Champions League Quarterfinal Second Leg: Preview
Published April 16, 2019 by Sol FH
Second leg action gets underway tonight at 20:00 GMT, with two matches that will make or break chances in the semifinals.
The Champions League Quarterfinals continues tonight with two matches at 20:00 GMT. Tomorrow, the next two ties will also start at the same time, and, one thing is for sure, we are about to witness four games that will decide which teams make it to the semifinals.
Juventus vs. Ajax
After the first round game in the Netherlands, Juventus sit in good position after scoring an away goal in the first tie. Juventus was surprised at the ferocity of Ajax, as they controlled possession of the ball for 61% of the match and had 19 shots on goal. David Neres was the lone goal for the home team in the '46 minute of play, but Cristiano Ronaldo was first to score just a minute earlier in the '45.
Tonight, Juventus is on home turf and will be a completely different squad when they are at home. Expect a big game for the Italians and a smooth victory moving into the semifinals with ease. A good score to think about would be a 2-0 effort for Juventus. bet365 Sports sees this game as an easy win for the Italians and have odds of 1.72. The Dutch side is listed at 5.25 if they can pull out a win. There are 156 individual wagering options at bet365 Sports ahead of this game, and throughout, there will also be live in-play betting options.
Barcelona vs. Manchester United
Messi and Co., are in control of this quarterfinal after Luke Shaw put in a beautiful goal in the 12' minute of the first leg, and United could not find an answer losing on an away goal. This will make their chances at a victory at Camp Nou even slimmer, as Barca is an entirely different beast on the home pitch.
Barcelona is favored to win this match, and bet365 Sports has listed at 1.36 for them. United rolls in at 9.00 even if they can come from behind and steal victory from the Spanish Champions. The safest bet would be with La Blaugrana, and another blowout of 3-1 would be a fair prediction.
Wednesday, April 17th, at 20:00 GMT
Manchester City vs. Tottenham
The first leg was supposed to be a lot different than its 1-0 final score and the Hot Spur walking away with the win. City has been playing some of the best soccer of any team on the planet currently, but, the loss at Tottenham last week was proof that they do have vulnerabilities.
Son Heung-min was the lonely scorer for the Hot Spur, and that came in the 78' minute of what was supposed to be a high-scoring matchup. The result was perfect for Tottenham who goes into tomorrow's match with a leg up on Manchester City. This will only be a good outcome if Tottenham can play excellent defense and go the distance against one of the highest scoring teams in the world. The chances of Tottenham winning this game are very slim. bet365 Sports has listed them at 11.00, compared to City at 1.30. This is the most significant gap between the favorite and underdog of this quarterfinal.
FC Porto vs. Liverpool
The Reds are in the driver's seat after winning the first game at home 2-0. Goals from Naby Keita in the 5', and, Roberto Fermino in the 26' was way too much for Porto to handle and could not get their attack together. Compared to the other second-leg matches of this quarterfinal, this one is the closest by far. Liverpool must go on the attack early and try to score as many big goals as possible.
The hosts, Porto, are the underdogs in this match at 3.80, but, they are not far off Liverpool, as listed by bet365 Sports at 2.10. Expect a close match, but Liverpool will win and move onto the semifinals.
