It’s the business end of the Champion’s League now as we take a look at a couple of matchups in the Quarter Finals. Two pretty big games as well with PSG taking on Chelsea whilst Real Madrid take on last year’s finalists Borussia Dortmund. Both games are interesting matchups with PSG and Chelsea both pretty much at full strength whilst Real Madrid will be looking to build on their win over Vallecano after previously suffering back to back losses as they prepare to take on a somewhat injury depleted Borussia Dortmund side. Either way we should see some pretty competitive and entertaining football.
Odds from Betfair as at 1/4/14
PSG ($2.08) versus Chelsea ($4.2), Draw ($3.45)
PSG take on Chelsea in what is shaping up to be a pretty exciting contest. PSG have been crusing in Ligue 1 whilst Chelsea, whom had been in some strong form, have stumbled in recent weeks losing to Crystal Palace in Aston Villa which has let Liverpool climb over them at the top of the Premier League table. It’s difficult to ascertain as to why they have stumbled apart from a build-up of pressure and expectation at being at the top of the table. One thing for sure though is that Mourinho will not want to give anything away in this first leg and he may take a defensive approach as we’ve seen in some of their crucial games this season against fellow title contenders.
Both sides look to be at full strength with Chelsea’s main concerns being injury doubts to Eto’o and Luiz. Perhaps the major blow albeit unchangeable is that Matic won’t be able to play since he is cup tied with Benfica. He’s been a great signing since returning to Chelsea in January. They’d love to have him here as his defensive work in the midfield would no doubt help the cause in stopping key passes into the likes of Cavani and Ibrahimovic.
It’s hard to not look past PSG here for a tight win given their strong form this season as well as Chelsea’s stumbles in the past few weeks in the Premier League. I’d expect Chelsea to be a little negative in this game in trying to stem the impact of PSG’s attacking threats in particular Ibrahimovic and Cavani. As a result whilst we should see a pretty competitive game with plenty of genuine chances it should also be somewhat low scoring.
Predicted result: PSG 2-0
Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals at $1.66
Best Bet Confidence: 80%
Real Madrid ($1.37) versus Borussia Dortmund ($9.2), Draw ($5.8)
It’s been a bit of a tough patch for Real Madrid in recent weeks losing to Barcelona and Sevilla in the league to relinquish their top spot on the table. They now sit 3 points off top place Atletico Madrid and with Barcelona. There is also added pressure now on Ancelotti to get his side performing again starting in the Champion’s league this week against Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund have faired much worse in comparison to their opponents in regards to their league performances as they’ve already lost out to rivals Bayern Munich for the title. A combination of injuries and poor performances hasn’t helped their cause but they’ll be hopeful of pushing Real Madrid all the way here.
Dortmund head into this one with a host of injuries with Bender, Schmelzer, Gundogan, Subotic, and Blaszcykowski all out whilst spearhead Lewandowski is suspended. It leaves them pretty light on for depth but they still have some pretty damaging players capable of piercing a Real Madrid defence that at times can be a little suspect. The likes of Reus, Aubameyang, and Mkhitaryan are more than capable of causing some trouble here but I think the real concern for Dortmund will be how they cope with mitigating the influence of Bale, Ronaldo, and Di Maria not to mention Modric. The advantage here is certainly with Real Madrid also given that this is a home game. Past meetings between these two have been fairly even with each side notching 2 wins and a draw in their last 5. Real Madrid may be in the box seat for a win here and they should do so but I’d expect Dortmund to come out with a nothing to lose attitude which as we all know can be a pretty dangerous mix with a side that’s the underdog.
Predicted result: Real Madrid 3-1
Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals at $1.51
Best Bet Confidence: 90%
Please Note:
All of the above are the opinions of the author and are not recommendations or advice. The author may not be taking every bet listed above. Bet at your own risk.
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