in a re-run of last year’s champions league final, city rivals atletico and real clash in the quarter final stage with both sides presenting strong cases for success. while real won that final – running out 4-1 victors only after extra time – it should be noted that diego simeone’s men have won three and drawn the other of the last four la liga matches against cristiano ronaldo and co. so which side will be triumphant when they meet on tuesday?
whichever side wins the first leg, we predict an exciting encounter with plenty of goals, and no little bitterness. atletico were so close to victory in lisbon, sergio ramos heading the equaliser for real some three minutes into injury time. but subsequent victories for atleti – notably their 4-0 drubbing of real in february and their two-legged victory over them in the copa del rey in january – suggest this is far from the one-sided contest some of the bookies predict.
with many bookmakers offering best betting odds of just 1/2 for carlo ancelotti’s team to progress to the semis, the pressure is surely all on real. there is certainly value to be found in backing atletico at 15/8 to make it through over two legs or indeed the 21/10 available with marathonbet for them to get the victory in the first leg.
of course, when you have the likes of ronaldo, gareth bale and karim bezema amongst your ranks, you are always going to have a fair chance of steamrolling the opposition – as real did so emphatically when beating granada 9-1 last weekend! but in mario mandzukic, raul garcia and koke, the home side possess plenty of talent of their own, and are sure to cause the visitors problems.
in attempting to predict what will happen in this match, it is tempting to shy away from the match winner market and focus on there being over 2.5 goals, or perhaps both teams to score – both bets that we are fairly confident will come in. but instead we are going to stick our neck out and suggest that simeone has found a way to both nullify real’s many threats while simultaneously finding chinks in their armour. with the wounds of last year’s final defeat sill raw, we fancy atletico will exact some sweet revenge here.
atletico madrid v real madrid betting tip: atletico to win at betting odds of 21/10 with marathonbet
juventus v monaco betting tips and odds – 14 april 2015
monaco showed great determination and invention to make it past an in-form arsenal side in the round of 16, but they will need to perform at least as well if they are to overcome the more stoic challenge of italian champions juventus. read on as we bring you our predictions of what will transpire in turin along with the latest betting odds and stats.
juve – now under the managerial guidance of massimiliano allegri – are well-placed to add a fourth straight serie a title to their burgeoning list of honours as they are currently sitting pretty at the top of the table with a comfortable 14-point margin.
monaco, meanwhile, are a little off the pace in ligue 1 and many predicted they would struggle when drawn against arsenal in the last round of this competition. but leonardo jardim’s men put in a fine display when winning 3-1 at the emirates. they restricted the gunners to just four shots on target that night, and despite losing the return leg 2-0, they had done enough to secure their progression to the quarter finals.
juve made rather easier work of it against 2013 champions league finalists borussia dortmund in their last 16 encounter, winning 2-1 at home before posting a fine 3-0 victory in germany. former premier league star carlos tevez has been playing well of late and with six goals in eight champions league appearances this season, he looks a fair bet to open the scoring in this one.
despite juve being the strong favourites to win the first leg – at best betting odds of just 7/15 with pinnacle – it should be noted that monaco have conceded just four goals in the competition this season, three of which came against arsenal in the last round. as such we predict a low scoring affair in turin as neither side takes many risks. overall, a narrow victory for the home side looks likely but backing under 2.5 goals is certainly the safest bet here.
juventus v monaco betting tip: under 2.5 goals at betting odds of 3/5 with marathonbet
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