:15AM EST beIN Sports | fuboTV

As we hit the weekend, club fixtures shift domestically, and on Saturday there’s a real dandy taking place in La Liga.  7th place Athletic Club host 1st place Real Madrid at what will be a politically charged San Mames.  I fully expect this to be a fiery fixture as both the Leones and Galacticos need a positive result.  Bilbao are striving for at least a 6th place finish in order to qualify for European football next year, and Madrid want to remain in first, ahead of rivals Barcelona.  In addition, this match is between the Basque Country and Spain’s Capital City, Madrid.  Politically these two areas of Spain are at odds as many Basques want separation from Spain, much like in Catalonia.  Therefore it should be no surprise to see the Basque flags flying in full force in and around the San Mames, as well as rebellious chants descending from the stands.  

LSB Prediction: With the backing of the raucous home crowd, the Leones led by Inaki, Aduriz, and Muniain, steel all 3 points from Ballon d’Or Winner Cristiano Ronaldo and his European Champions Real Madrid.  2-1 Athletic Club

Manchester City FC vs Liverpool FC (Premier League)
Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Sunday, March 19th, 2017 12:30PM EST NBC

The final fixture of our Footballing Shorts list is between two of the Premier League’s Top 4 clubs.  Man City, sitting third in the table, will be eyeing a win as they attempt to bounce back from the aforementioned midweek Champions League loss to Monaco.  It won't be easy though as the Citizens will not only be battling a talented Liverpool team lead by the Brazilian duo of Coutinho and Firmino, but they will also be fatigued from the hotly contested European fixture just a few days prior.  As an example, after Barcelona shocked us all by beating PSG 6-1 last week, the Blaugrana followed that performance up by losing to a bottom of the table Deportivo La Coruna 2-1.  The positive for Pep Guardiola and his Man City squad is that at least they’re at home and will have support from its supporters, perhaps providing them with a little extra gas in the tank. 

LSB Prediction: The Reds typically reserve their elite performances for the Premier League’s best clubs, and Man City falls into that category.  Couple that with the Citizens physically demanding week, and I’d say its a recipe for success for Jurgen Klopp and a disaster waiting to happen for the men from Manchester.  1-0 Liverpool FC