After a thrilling Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, the teams have now been dwindled down to just eight. There are some massive clubs still in contention, and we take a look at the first leg of the quarter final matchups below.
Juventus vs Real Madrid (Wednesday 4.45am AEST)
What a great game to kick off proceedings on Wednesday morning as Spanish giants Real Madrid travel to Italy to take on top Serie A leaders Juventus. Juventus have been unstoppable in the Serie A, winning 25 out of a possible 30 games and currently sit four points clear atop the table. They had a slight hiccup in the Round of 16 first leg against Tottenham, only managing a 2-2 draw at home, but were able to capture a fantastic 2-1 win in the away leg to advance to the quarters.
Real Madrid were dominant over PSG in their Round of 16 matchup, winning the first leg 3-1 at home before going to Paris and defeated them 2-1 on their own soil. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to stamp his case as the best Champions League player of all time, scoring three goals over the two leg fixture.
Ronaldo has faced Juventus five times in his careers, scoring in every game and finding the back of the net 7 times in total. He’ll be hard to stop again on Wednesday morning, however, Juventus are an incredibly tough team to beat at home. Juventus boast one win and one draw at home against Real dating back to 2013 and while Real Madrid won their last encounter in the 2016-17 Champions League final, we think the Italian side can hold on for at least a draw here at home.
TIP: Juventus (draw no bet) - $2.02 at Sportsbet
Barcelona vs Roma (Thursday 4.45am AEST)
Barcelona could only muster a 1-1 draw in their first leg against Chelsea in the Round of 16. When they returned to Camp Nou, however, it was a different story. Lionel Messi scored in the 3rd minute of the game and Barca never looked back, claiming a 3-0 win to advance to the quarters. The Spanish giants are still undefeated in the Champions League this season, although their record does have three draws to its name. However, they have won every game at home.
Roma had arguably the easiest matchup in the Round of 16 as they took on Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. They went down 2-1 away from home in the first leg but were able to advance after a 1-0 win on home soil in the second leg. They did, however, finish on top of a tough group featuring both Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.
Tough to see Roma being competitive here. Barcelona will come out super aggressive here wanting to take advantage of the first game on home soil. They’ll plan on taking a big lead into the second leg in Italy and given they have won every home game in this year’s Champions League by at least two goals, we think they cover again here.
TIP: Barcelona -1.5 - $1.66 at Sportsbet
Liverpool vs Manchester City (Thursday 4.45am AEST)
Monster matchup here as the two remaining English sides will do battle on Thursday morning. After a slight rough patch by their lofty standards which saw them drop points in three of six games, Manchester City have bounced back to win their last five in all competitions and are once again looking like one of the best teams in the world. They have had the luxury of giving key players some much needed rest over the last few weeks and should be at full strength for their clash against Liverpool.
Liverpool have lost just two of their last ten EPL games and continue to be one of the more exciting teams to watch in their EPL. Their 75 goals scored this season is second only to Manchester City and they boast the league’s leading scorer in Mohamed Salah with 28 goals.
Really tough match to call here. The Reds handed Manchester City their only loss of the EPL when the two teams met back in January at Anfield. Liveprool will have the home field advantage again here but we think Manchester City have a lot more to play for this time around. The Citizens had already wrapped up the domestic competition when the two teams met last. We think they bring their A-game here and earn an away win.
TIP: Manchester City to win - $2.40 at Sportsbet
