After an extremely interesting Round of 16 that saw some of the most amazing comeback results in recent history, the Champions League now moves on to the quarter final stage with some tantalising matchups on offer. We preview this week’s leg one matchups to be played on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
UEFA Champions Quarter Finals Leg 1 Betting Tips
Juventus vs Barcelona (Wednesday 4.45am AEST)
Clash of two powerhouses here as Italian side Juventus hosts Spanish side Barcelona for their first leg matchup on Wednesday morning. Barcelona suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of mid table La Liga side Malaga on the weekend after having won their last three domestic games with a +8-goal difference. The loss shouldn’t worry the Spanish side, however, as it was most likely a calculated effort in preparation for their clash with Juventus.
The last time these two teams met was in the final of the 2015 Champions League where Barcelona claimed a 3-1 win in Berlin. Juventus are in ominous form, however, having won their last 4 games in the Champions League and still maintain an unbeaten record against Barcelona on home soil with 2 wins and 2 draws. Really tough game to pick here, both teams have been dominant in their domestic competitions and Champions League campaigns so far, with Barca’s loss to PSG in Paris being their only blip on the radar. Because of that, we think Juve are a massive chance here to take at least a point at home.
TIP: Juventus (draw no bet) - $1.82 at Unibet
Borussia Dortmund vs Monaco (Wednesday 4.45am AEST)
Monaco were able to overcome a 5-3 leg one aggregate deficit against Manchester City in the Round of 16 to move onto the QF and book a place against German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday morning. The French side won their 2nd leg against Man City 3-1 to tie the two teams at 6 goals apiece, but Monaco’s 3 away goals saw them advance.
Dortmund were also in a spot of bother after their leg one match against Benfica, losing away from home 1-0 to the Portuguese side. A dominant 4-0 win in Germany, however, saw them breeze through to the quarters and draw arguably one of the easier matchups left in the tournament. Another tough game to pick but we think Borussia should control play here and will be comfortable taking a draw or even a one goal loss through to the next round, should be a defensive game.
TIP: Total Goals UNDER 3.5 - $1.79 at Unibet
Atletico Madrid vs Leicester City (Thursday 4.45am AEST)
After struggling for most of the EPL season to date, Leicester City have somehow limped into the quarter finals of the Champions League after defeating Sevilla in their Round of 16 clash. Sevilla won the first leg at home with a 2-1 score line, however, the Foxes were able to have a clutch performance in the second leg, winning 2-0 whilst only maintaining 29% possession.
They’ll get a much harder opponent here as they face the Spanish giants Atletico Madrid who breezed past Bayer Leverkusen in the last round with a 0-0 draw at home and a 4-2 away win. The two teams have only met twice in European home/away style competitions, in which Atletico qualified on both occasions. Regardless of the Foxes decent form in the EPL, it’s hard to look past the Spanish side at home here who will look to get out to an unassailable lead before their trip to England.
TIP: Atletico Madrid -1 - $1.83 at bet365
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid (Thursday 4.45am AEST)
The matchup of the round sees juggernauts in Bayern Munich and Real Madrid go toe to toe with the first leg to be played in Germany on Thursday morning. Both teams dominated their Round of 16 matches with Bayern claiming two 5-1 wins over Arsenal to move on while Real Madrid captured two 3-1 wins over Italian side Napoli.
Absolutely impossible game to pick here, really just comes down to who is feeling it on the night with a touch of the home field advantage coming into play. Both teams have been absolutely impeccable in their domestic competitions so far and neither have put a foot wrong in the Champions League. Happy to sit back and watch these two powerhouses go at it.
TIP: No Bet
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