CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AND EUROPA LEAGUE QUARTER FINALS: It’s the quarter-final stage in both of Europe’s premier competitions and all eyes will be on Paris tonight as Paris St Germain seek to overcome the challenge of Barcelona.
It’s a brutal situation for PSG but one they wouldn’t give back for anything. Getting to this stage required sacrifices, with several key players suspended for the first leg of this clash with the Blaugrana. Home advantage in the Parc des Princes however shouldn’t be underestimated. This is a fortress and one where Barcelona won’t pick up a win with ease irrespective of the line-up fielded by the French champions. With their Ligue 1 form also picking up, PSG know they have a real shot at climbing the tallest mountain in Europe this season.
Unfortunately for the home side all their grit, form, and belief will count for little when Barca get going. Unlike the Pep Guardiola sides of old, which were rather good, there is nothing to suggest a first leg slump by the visitors. The market has backed Barcelona but with nowhere near the ferocity one would expect. That has created a narrow window of value that is worth exploiting. Take Barcelona at 1.82 to win and put PSG under big pressure in the Camp Nou for the second leg.
Speaking of Guardiola, his famous lack of form in away first legs with Barca has carried over to his tenure with Bayern Munich. Tonight the German champions travel to Porto, a side one would expect Bayern to dispatch with ease. The market however is cautious after the initial stumble against Shakhtar Donetsk and isn’t entirely convinced Bayern will bring a lead back to the Allianz Arena. For all of the shakiness of Pep’s teams, past and presence, away from home I can’t see Porto coming out of this game with anything. It will be tight but I’m still betting on Bayern at 2 to come out victorious tonight.
Finally we turn our attention to Thursday’s Europa League action where Napoli badly need to win. With their route to the Champions League via Serie A essentially closed, Rafa Benitez knows the only way his charges get back to the top table next season is by winning this competition. That automatic place has lit a fire across the continent and Wolfsburg will be no easy out at this stage. Despite the Volkswagen backed side’s tenacity, there’s just too much firepower in the Napoli line-up. Bet on Napoli at 4.8 to pull the big upset away from home.
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