Last week’s Champions League quarter final first legs produced four great encounters, with even the 0-0 between Real Madrid and Atletico being a game full of chances. Each match was tense, and we’re more than likely going to see more of that in the second legs. With the league winners from five countries and the defending champions still left in at this late stage, you can expect quality football, with the prospect of a big name or two being put out.
Ahead of the second legs across Tuesday and Wednesday, we have three ties at least which could either way, but there are also huge tasks facing some of the favourites to keep themselves in the competition. Ahead of those four huge matches, here we have a preview for each one, with betting tips included to help you get the best value across the upcoming Champions League action.
Tuesday 21st April 2015
Barcelona v PSG (19:45) – Both teams to score (4/6 with Bet365)
This is the one tie where the match seems to be more or less over, but PSG showed in the last round that they can battle back when the tide is against them. This time it looks a step too far, after the injury-hit French champions went down 3-1 at home to Barca in the first leg. They’re going to need a massive turnaround here just to get themselves back in the game, while Barca know they can just play their natural game with a huge advantage already in the bank.
Barca’s recent form has pushed them forward to be the bookies’ favourites in this competition, and it’s not hard to see why. Their front three has finally clicked, with Neymar and Luis Suarez sharing the goals in that first leg victory. While Lionel Messi is still their main man, they don’t have to rely on him anymore, which says a lot for how good they’ve become. They still do have a weak spot at the back, and PSG know they’ll need to exploit it if they’re to have any chance of making the semis. Both sides are likely to attack here, and with star studded front lines and vulnerable defences, both teams to score is the bet to go for here.
Bayern Munich v Porto (19:45) – Bayern Munich -1 (5/6 with Bet365)
The shock of the round, and possibly the tournament so far, was Bayern Munich’s 3-1 defeat in Porto last week. The Portuguese side have made it this far on merit, but everyone expected a first leg win for the German champions. Their sloppy performance was happily exploited by the hosts, who won comfortably ahead of the second leg this week. That has put Bayern in serious danger of crashing out early.
Of course, their last round performances have to be remembered here. They struggled to a 0-0 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in their first leg, before roaring back to win 7-0 at home. Shakhtar aren’t a bad side, and they drew twice with Porto in the group stage. Bayern are likely to get back in the game at home, and both the -1 handicap and Bayern to qualify are well priced at 5/6. It may be strange to see a side favourites to go through after a poor performance and heavy defeat, but they’re more than capable of winning by two goals at home.
Wednesday 22nd April 2015
Monaco v Juventus (19:45) – Juventus to win (6/4 with Betfred)
After Juventus’ first leg win at home, they’re massive favourites to qualify for the next round. Monaco are rank outsiders at this point in the competition, after making it further than anyone would have expected. Their narrow victory over Arsenal in the last 16 came as a shock to many, and it’s hard to see them being able to make much of a fight out of this game, as the Italian side are a class above.
Juventus haven’t made big runs in this competition in recent years, but they do look set for a semi-final appearance here. It doesn’t seem like Monaco will really stop them, you only have to look at the ease with which Arsenal won in Monaco in the second leg to see why Juventus are such short odds to qualify. It might not be enough for them to just go through on aggregate, they will be looking for victory on the night to take them through. We saw in the last round how they didn’t sit back and protect their lead in Dortmund, they went out, attacked and recorded a heavy win. With that in mind, Juve are great value for the win here at 6/4.
Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (19:45) – Both teams to score (17/20 with BetVictor)
The first leg may have finished 0-0, but it was still a fantastic match between the two. There were so many chances, but neither side could break the deadlock. Someone will have to in the second leg, but that blank could come back to bite Real. Should Atletico get an away goal in the Bernabeu that could spell big trouble for the holders, as they would have a mountain to climb. Given Atletico’s recent record against Real, they’re quite likely to get at least a goal here.
We have a ton of previous meetings between the two to look back on, as this is the eighth meeting between them this season. They also met in last year’s final, and that’s one of the few recent occasions where Real came out on top. The Spanish champions will come in to this game full of confidence, and they’re actually very good value to make it through to the semi-finals. Given how far off the pace they are in the league, they need Champions League progress. Given that both sides need goals here, both teams to score looks like the best bet. Despite the last game, these matches are usually full of goals, so backing BTTS looks like the best value bet.