MONACO and Bayer Leverkusen reconvene at the Stade Louis-II for the second leg of their Europa League knockout playoff round tie on Thursday evening.
It was the French side that drew first blood in Germany last week as they netted last-gasp winner in a 3-2 thriller, on a night where my solitary BayArena bet banked.
Philippe Clement's side have since tightened their grip on third place in Ligue 1 after claiming a 2-1 win at Brest on Sunday.
The Principality club now turn their attention back to continental commitments this midweek for Thursday's return match with Leverkusen.
After an encouraging start to life in the Bayer Leverkusen hotseat, the wheels have come off for Xabi Alonso in recent weeks.
Die Werkself were on the wrong end of a 3-2 reverse when hosting Mainz on Sunday, a setback that means they have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions.
Outright Betting
After coming out on top last week, Monaco head into Thursday's second leg as 5/4 favourites with William Hill.
Only a win will do for Bayer Leverkusen who have been chalked up as 2/1 (William Hill) outsiders while the draw can be backed at 5/2 (Bet 365).
Betting Angles
I successfully tipped up Over 2.75 goals in last week's first leg and I make no apology for siding with the same selection here at 19/20 (Bet 365).
This bet would bag us a full winner if the match features four or more goals, with a half-winner banked if the game produces exactly three strikes.
While Monaco have put themselves in the box seat for a last 16 berth, they're unlikely to rest on their laurels here and I suspect they will consider attacking their opponents to be their best form of defence.
Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, will look to throw caution to the wind at some point in search of a goal and that should also open things up and allow the forward-thinking home team some space to break with.
That was evident in Leverkusen last week when the two sides shared five goals between them, not to mention the pair have since been involved in domestic games that were goal-heavy, particularly in the visitors' case.
With that in mind, and given that both of these teams rely heavily on their attacking quality, siding with Over 2.75 seems like a sensible solution at 19/20 (Bet 365).
With another high-scoring contest anticipated between these two teams, I'll also back Monaco to deliver Over 1.5 Team Goals at even-money with William Hill.
The Red and Whites have racked a minimum of two strikes in each of their last five matches, so even-money quotes about a repeat here is a price that definitely represents value.
This UEFA Europa League match between Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen will be played on Feb 23, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Monaco vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
