The Champions League quarter-finals kick off a glorious week of sport and betting that also includes the Masters golf and the Grand National and the last eight ties include three blue-chip contests in Arsenal vs Bayern Munich, Real Madrid vs Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona.
Arsenal are well fancied to avenge a 10-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of the Germans back in 2017, while stalemates or different sorts are expected in two of the ties involving Spanish sides.
Champions League QF first-leg tips
Arsenal to beat Bayern Munich to nil @ 9/4
Real Madrid vs Man City – Draw @ 5/2
Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund – 1st half draw @ 23/20
Bet on the latest Champions League odds at Betzone
Gunners can gain long-awaited revenge for 2017 humblings
A flimsy late-Arsene-Wenger era Arsenal were battered 5-1 home and away by Bayern Munich in the 2016/17 Champions League quarter-finals but seven years on it’s the Germans that look fragile.
The German champions are 16-points behind champions elect Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and have lost five of their last 10 games in all competitions shipping 18 goals in the process.
Thomas Tuchel’s side suffered their latest ignominy when losing 3-2 away to Heidenheim at the weekend and their flaky defence will be no match for hosts who’ve won 11 of their last 13 outings.
Arsenal are understandably 8/11 favourites as a result but they look decent value at 9/4 to win to nil against Die Roten having shut out Man City amid a run of eight clean sheets in their last 10 games.
For all Bayern have chiefly been undermined by their defence this season, they’ve also blanked in several big games, including away to Leverkusen and Lazio and at home to Dortmund this year.
Tip: Arsenal to beat Bayern Munich to nil @ 9/4
Repeat of last season’s Santiago Bernabeu stalemate suits City fine
Man City are 11/8 favourites for victory away to Real Madrid on Wednesday night, but a 5/2-rated repeat of the first leg draw the sides fought out in last season’s UCL semi-final is better value.
City are unbeaten in 25 matches having won 21 of those but Los Blancos have lost just once all season and are currently on a run of 35 matches since last tasting defeat inside normal time (not including an extra-time Copa Del Rey loss Atletico Madrid).
Pep Guardiola’s men have a bit of a habit of drawing their biggest games this season having settled for a share of the spoils home and away against Chelsea and Chelsea, as well as at home to Tottenham and Arsenal.
Against hosts that have yet to lose at the Santiago Bernabeu this term a season but occasionally been dour in the process, City are expected to be the more adventurous outfit but ultimately settle for a stalemate that will put the ball in their court ahead of the second leg at the Etihad.
Tip: Real Madrid vs Man City – Draw @ 5/2
Stats points to cagey opening act at Wanda Metropolitano
The teams with the fifth and sixth best first-half records in this season’s Champions League collide in Madrid as Atletico Madrid host Borussia Dortmund. The visitors have won four and drawn four of their eight UCL outings in 2023/24, while Atleti have won four and drawn three of their eight.
Diego Simeone’s men have largely been too unconvincing at Europe’s top table this term to warrant their 3/4 favouritism and the visiting Schwarzgelben can peg them back until the half-time oranges come out.
Tip: Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund – 1st half draw @ 23/20
