After a 2-1 victory in the first leg on last midweek the defending champions Real Madrid will host Bayern Munich in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals at Santiago Bernabeu on this Tuesday, May 1st, 2018, while on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018, Liverpool will travel to Stadio Olimpico in Rome to meet AS Roma after a brilliant 5-2 win in the first game at Anfield. Both these matches promise a tremendous football with plenty of excitements, as nothing is decided yet, so let’s see how to bet on the UEFA Champions League this week.
REAL MADRID vs. BAYERN MUNICH
3-Way: 1: Real Madrid +115; X: +295 Draw; 2: Bayern Munich +215 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -0.5: Real Madrid +110; Bayern Munich -130
Total +3.5: Over +100; Under -115
Qualification Matchup: Real Madrid -450; Bayern Munich +300
Betting Trends and Match Prediction
- Real Madrid won the first leg 2-1
- Real Madrid conceded in each of their last six games overall
- Real Madrid has a 2-2-1 record in their previous five home games
- Bayern Munich won four straight matches on the road in all competitions
- Bayern Munich scored at least two goals in each but one out of their last five games overall
Los Blancos have a nice 2-1 lead out of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in Munich thanks to their lethal finishing, as they’ve scored two goals out of seven shots, while on the other side, the Bavarians have taken 13 shots toward Keylor Navas’ goal, managing to find the back of the net only once. Bayern Munich had a ball on their feet for 60% of the time, completely controlling the flow of the game, and the Bavarians managed to take the lead in the 28th minute after Joshua Kimmich lucky strike, but in the 44th minute Marcelo took advantage of Bayern Munich’s poor defensive action, making it 1-1 on the scoreboard.
The Bavarians had a few great scoring chances in the second half, but they couldn’t find the way past Keylor Navas who had an excellent game between the sticks. In the 57th minute of the match, Marco Asensio made it 2-1 for Los Blancos who resisted the hosts until the end, showing some good team defense. However, the defending champions will have a tough task to defend their advantage in front of the home fans, and the manager Zinedine Zidane is certainly well aware of that.
Bayern Munich will have to search for a two-goal margin victory at Santiago Bernabeu if they want to play the UEFA Champions League Finals, so the football fans can expect to see an attacking approach. On the other side, Los Blancos can sit back and wait for their opportunities, knowing there will be some space behind the visitors’ defense to lunch counter-attacks. The spectacle is guaranteed on Tuesday, and it’s hard to imagine someone could keep the clean sheet on this one, so I’m backing the over as both sides possess a great attacking potential.
The Bavarians’ manager Jupp Heynckes will miss Manuel Neuer (metatarsal fracture), Kingsley Coman (syndesmotic ligament), Arturo Vidal (knee), and Jerome Boateng (hamstring) all due to injuries, while his colleague Zinedine Zidane will be without Daniel Carvajal because of the hamstring injury.
MY PICK: Over 3.5 Goals (+100)
AS ROMA vs. LIVERPOOL
3-Way: 1: AS Roma +145; X: +285 Draw; 2: Liverpool +170 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread 0: AS Roma -115; Liverpool +100
Total +3.5: Over +100; Under -120
Qualification Matchup: AS Roma +900; Liverpool -1600
Betting Trends and Match Prediction
- AS Roma lost the first leg 5-2
- AS Roma won three consecutive home games with a 9:2 goal difference
- AS Roma kept the clean sheet in three out of their last six home matches
- Liverpool is unbeaten for nine games in a row overall
- Liverpool conceded in each but one out of their previous five games away from home
The Reds put on a magnificent performance in the first leg at Anfield on last Tuesday, deservedly grabbing a heavy 5-2 victory, but it could be even better for the five-time European champions. Liverpool had a 5-0 lead after 69 minutes of the game, allowing the visitors to score twice in the last ten minutes of the match, as Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti both managed to find the net and keep AS Roma alive.
Mohamed Salah had another brilliant day in the office, bagging the first two goals for the Reds in the first half while making a couple of assists in the second 45 minutes to help Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino scoring the third and the fourth goal for Liverpool. In the 69th minute, Roberto Firmino made it 5-0, and it looked like a one-way road, but the Reds’ defense was clumsy to allow the Magic One score a couple of goals. Therefore, the football fans got an interesting second leg at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
AS Roma has already eliminated Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals after a three-goal margin defeat in the first leg in Spain, so Eusebio Di Francesco’s boys are certainly capable of doing it again, although the Reds are a completely different team from Barcelona, and their main weapon is deadly counter-attacks. The hosts will have to look for a three-goal margin victory here, and there will be a plenty of room for Liverpool’s mighty attack. Likewise, the Reds’ manager Jurgen Klopp is a true tactical master, and his setup could be crucial for the visitors to get a positive result here.
AS Roma’s manager Eusebio Di Francesco will probably miss the forward Gregoire Defrel (ankle), while the midfielder Kevin Strootman (rib) is still doubtful. Jurgen Klopp, on the other side, cannot count on the defender Joel Matip (hamstring) and the midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee), whilst Emre Can (back) is still listed as a doubtful.
MY PICK: Liverpool AH 0 (+100)
