Champions League QF betting tips & top odds – Wednesday, April 6
The international break is over and the UEFA Champions League returns this Wednesday morning (AEST). We are now in the quarterfinals, and with only eight teams remaining, it’s do-or-die time. Now, this is only the first leg, but it will be an opportunity for teams like Manchester City and Bayern Munich to show their dominance and prove their legitimacy as Champions League contenders. At this point, every team outside of perhaps SL Benfica will genuinely believe they can win it all. There are two games on tap for Wednesday, and here are BettingSite’s top picks for each of them.
Benfica vs Liverpool
Benfica have been the surprise of the tournament so far and were able to get past Ajax last round. While Benfica are no slouches, Ajax were expected to win those matchups and it was a bit of an upset that the Portuguese team ended up advancing. Benfica have a lot of talent but it’s just not comparable to Liverpool. That is demonstrated by Benfica being firmly in third place in the Portuguese league while Liverpool are second in the English Premier League. The EPL is a class above the Primeira Liga, and Liverpool will have no issue dispatching Benfica. While they will need to win by two in order for the -1.25 handicap bet to cash, the Reds could easily win by upwards of four goals.
Liverpool are primed to go on a run. The Merseyside giants have all the pieces necessary to win the Champions League, but it really comes down to two guys. If Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are cooking, there’s not a lot Liverpool’s opponents can do. Benfica, while a scrappy team, do not have the defensive prowess to slow them down whatsoever. Liverpool can be susceptible defensively, but if Virgil van Dijk plays at his highest level, that will not be an issue. Take Klopp’s squad at the -1.25 line and watch them run circles around an inferior opponent.
Liverpool -1.25
Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid
Manchester City are currently the favorites with online bookmakers to win the Champions League, and it’s for good reason. They have a loaded squad top to bottom and can beat any team in the world. They have had some embarrassing slip-ups in the Champions League tournaments of years past, but this team feels different. While they have more talent than Atletico, this is the exact type of squad that can give them trouble. Atletico love to play defensively and muck a game up. Essentially, they make teams play at their pace and they have found a ton of success by doing just that. It’s not likely they beat City, but with their play style, the +1.5 line on Atleti is good value.
Atletico have the defensive acumen to control City. They can sit back and soak up pressure like no other team and will plan to do exactly that. The issue with Atletico comes when they go forward. They definitely have some proven goalscorers in Luis Suarez and Joao Felix, but at times they can become uninvolved. The key for Atletico staying in this game will be keeping them motivated and using their defensive structure to counter-attack with force. This game is shaping up to be a tactical battle between two of the best coaches in soccer. Both Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone will have their squads thinking they can win, and that belief sets up a great matchup. For our case, all we need is Simeone’s charges to keep it close, and it’s likely they are able to do just that.
