Tag: Real Madrid

Champions League – Juventus v Real Madrid Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Champions League semi-final line-up is almost as expected with Juventus the only real surprise. The Italian giants have not reached the closing stages of this tournament since 2003 and the bookmakers rank them as 9-1 outsiders to go all the way.

They host reigning champions Real Madrid in the first leg of their semi-final on Tuesday night. The closing stages of this competition can be notoriously cagey affairs, particularly in the first leg. If the quarter-finals can be taken as any guide, this game is unlikely to buck the trend.

Juventus held on by a single goal to beat Monaco while Real Madrid looked destined for extra-time in their clash with local rivals Atletico. A red card for Arda Turan with fifteen minutes to go put Atletico firmly on the back foot and Javier Hernandez struck with just two minutes remaining. The win did little to convince the bookmakers that Real are good enough to defend their title, easing them to third favourites behind Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

The value of an away goal was illustrated when Arsenal and Chelsea were both eliminated and Juventus will be intent on preventing Real from scoring. With Benzema still absent, that means that the focus will be on Cristiano Ronaldo to carry the main threat. The Serie A champions have a fine defensive record with thirteen clean sheets this season.

They are also missing a key player on Paul Pogba and they were definitely more restrained in the quarter-finals without him. Carlos Tevez will be the main threat to the Spanish defence and he has enjoyed a great tournament with six goals already to his credit. Juventus would obviously love to have a lead to take to the Bernabeau but all of the omens suggest that this is going to be very tight.

Carlo Ancelotti has great faith in his squad and will make no excuses if they are beaten here. They were the more offensive side against Atletico in both matches and they will probably enjoy more of the ball than their opponents here. Go low on goals and it may be worth taking a little of the 7-1 on offer about a goalless draw.

Juventus 0 Real Madrid 0 @7-1 Bet365

Goals under 2.5 @8-13 Bet Victor

Champions League Preview – April 22nd

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Hat’s off to Bayern Munich for their 6-1 demolition of Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday night. I didn’t see that coming after their poor display in the first leg. Fortunately Barcelona won by a two-goal margin to give us a return on our bets for the night.

If Wednesday night’s matches follow a similar script, it will be Real Madrid and Juventus going through and bookmakers make that the most likely scenario. However, it is unlikely to be straight forward for Carlo Ancelotti’s team as they meet local rivals Atletico with the tie locked at 0-0 after the first leg.

Atletico have beaten them four times and drawn the other three in their seven previous meetings this season. They ought to know each other inside out, which would probably explain the dull stalemate in the first leg. This match looks more likely to develop at the pace of a game of chess rather than a swashbuckling goal feast.

Another factor is the current injury crisis afflicting Real. They will be without Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema while Marcelo is suspended. Ancelotti believes that he has the strongest squad in Europe and that may well be the case, but they are surely going to miss four such high quality players.

Atletico are without the suspended Mario Suarez but are otherwise at full strength and will be looking to soak up the pressure and hit Real on the break. They have kept seven clean sheets in nine matches so they are well equipped to do so. The best value here may be in a low scoring game with a repeat of the 0-0 scoreline worth a bet at good odds.

In the other match, Juventus travel to Monaco defending a slender one-goal advantage. They have dominated Serie A in the last four seasons but this is the first time that they have been in the last eight since 2012-13. A semi-final place beckons and Carlos Tevez could be the man to put them there. The former journeyman Premiership player has been in great form all season and even the absence of Pogba should not prevent a win for the Italians.

They have a wealth of experience in their squad including Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon and Patrice Evra. Monaco clung on desperately against Arsenal in the last round and, rather like PSG, this may be a step too far. It may be worth speculating on a comfortable win for Juventus.

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid DRAW @13-5 BetVictor

Real Madrid 0 Atletico 0 @10-1 BetVictor

Goals under 2.5 @8-11 William Hill

Juventus to win @7-5 Ladbrokes

Carlos Tevez to score and Juventus win @7-2 Paddy Power

Monaco 0 Juventus 3 @28-1 BetVictor

Champions League – Quarter-final draw and odds update

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

In our September Champions League preview we recommended Atletico Madrid (25-1) and PSG (16-1) as the value bets in this season’s competition. Both sides have made it safely through to the last eight but the draw has not been kind.

