Those football fans amongst you will have noted the lurch towards the Champions League and the Europa League this week.

The Champions League and the Europa League continue into next week.

These matches are unique in that they are best-of-two matches. Not only that but away goals play an especially crucial role.

I would recommend a watching brief in the first legs. Why? Quite simply, come the second leg you will know precisely what both teams will require in order to progress.

What do we know so far?

Benfica hold a 1-0 lead against Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund did not score an away goal.

Dortmund will have to score first in the second leg at home. Why? If Benfica score first, Dortmund will then have to score three goals.

Can you see already that there are some good potential betting pointers for this second leg? I would back 3-1 as a saver in case Benfica score. I would look at Dortmund potentially scoring two goals. I would also look for a goal before halftime. From a mental perspective, if Dortmund can retain parity in the competition as quickly as possible, they could push on.

PSG beat Barcelona 4-0.

You don’t need the brain power of a David Beckham or Wayne Rooney in order to determine the second leg betting pointers at Barcelona.

Goals goals goals!

Barcelona must score four goals without conceding a goal. Dare we back 4-0 with the bookmakers? Dare we back Over 3.5 Goals, which covers both teams scoring?

Similarly, in the Europa League, we had a full fixture list on Thursday. Look for 1-0 scorelines such as Gent v Tottenham. I admit Tottenham tend to play a second string side but we can create those all important betting pointers here.

Tottenham need to score first and avoid conceding a goal… that is, of course, if they can be bothered with the Europa League!

The key is to anticipate how you think the second legs will play out, as a reaction to the first leg scorelines.

What if the away side score? The away goal rule will change the whole complexion of the match.

The next set of matches are played next week and there are some second leg matches in the Europa League played next week.

And before I go, do check out two prominent Cheltenham Festival ‘micro sites’ on either side of the pond.

Cheltenham Festival is a wrestle between British and Irish trainers. To get the Irish eye, head off to http://www.irishracing.com/cheltenham.

There are some great resources to add to your Cheltenham knowledge base.

Perhaps the best micro site in the UK is http://cheltenham.attheraces.com.

So, get yourself the Irish and the British low-down in the run up to the Festival. A lot nearer to the festival start date, I’ll be sharing some more info and tips on Cheltenham free here at the WRWM eletter.

And before I go, do any of you have any experience with betting bots in whatever way, shape and form? I am trialling a couple of bots and automated software specifically for Betfair. I believe that the correct choice of bot and strategy can allow you to profit and, more importantly, free up your valuable time. So please get in touch.

Have a great weekend in the interim and good luck in those second leg Europa League matches next week, and the up-and-coming second leg Champions League matches.