The second legs of the Uefa Champions League quarter finals take place in midweek and @Olimp_SA have a preview and betting tips for Barcelona vs PSG and Manchester City vs Real Madrid
It`s all to play for in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals this week! Discover our team`s insights on the pivotal matches ahead!
Barcelona have one foot in the semifinal after an intriguing 3-2 victory in Paris. The Catalonians built on Wednesday night's victory with a 1-0 win over Cadiz in La Liga as they continue to close the 8-point gap on Madrid at the summit. The weekend victory marked Barcelona`s 13th game unbeaten in all competitions, recording 10 wins in the process. The last time PSG visited Camp Nou they won 4-1, knocking the host out in the 2021 Champions League campaign, but the Catalonians will have a boost of motivation considering they`ve not progressed past the quarter-finals since the 2018-19 season. Concerning injuries, Gavi and Alejandro Balde remain out of action, and Christensen and Sergio Roberto will be out due to suspensions.
PSG enjoyed a long break after the first-leg defeat without any league action, and they are still enjoying a 10-point gap at the top of Ligue 1. The Parisians have a small hill to overcome to get level on aggregate and gave Barcelona enough problems in the first leg. They`ve also enjoyed a 27-game unbeaten streak in all competitions before Xavi`s visit, and their overall form should not be of great concern. The Parisians will also remember their last visit to Camp Nou, where they won 4-1, giving them a boost of confidence. Their squad will remain the same, with Kimpembe, Kurzawa and Rico still sidelines, while a needed defensive boost will be coming in the return of Achraf Hakimi. Overall, this quarterfinal is still anybody`s for the taking. We`ve seen entertaining matches every time the 2 sides met, so we anticipate both teams to score and over 2.5 goals in this game.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
The first leg played out as entertaining as we expected, with the second leg kicking off with a 3-3 aggregate score. Manchester City have been in extraordinary form – crushing Luton 5-1 over the weekend and extending their unbeaten run to 27 games in all competitions. The Citizens have been in ridiculous scoring form – scoring 16 goals in their last 4 games in both UCL and EPL. With Arsenal and Liverpool both dropping points over the weekend, the Citizens will have all the confidence to continue their charge for the treble this season. Guardiola rested some key players Rodri, Foden, Grealish, and Silva all being on the bench against Luton, and the Spaniard will have a further defensive boost with the return of Walker and Ake.
Real Madrid built on the 3-3 first-leg draw with a narrow 1-0 victory over Mallorca on the weekend, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 games. The Madridistas have been outstanding on the road this season, losing just 1 La Liga game away from home and are still unbeaten on the road in the Champions League. However, they`ve had little to no luck at the Etihad in recent years – the Madrid side has not won in 3 consecutive visits to the Etihad, and across the last 2 visits they conceded 8 goals, with the most recent 4-0 defeat back in April of 2023. The Madrid side will remain without Courtois and Alaba, with the rest of the squad available. Watching the first leg, we don`t see it changing in the second leg. Both teams are extremely dangerous in attack, and we expect the goal rush to continue. With both sides being able to progress, we expect both teams to score and over 3.5 goals.
Bet on all Champions League quarterfinals here!
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing, but are subject to change.
