Three English clubs are in the Champions League quarter finals but how many will make it into the last four? Could we see an all-English semi-final between Liverpool and Chelsea or might there no English teams left? Lots of questions so let’s try and answer some and supply you with some betting tips too.
Tuesday 13 April
Chelsea v Porto (8pm KO)
Chelsea has the best chance of the three English clubs to reach the last four. The away leg was played in Seville last week, rather than in Portugal. Chelsea got a 2-0 win and now it’s time for the home leg and again we are in Spain.
It’s their third trip to the stadium after beating Sevilla 4-0 in the group stages. They just love playing here and another win looks on the cards here. The weekend saw them go to Selhurst Park and come away with a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Christian Pulisic scored twice, his first goals for Chelsea since December 5. That’s where Chelsea has the advantage on a lot of teams, they have so many players who can score goals for them. Who knows, even Timo Werner might get one soon! He’s 8/5 at Paddy Power to score in this match.
Porto have it all to do to get back into this tie. They will have to be going forward to try and get goals and we all know how that often ends. More opportunities for Chelsea as the gaps appear as the back will be the order of the day. Chelsea can win this game and that’s 5/6 at Bet365.
Wednesday 14 April
Liverpool v Real Madrid (8pm KO)
Shout it from the mountain tops, Liverpool have won a home game at Anfield. They came from behind on Saturday to beat Aston Villa 2-1 to finally win at Anfield in 2021. Now they need another comeback as they try to haul back a two-goal deficit against Real Madrid.
The Spanish champions won the first leg 3-1 and Liverpool need another great European performance. The problem is there are no fans in attendance and Liverpool just aren’t in the kind of form that saw them beat Barcelona a couple of seasons ago. Liverpool have conceded in seven of their last eight home games. The only clean sheet was kept in their ‘home’ game in Budapest, is that stadium free on Wednesday?
Real Madrid beat Barcelona on Saturday to make it six straight wins and no loss since January. They know scoring a goal at Anfield will mean Liverpool have to get three just to have a chance of progressing. Go for both teams to score in this match and William Hill will give you 4/7 on that stat coming up. It’s not looking good for Liverpool though and Real Madrid can progress.
Borussia Dortmund v Manchester City (8pm KO)
The winners of this tie take on either PSG or Bayern Munich. Possibly PSG to progress after winning the away leg 3-2. Manchester City’s owners probably go to bed every night dreaming of the day all that money spent will win them the Champions League. Just getting to the final would be a start.
A late goal gave them a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg. They then went and lost at home to Leeds United but made seven changes from the midweek starting line-up. That goal conceded at home is only the second they’ve let in during this season’s Champions League campaign. Their opponents won at the weekend and of course have the likes of Haaland and Sancho. City should qualify but the best bet here is on both teams to score a goal. The odds on that are 8/15 at 888sport.
