A few upset results in the quarters has left us with two really interesting matchups in the semi finals of the UEFA Champions League set to kick off Wednesday morning. Real play Atletico in a Madrid Derby for the ages while giant slayer Juventus will face off against Monaco in the other tie. We preview and give our betting tips for leg one of both matchups below.
UEFA Champions Semi Finals Leg 1 Betting Tips
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid (Wednesday 4.45am AEST)
The Madrid Derby will get another instalment this Wednesday morning as Cristiano Ronaldo and his Real Madrid teammates host Atletico at Santiago Bernabeu. Atletico held on for a 1-1 draw with English side Leicester City in the 2nd leg of their tie to advance to the semis, after winning 1-0 in Madrid in leg one.
Real Madrid were underdog winners in both games against German giants Bayern Munich. They captured a 2-1 away win in the first leg before Ronaldo exploded for a hat trick in game 2 to give the Spaniards a 4-2 win at home. Real Madrid currently sit tied for first place in the La Liga, with a game in hand over arch rivals Barcelona. Atletico sit 10 points adrift in 3rd place.
Like it has been for years in the Madrid Derby, it will be defence vs offence here as the the might of the Real attack who have scored a ridiculous 92 goals in the La Liga this year with the likes of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema take on the Atletico defence who have allowed a league low 25 on the season. It makes it really tough game to predict a winner, but with Real having the ‘home field advantage’ and some scintillating form, it’s hard to look past them here.
TIP: Real Madrid H2H - $1.80 at Sportsbet
Monaco vs Juventus (Thursday 4.45am AEST)
One of the most consistent socring teams in the Champions League so far have been Monaco. They have scored exactly three goals in all of their last four matches throughout the Round of 16 and the quarter finals but will now come up against a team that hasn’t allowed a goal in their last five CL games in Juventus.
Monaco overcame Borussia Dortmund in the quarter finals with a 3-2 away win followed by a 3-1 home win after the first leg was marred by an attempted bombing of the Dortmund team bus just hours before the scheduled kick off. Juventus were shock winners over Spanish giants Barcelona after a 3-0 home win in the first leg meant they could lock it down for a 0-0 draw at Barcelona in leg two.
The win over Barca will give the Italian side a heap of confidence as they attempt to win their first European crown since the 1995-96 edition. Their three man forward line of Mandzukic, Higuain and Dybala is one of the scariest in world football at the moment and have amassed 70 goals in Serie A so far this season. However, it’s their defence that has been the catalyst in their current 9 point lead at the top of the table, allowing only 22 goals through 27 games in the domestic comp so far. Even with the home field advantage to Monaco, Juventus have the form and the defensive mindset to walk away from this one with a low scoring victory.
TIP: Juventus H2H - $2.10 at Sportsbet
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