After an absolutely thrilling round of quarter final matchups, the UEFA Champions League continues this week with two massive semi final clashes! Leg one of both ties will be played on Wednesday and Thursday morning this week before the matchups are concluded next week. See our preview and tips for leg one of both of the semi finals below.
Liverpool vs Roma (Wednesday 4.45am AEST)
After losing their first leg to Barcelona in the quarter finals to a 4-1 score line, Roma looked down and out of the Champions League and Barca were paying under $1.10 to advance to the semis. However, in their home leg, Roma pulled out something astonishing, beating the Spanish giants 3-0 in a brilliant display to knock arguably the best team in the world out of the competition and advance to a semi final matchup with Liverpool.
Liverpool also headed into their quarter final matchup as underdogs. They had the advantage of playing their first game at home, where they shocked Manchester City with a 3-0 victory. Heading into Manchester for leg two, the Citezens were still a massive sniff after they scored in the second minute of the game, however, Liverpool put that idea to bed when the EPL’s leading scorer Mohamed Salah scored in the 56th minute. Liverpool went on to win the game 2-1 and advance to the semi’s where they are now the tournament favourite.
Very tough match to call here. Liverpool have been outstanding in the Champions League and are yet to be beaten in the competition so far. Roma, interestingly, had to come back from first leg losses to advance in both of their round of 16 and quarter final matchups. Of the five times these two teams have bet in European competitions, Liverpool have lost to Roma just once, with two draws and two Liverpool wins in the books. However, the two teams haven’t played since 2002.
Liverpool start as $1.45 favourites here and given Roma’s record in their two knockout stage away games so far, that seems about right. They have given up 6 goals to Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona away from home and we think Liverpool will be keen to head back to Roma with a commanding lead so should play aggressive at home.
TIP: Liverpool to score OVER 2.5 goals - $2.50 at Sportsbet
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid (Thursday 4.45am AEST)
Thursday will see two giants of world football go at it as Bayern Munich host Real Madrid at the Allianz Arena. Real Madrid will be looking to advance to their third final in a row and their fourth in five years with a win over Bayern. While the German side can reach their first final since their 2012-13 Champions League win.
Bayern just did what they had to do in the quarter finals, travelling to Sevilla in leg one and returning with a 2-1 away victory before cruising to a 0-0 draw at home and a fairly easy advancement. They’ll need to be more engaged if they want to get past Real Madrid though, as the Spaniards are one of the most in form teams in the world at the moment.
Madrid were super impressive in their leg one matchup against Juventus, travelling to Italy and coming away with a 3-0 win in a game where Cristiano Ronaldo added two goals to his Champions League record tally. Although they lost the second leg at home 3-1, Ronaldo was able to score the crucial goal that sent Real through to the semis in the 97th minute.
Great value for Bayern here in my opinion. It’s a rare occasion when you can get the German juggernauts at $1.91 to win a game at home. Real Madrid are a threat, no doubt, but the home field advantage is the only factor I can think of to split these teams, happy to go with Bayern here.
TIP: Bayern Munich to win - $1.91 at Sportsbet
