Do you have a large selection of Easter eggs to eat your way through? If you 
do, then there’s plenty of great football action to enjoy throughout this week with the return of the Champions League and the Europa League, both of which are at the quarter final stage.
Why not enjoy all the latest betting on these games at a top notch bookmaker such as Coral Sport? They have a fantastic offer available for new customers right now, so why not sign up today and you can be enjoying some great value betting with one of the UK’s leading bookmakers in no time at all.
So how do things stand in these competitions in terms of the teams remaining? Well let’s take a look at Coral’s outright winner betting for each of the two tournaments following the draw for the quarter finals that took place in Nyon on Friday 16th March.
Outright betting odds – Champions League
- Barcelona – 5/2 Fav
- Manchester City – 10/3
- Bayern Munich – 7/2
- Real Madrid – 9/2
- Juventus – 12/1
- Liverpool – 14/1
- Sevilla – 66/1
- AS Roma – 66/1
Our Pick
It’s very clear that the favourable draw for Barcelona and Bayern has affected their odds with them both now shorter odds than previously, while Manchester City being drawn with Liverpool has seen them move from favourites to second favourites. I think the value bet here is Juventus at 12/1 though. The Italians have a good record at home to Real Madrid and they are capable of getting a result in the second leg in Spain. After that the draw will be crucial, but they have had two tough draws so far and if they can come through games with Spurs and Real Madrid then they are capable of beating anyone left in this competition.
Outright betting odds – Europa League
- Atletico Madrid – 8/5 Fav
- Arsenal – 5/2
- Lazio – 8/1
- Red Bull Leipzig – 8/1
- Marseille – 10/1
- Salzburg – 12/1
- Sporting Lisbon – 25/1
- CSKA Moscow – 40/1
Our Pick
Having seen all these teams in action over the course of the Europa League and also in the Champions League in some cases, I cannot see any team that has the capacity to beat Atletico Madrid if they play to their finest. Diego Simeone’s men were brilliant beating Lokomotive Moscow home and away in the last round in convincing style and while they haven’t always been at their best in Europe this season, they are seemingly picking up their form heading into the key stages of the competition. The nucleus of this team has reached two Champions League finals in recent times against much tougher opponents than in the Europa League, and I think while they are better than even money, they are a very good value bet.
Champions League Quarter Finals
Two of the Champions League quarter final first leg games take place on Tuesday evening this week with the remaining two first leg ties played 24 hours later on Wednesday. The draw in Nyon pitted the eight remaining teams in the competition into the following ties:
Tuesday 3rd March
Juventus v Real Madrid
This looks like being an absolutely cracking clash between last year’s finalists, a game that Real Madrid won comfortably 4-1 in the end. Juventus failed to play anywhere near their best in that final but their record at home against Real is very good, with five wins and a draw in their last six games against the Spanish side in Turin. For me Juventus striker Paulo Dybala is the key to this first leg, if he can get back to the form that saw him destroy Barcelona in the quarter-finals last season, I think he can fire Juventus to a first leg lead here. Tip – Juventus to win 31/20 with Coral.
Sevilla v Bayern Munich
Sevilla were the team most experts felt were the weaker of the eight remaining sides and Bayern Munich’s luck in the draw continued as they drew them here. The German side despatched Besiktas, another weak side, in the last round 8-1 on aggregate and I don’t think Sevilla, who lost at home 5-2 to Atletico Madrid recently, are at the same level as the five-time Champions League winners. I fancy Bayern to win this game with their pace on the counter and vast European experience the key, and  I also feel they will win the second leg in Munich to progress relatively comfortably. But I am backing Sevilla to make it tough for them, at least initially. Tip – Bayern to win 8/11 with Coral.
Wednesday 4th March
Barcelona v AS Roma
Which AS Roma will turn up? The one that beat Chelsea comfortably 3-0 at home and also thumped Serie A leaders Napoli 4-2 at the San Paolo, or the one that routinely drops points against weaker sides and who struggled to beat Qarabag in both games in the group stage? Roma fans had better hope it is the former, as if they don’t, then Barcelona could rack up another six goals as they did against Roma in this competition a few years ago. With Lionel Messi seemingly unstoppable and scoring goals for fun against all opposition, even if Roma play at their very best I doubt it will be enough. I think Barcelona will be taking a very decent lead with them to play in Rome in the second leg. Tip – Barcelona to win – 1/4 with Coral.
Liverpool v Manchester City
The so-called Battle of Britain pits Liverpool against Manchester City in what promises to be an enthralling clash between the teams. The Reds have a very good record against City in recent times, although they did lose 5-1 in the league to City earlier in the season. However, they were also the first team to beat City in the Premier League with a 4-3 win over Pep Guardiola’s team back in January. Liverpool boss Klopp has a better record against Guardiola than most managers, winning six games to Guardiola’s five and all this suggests that this is a game that should be balanced on a knife-edge heading into the second leg. As such, parity between the two looks a solid bet. Tip – Liverpool v Man City – Draw – 5/2 with Coral.
Europa League Quarter Finals
The eight remaining Europa League teams have been drawn into the following fixtures, the first legs of which will be played on Thursday night.
Thursday 5th March
- Arsenal v CSKA Moscow – Home Win – 4/11 with Coral
- Atletico Madrid v Sporting Lisbon – Home Win – 1/3 wirth Coral
- Lazio v Salzburg – Home Win – 8/11 with Coral
- Red Bull Leipzig v Marseille – Draw – 12/5 with Coral
I think home advantage is crucial now at this stage of the tournament and given the draw, I think that means Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, plus Lazio should all ensure that they take a lead with them into the second legs in a week’s time. The one game I am not convinced will be a home win is the Red Bull Leipzig v Marseille game as I think Leipzig’s best performances in Europe this season have often come on the road, while Marseille have proven tough to beat home and away. That game, between two well-matched sides, I believe has the likelihood of finishing in a draw.
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