The Champions League quarter finals return this week with eight teams battling it out for the biggest club competition in the world. Favourites Manchester City take on Tottenham in the battle of British clubs while Premier League hopefuls Liverpool take on Portuguese side Porto.
Manchester United who mount an extraordinary comeback against PSG face Barcelona while the last tie of the quarter finals sees Juventus pitted against Ajax.
Tottenham vs Manchester City: The two Premier League side will meet for the first time in Europe and there’s so much at stake. For Spurs the Champions League represents the club’s last chance to win a trophy for the first time since 2008. However, City are hoping to finally win the title the fans and owners crave for.
When the Oil rich owners purchased the club in 2008, they had the goal of turning City into the dominant force in the Premier League and in Europe. While they have been able to achieve that in the English top flight, they have always come up short in Europe with the Citizens getting to the Semi-Finals on just one occasion since the Abu Dhabi owners came in.
They’ll hope to better last season’s performance when they went out to another Premier League side (Liverpool) at the same stage of the competition. For Spurs it will be their first champions league in the new stadium and they will want to get a result which will put them in a good advantage ahead of the second leg at Etihad.
Betting tips: Tottenham will want to give their fans a good performance, so expect enough fireworks. With both sides famous for their attacking threat, then there’ll be enough goals. Both teams to score or Over 2.5 is the safe bet for the game but you can go a step further by staking on Tottenham to win or draw & Over 2.5 with Harry Kane scoring at any time.
Manchester United vs Barcelona: The star match of the quarter final fixtures. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side got to the stage after they came from 2-0 home defeat to beat Paris Saint Germain at Le Parc des Princes. The Norwegian has overseen an upturn in United’s form since he replaced Jose Mourinho in December, but it was the win over the French champions PSG that stood out. With United missing up to ten first team player and Paul Pogba also suspended, Ole Gunnar Solskajer side defied odds, beating Thomas Tuchel’s men 3-1 to qualify on away goals rule.
United’s reward for the victory is a date against Barcelona after Ernesto Valverde ‘s side saw off the challenge of another French side Lyon. The Blaugrana played out a goaless draw in the first leg before seeing of their challenge with a comprehensive victory in the return leg at Camp Nou. The quarter final clash between the two power house of European football promises to bring unending action.
Betting Tips: Ernesto Valverde’s side will go into the match as favourites, and it’s difficult to see any other outcome other than a victory for Barcelona.
But United will also want to prove a point and they can hurt the Barcelona’s frailing defence on the counter. However, with Lionel Messi in Brilliant form and United’s defence all over the place in recent games, it will be a safe bet to play a win or draw for the away side with the Argentina international scoring at any time.
Marcus Rashford is United’s dangerous threat and you can back him to continue his impressive scoring form .
Liverpool vs Porto: Premier League hopefuls, Liverpool will hope to make it to the semi-finals for the second season running when they take on Portuguese side FC Porto. The two sides met last season with the Reds beating 2004 champions 5-0 on aggregate in the second round. This season, Jurgen Klopp’s side have not been brilliant on the road in Europe this season losing all their three away games in the group stages.
However, they ended that worrying form with a brilliant away win over Bundesliga Champions Bayern Munich in the last round. The Reds are the third favourites for this season’s competition and they’ll be the clear favourites to progress at the expense of Porto.
The Portuguese side beat last season’s semi-finalist (AS Roma) in the second round and they boast of players who have enough champions league experiences. Former Madrid duo Iker Cassilas and Pepe over 200 European appearances between them and should be able to cope with the pressure that comes at this stage.
Betting Tips: The two sides met last season with Liverpool winning the first leg 5-0 before playing out a goalless draw in the return leg at Anfield. Everything points to similar outcome though the Portuguese side should be able to keep the scoreline respectable this time around.
Liverpool’s Anfield home is always special on a champions league night, so it is expected of Klopp’s men to secure the victory tomorrow night. A win for Liverpool and Over 1.5 will be the safe bet to play while you can also bet on Klopp’s men keeping a clean sheet.
Ajax vs Juventus : In a rematch of the 1996 final, Ajax will be hoping to make the Semi-Finals of the Champions League for the first time since the 1996/1997 when they take on the Old Lady. The Dutch side shocked the football world when they knocked out three time defending champion Real Madrid in the second round. Having lost the first leg at Johan Cruyff Arena, The Lancers did the impossible by going to the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring four times to knock out the thirteen-time European champions.
Their reward for beating Real Madrid is a clash with Italian champions Juventus. The Old Lady mounted a comeback of their own when they knocked out Atletico Madrid after going down 2-0 in the first leg. With Allegri facing the prospect of going out in the second round, Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick in the second leg secured an extraordinary comeback for the two time European champions.
However, the former Real Madrid man is a doubt for the trip to Amsterdam after he missed Juventus last three games due to an injury he picked up on international duty. Should the 34 year old miss the encounter, it will be a major blow for Allegri’s men and could give Ajax of causing another upset.
Betting Tips: Ajax are famous for their attacking prowess while Juventus are famous for their defensive stability. So expect few goals in this game especially with Ronaldo likely to miss the game. Everything points to a game that will be decided by few margins, so the safe bet will be an under 2.5. A both team to score is another safe option. Ronaldo to score at anytime also another option provided he plays.
Bet9ja Booking Number:Z5VS26TX. PS: Remember to bet responsibly
