The two finalists in the UEFA Champions League will be determined this week when Real Madrid, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich all hit the pitch for the biggest matches of their season.
In the first legs of these matches, we saw somewhat surprising results from the Champions League odds. Perhaps that shouldn’t be a huge shock, knowing that both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were forced to play on the road. But the fact that neither of the teams even scored a goal really puts the pressure on them to overturn these results in the second legs.
Champions League Matches Still Tight
Still, there wasn’t really a team that ratcheted up the pressure on another. All is definitely still left to play for. Real Madrid and Manchester City played to a scoreless draw at Ethiad Stadium, while Atletico Madrid pulled off a big upset in a 1-0 triumph over Bayern Munich.
The odds to win the Champions League are still quite tight with 90 minutes left to play before the finale.
Champions League Odds to Win
Real Madrid +195
Atletico Madrid +225
Bayern Munich +250
Manchester City +700
(Odds courtesy BookMaker.eu)
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
The major problem that Real Madrid has in this match is that if it allows a goal to Manchester City. Los Galacticos didn’t score a goal in England, and if they allow one in this one to the Citizens, they’ll have to win the match inside of 90 minutes in order to advance to the final.
The glaring issue for Real that everyone is talking about is the injury to Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7 hasn’t played in a couple weeks now thanks to a hamstring setback. His doctors have advised him to not play in this match, and we’ll have to see what his decision is on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu.
In fairness to Real Madrid, even without its star player, it still outshot City 13-4 on the road, and it still had 55 percent of the possession.
Real needs to find a way to finish. Joe Hart was so remarkable in that first match of these two, and Gareth Bale really needs to hit home, especially if his running mate up front is on the mend.
Sergio Aguero has 23 goals in 28 matches in the Premier League but just two in seven matches in the Champions League. He’s got a real chance to make a hero out of himself in the biggest match in Man City’s history.
Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich has to wonder if it’s going to end up falling flat against a Spanish team once again in the UCL semi finals. These last two years, it has been eliminated by Barcelona and Real Madrid. Is Atletico Madrid going to finish off the Bavarian giants?
Offense isn’t the calling card for the Atleti, and if they’re going to score in this one, they’re going to have to do so the same way they did in the 1-0 win at the Vicente Calderon. Saul Niguez let a cracker go from a run that started around 50 yards away from the goal in a superb individual effort good enough to get one past Manuel Neuer.
It’s going to be tough to put away Robert Muller, Robert Lewandowski and the Bavarians, though. Bayern Munich found itself down 4-2 on aggregate to Juventus just a few weeks ago with just a half of soccer left to play. The Reds struck twice and ultimately won in extra time at the Allianz, a place where they’ve been ridiculously good this year.
Tough Soccer Odds for Bayern Munich
If Atletico Madrid can find the back of the net on Tuesday though, it’s going to be insanely tough for Bayern Munich. The Reds would need to win by two goals if that was to be the case, and the likelihood of scoring three against Atletico Madrid’s stout defense is incredibly slim, even for a team as good as the German giants.
The first Champions League match on the docket this week pits Atletico Madrid against Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena on Tuesday, May 3. The next day on Wednesday, May 4, will see Manchester City visiting Real Madrid. Both matches kickoff at 2:45 pm ET, and FOX Sports 1 will broadcast both fixtures.
Recap the most recent developments in the Champions League at Champions League Odds: Bayern Munich and Real Madrid
