This week, both the Champions League and Europa League reach the semi final stage, with the first legs spread out over three nights. At this point of the competition we get down to the very best sides, and even one mistake could hurt your season dearly. This is when the managers really earn their money, as they have to make the big decisions to take the smallest of advantages. While he have seen some big scorelines in recent years, it’s hard to see that happening again this season.
Of course, there are no Premier League sides left in either of the competitions, but we do have some mouth-watering clashes. On Tuesday, Italian champions Juventus host European champions Real Madrid, and then on Wednesday we have the leaders of La Liga and the Bundesliga as Barcelona play Bayern Munich. Here we have previews of both of those games, plus the Europa League semis, and we’ve got a betting tip for each.
Tuesday 5th May 2015
Juventus v Real Madrid (19:45) – Real Madrid to win (8/5 with Sky Bet)
The first of our Champions League semi finals comes from Turin, with Real Madrid the favourites to turn over the Old Lady. They look like they could match Manchester United’s 2009 achievement of reaching the final the year after winning it. No one has ever won the Champions League two years in a row, but Real Madrid could be the first side to do that, given the talent they have at their disposal. Carlo Ancelotti is under pressure at the Bernabeu, but surely even Real couldn’t sack him after achieving something like that?
Before this game, the big talk regarding the Champions League is about the possibility of an El Clasico final. Juventus will be looking to put the brakes on that dream here, as they aim for a first final appearance since 2003…when they knocked out Madrid in the semis would you believe? These are two very different sides now, and there’s no doubt over which is stronger. While Juventus have a few talented players, Real have a squad full of ability and experience, and it’s hard to look past them here.
Wednesday 6th May 2015
Barcelona v Bayern Munich (19:45) – Barca -1 handicap (2/1 with Sky Bet)
The second semi final sees Pep Guardiola returning home to the Camp Nou, as his Bayern side look to add the Champions League to their Bundesliga title. They’ve not had an easy path through so far, mainly because of how poorly they’ve played away from home. They’ve been on the road in the first leg in each round to date, and they’ve failed to win in either game. A 3-1 defeat to Porto last time out came after they put in a below par performance and made a ton of mistakes. They roared back in the second leg, but those away problems don’t seem to have gone away.
This Bayern side are beatable, Borussia Dortmund proved that last week in the German cup. Barca should come in to this one full of confidence, given just how well they’ve been playing of late. They tore through PSG in the last round, and they’ve been scoring for fun in the league. They’ve won 14 out of their last 15 games, so they come into this one at the top of their game. Given how much trouble Bayern have had away from home, Barca should win this one. The Catalans are 8/11 to win it, but they’re also 2/1 to win with a -1 handicap and that looks very good to us.
Thursday 7th May 2015
Napoli v Dnipro (20:05) – Both teams to score (6/5 with Coral)
Napoli come into this one five points off third spot in Serie A, so they know this competition is their best chance of making next season’s Champions League. A spot in the group stages is the prize for the winner, and as things stand each of the four sides aren’t in the Champions League places in their domestic leagues. Napoli boss Rafa Benitez has won this competition three times, once each with Valencia, Liverpool and Chelsea. He’s got enough experience in this competition, but can he win it a third time?
His side are big favourites in this one. They are currently 2/5 with the bookies to win this first leg, so there’s little value on the home win here. Most expect the hosts to win this, as on paper they’re certainly a much stronger side than the Ukrainians. The one problem is their current defensive record. Empoli put four past them last week, and they’ve been dodgy at the back all season. Dnipro are more than capable of scoring here, which makes both teams to score the best bet on this one at very attractive odds.
Sevilla v Fiorentina (20:05) – Sevilla to win and both teams to score (3/1 with Coral)
The other Europa League semi final features another Serie A side, with seventh placed Fiorentina travelling to La Liga side Sevilla. The visitors aren’t in great form at the minute, as they are currently on a four game losing streak in the league, and that’s seen them slip completely out of Champions League contention. As things stand, they might not even be in Europe next season if they don’t win this competition. Of course, that’s not going to be easy to do, with holders Sevilla to get past first.
The Spanish side are level on points with fourth placed Valencia in La Liga, so they still have a chance to make it into the Champions League by the more traditional route. Despite that, they’ll want to retain the trophy they won last season, and they have a phenomenal record in this competition. If they lift the trophy this year, that will be the fourth time they’ve done it in the last nine years. This season they’ve gotten through despite defensive problems, and we expect them to do that again here. Sevilla to win and both teams to score is our main betting tip, at 3/1 with Coral.