Atletico Madrid gave us a tremendous run for  our money last season in reaching the final before losing in extra-time to rivals Real. They face Ronaldo and co again in the two-legged quarter-final but will be more than hopeful of causing an upset this time.

Diego Simeone’s side have beaten the reigning champions twice in the league and knocked them out of the Copa del Rey this season. That surely entitles them to some respect here but the bookmakers have them at a top price 18-1 to lift the trophy. Anyone who saw Real Madrid scrape past Roberto di Matteo’s Schalke in that astonishing second leg match will regard the champions as suspect. Their price has eased to 9-2 third favourite in the wake of that display and a defeat against Barcelona at the weekend has dented their domestic league prospects.

Ronaldo has already dragged them through a few tricky matches this season and he will be the main threat to Atletico but it should be a fascinating tie.

PSG were extremely fortunate to get past Chelsea who were guilty of sitting back against ten men in the hope of seeing out time. I am always happy to praise Jose Mourinho for his tactical genius but he failed to galvanise his troops that day. Credit to PSG for hanging on long enough to get a result but I can see why they are a longer price now than they were back in September.

As well as their average form, there is the little matter of Barcelona to overcome in the last eight. The Spaniards saw off Man City and would have run up a cricket score but for Joe Hart’s brilliance between the posts.

Bayern Munich have emerged as the new favourites and they face Porto while Juventus face Arsenal’s conqueror’s, Monaco. The Gunners came close to turning around a 3-1 deficit and Monaco were on the ropes for almost 90 minutes. Few will be rushing out to take the Coral price of 80-1. Juventus are in to 8-1 after thrashing Borussia Dortmund and could be this year’s surprise package.

Best odds

Bayern Munich 13-8 Ladbrokes

Barcelona 28-11 Unibet

Real Madrid 9-2 Ladbrokes

Juventus 8-1 Ladbrokes

Atletico Madrid 18-1 Boylesports

PSG 20-1 Paddy Power

Porto 80-1 Coral

Monaco 80-1 Coral

1/3 odds, 1,2

Quarter-finals to be played April 14th, 15th, 21st, 22nd

Champions League – Porto and Real to progress

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Champions League returns this week with the first four quarter-finalists to be decided. The match of the week looks to be the clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and PSG on Wednesday night with the tie delicately poised at 1-1. We will be previewing that game in detail tomorrow.

Tuesday night sees Porto welcome Basel to Portugal with the tie also level at 1-1 after the first leg. The home side are unbeaten in the competition this season and finished top of Group H.  They have not lost any of their last eight home games in Europe and are bidding to reach the last eight for the first time since 2008/09.

They have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions and have not conceded a goal in five league matches. Basel scraped through to the last sixteen by knocking out Liverpool on matchday six but finished 11 points behind Real Madrid in their group. They have only been to the knockout stages once before where they were thrashed 8-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich. It’s difficult to see anything other than a home win for Porto, probably without reply.

The other tie sees Real Madrid defending a 2-0 lead at home to Schalke. They should have few problems reaching the last eight for the fifth consecutive season as they try to become the first side to defend the trophy in the modern era.

Real put Schalke to the sword at the same stage last season, winning 9-2 on aggregate with a 6-1 victory at the Bernabeau. The German side have improved under new coach Roberto di Matteo but face an impossible task trying to rescue the tie. Ronaldo scored four against Schalke last year and scored in the first leg so it is no surprise to see him short in the goal scorer markets here.

Schalke edged through courtesy of a goal from substitute Max Meyer against Maribor in their final group match. They recorded their first victory in five league games last weekend but this may be an exercise in damage limitation for the visitors. Carlo Ancelotti’s men can afford to be patient and pick them off in the second period.

