Football Accumulator Tips

Golden Ace defends this crown but faces a major challenge to retain. Fellow mares Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead are respected but not without frailty and it could be that the most upside is held by The New Lion, winner of the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Hurdle here last season and yet to be defeated when staying on his feet (one fall). He won here on Trials Day and a more honest gallop in this race could bring about a career-best for Dan and Harry Skelton’s challenger.

Henry de Bromhead’s fortunes typically improve in the spring and the 25-time Cheltenham Festival winner could get on the scoresheet with Downmexicoway now. He made good progress with figures of 121 over fences from August-November, his second in a Grade 3 at Tipperary now reading well, and last month’s Irish Arkle was asking a lot but should leave him ripe going back into a handicap with a nice weight of 11st 5lb.

Galatasaray thrashed Juventus 5-2 in their last Champions League outing on home soil, and, having already beaten Liverpool in Istanbul this term, look a decent bet to avoid defeat at the very least in this intriguing contest. The Reds are in a better place since that 1-0 loss in September but they remain unreliable on the road and they may again struggle to cope with the hostile atmosphere.

Harry Kane has scored in his last seven appearances for Bayern Munich, netting 11 times in total. He’s only failed to score on two occasions since mid-December, and the forward has scored three consecutive braces ahead of this trip to Bergamo.

These two sides are meeting in the knockouts for the fifth straight year, and Real Madrid have won three of the previous four meetings, including the last two. The Spanish giants have won eight of their last 10 under new boss Arbeloa at the time of the draw, and they are one of the few sides in Europe with the individual talent to match City.

While Chelsea beat PSG 3-0 in the summer’s Club World Cup, Enzo Maresca’s tactical tweaks were key in that victory. Months on, and the Blues look to have gone backwards. PSG clearly took issue with the Blues, and they can claim some revenge after eliminating three Premier League sides on their way to last season’s final.

Sporting are arguably the weakest of the top-eight sides, while Bodo have won four straight European games including home and away victories over Inter Milan. The Norwegian side went to the semis in the Europa League last year, and they can see off a Sporting side who overperformed their xG numbers at a huge rate in the League Phase.

Atletico Madrid were handily beaten by Arsenal and Liverpool in the League Phase, while they were a mess defensively against Club Brugge in the last round. Spurs won all four home games on their way to finishing fourth in the first round, and they can match an Atletico side who have been far from dominant in Europe in recent seasons.

Almeria’s last six home games have seen both teams score, with the hosts failing to keep a clean sheet in their previous 12 league matches. They meet a Cultural Leonesa side who have both scored and conceded in their last four on the road

Nuno Espirito Santo has led Wolves and Nottingham Forest to the FA Cup semi-finals in the past seven years and he can make progress in getting there again with West Ham. The Hammers have lost only two of their last ten games and can see off a Brentford side who have been poor since drawing with Arsenal on February 12.

Shelbourne’s four games this season have finished with both teams scoring, including a 3-2 home defeat to St Patrick’s last time out. Shamrock Rovers have scored in all of their four games this season, losing their first away trip 3-2 at Bohemians, so this should be a high-scoring encounter.

Espanyol have lost their way, going nine games without a win, but they have a golden opportunity to put an end to their struggles on Monday as rock-bottom Real Oviedo head to Catalonia. The visitors have lost five of their last seven and their lack of confidence is likely to cost them again.

Nuno Espirito Santo has led Wolves and Nottingham Forest to the FA Cup semi-finals in the past seven years and he can make progress in getting there again with West Ham. The Hammers have lost only two of their last ten games and can see off a Brentford side who have been poor since drawing with Arsenal on February 12.

Sassuolo have won five of their last six games, and the Neroverdi won the reverse fixture earlier this season. Struggling Lazio are winless in six, and they’ve conceded twice in five of their last seven games. The hosts have lost eight of 13 meetings with the 10 sides above them, while the Neroverdi have won five of eight visits to teams outside the top six.

No La Liga team has conceded more away goals than Oviedo’s 29 this term and Espanyol can get their confidence back by putting a couple past their visitors.

Second-bottom Tondela have scored twice in three of their last four matches, including their 2-2 draw with third-bottom Santa Clara in their last home game. Rio Ave are only two points clear of the bottom two, but they’ve won 3-0 and 2-1 in their two meetings with the sides in the drop zone to stay clear of the drop. The visitors have shipped 24 goals in 12 away trips, so goals appeal here.