Tips

Ronaldo to score and Real Madrid win @8-13 Paddy Power

Real v Schalke: Over 2.5 goals scored @4-9 Betfair

Porto to beat Basel to nil @6-5 William Hill

Real Madrid and Porto for Champions League double

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

There are two further Champions League matches on Wednesday night with Real Madrid away to Schalke and Basel at home to Bayern Munich. If you were expecting to see the Premiership teams in action after Chelsea on Tuesday, the matches are being dragged out over the next fortnight. Arsenal and Man City return to the fray next week.

Real Madrid thrashed Schalke 6-1 in the corresponding fixture last season with Ronaldo, Bale and Benzima helping themselves to two goals apiece. A 3-1 defeat in the return leg consigned Schalke to a 9-2 aggregate thrashing. Former Champions League winning manager Roberto Di Matteo is now at the helm for Schalke and they are expected to put up stronger resistance this time.

Di Matteo has brought in Matija Nastasić on loan from Manchester City and his side are now back in the top four in Germany. Summer signing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has already scored nine goals in the Bundesliga but they were taken apart by Chelsea in the group stages and it is difficult to see them holding out for 90 minutes.

Swiss champions Basel meet Porto in the in Wednesday’s other match. Basel reached the last sixteen by holding out for a 1-1 draw at Liverpool in December, finishing second to Real Madrid in Group B. Basel beat Liverpool 1-0 at St. Jakob-Park and restricted Real to a single goal. That was only their second home defeat in their last eleven European home games.

Porto have not lost to a team from Switzerland since the Grasshopper Club in the 1980/81 UEFA Cup. They are unbeaten in the Champions League so far this season and finished five points clear at the top of Group H. They were held to a 2-2 draw at Shakhtar on matchday two but won their other away games at Athletic Club and FC Bate Borisov.

Porto won the competition in 2004 but have not gone beyond the semi-finals since. This is the seventh time that they have reached the last 16 since their victory and their league form suggests that they can go further this year. Porto have won ten of their last 13 matches with Colombian striker Jackson Martínez scoring 12 goals in his last 13 games. Both Porto and Real Madrid are capable of winning comfortably and the win double pays around 5-2.

Wednesday Double

Porto to beat Basel @29-20 BetVictor

Real Madrid to beat Schalke @4-9 BetVictor

Champions League 2014/15 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Group stages of the Champions League get under way this week with Real Madrid favourites to become the first team to successfully defend the trophy.

They have made a patchy start to the new domestic season and suffered a defeat by local rivals Atletico at the weekend. With their wealth of talent, that can surely only be a temporary blip and they are bound to be serious contenders again.

Atletico Madrid were our each-way tip last season and they went all the way to the final. Bookmakers are not convinced that they have enough quality to repeat the achievement this season and have priced them up at a generous 25-1.

The departure of Costa to Chelsea may have dented Atletico’s prospects but Mario Mandzukic is an exciting replacement. Diego Simeone is clearly a first class coach and they look overpriced to me.

My other tip is Paris St Germain who have been among the biggest spenders in Europe this summer. The £50million paid for David Luiz may have raised a few eyebrows but the former Chelsea man will be determined to erase the memory of that World Cup nightmare against Germany. It is worth remembering that he was being treated as a national hero after his wonder strike earlier in the competition.

PSG were close to eliminating Chelsea last season and should qualify from their group despite the presence of Barcelona. Ibrahimovic, Cavani and Levezzi is a world-class front-line by any standards.

The English challenge this season looks likely to be spearheaded by Chelsea who have made a tremendous start in the Premier League. Diego Costa surely cannot keep up his incredible strike rate and it remains to be seen whether Drogba and Remy offer sufficient cover. They are a very talented side but do not represent great value at around 6-1.

Liverpool have undertaken a summer rebuilding project in the wake of Luis Suarez’s departure. They look to have a relatively easy passage through to the knockout phase but the same cannot be said of champions Manchester City. They got through the group phase for the first time last season but won’t have it easy against Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow and Roma.

Arsenal sneaked past Besiktas in the playoffs to reach the Group stage of the competition for a remarkable eighteenth consecutive season. They should also emerge safely from Group D but there remains a suspicion that they are a player or two short compared to Chelsea and City.

PSG @16-1 Ladbrokes

Atletico Madrid @25-1 William Hill

½ odds 1,2