The second leg of the Barcelona vs Bayern Munich European Champions League semi final will take place on Wednesday May 1 at Camp Nou in Barcelona. The Spanish club is really behind the eight-ball in this game as they were hammered 4-0 in the first leg last week at the Allianz Arena in Munich. This matchup features the tope team in the German Bundesliga vs the top dogs in Spain’s La Liga.

William Hill has the latest odds of a Barcelona win at 10/11 with a Bayern Munich victory at 14/5 and a draw at 13/5.

Barcelona has to come up with a 4-0 win here just to take the series into extra time. If they happen to win the match by four goals by any other score then they’ll be knocked out of the competition on the away-goals rule. They need to win by five goals to advance directly to the final. While this isn’t an impossible task it’s certainly very unlikely to happen, especially if top scorer Lionel Messi can’t play or isn’t in top form.

Bayern may decide to simply attack from the get-go here since Barcelona will be forced to come up with half a dozen goals if the German side can manage to score once on the road. There is some light at the end of the long, dark tunnel for Barcelona as they beat Bayern 4-0 at home back in April of 2009 when Messi banged in a pair of goals.

However, Barcelona has been struggling quite a bit over the past several weeks. They have just two victories in their past five matches along with a loss and pair of draws. Meanwhile, Bayern has won their past five. In fact, the German team is arguably the best in Europe this season. They won the Bundesliga a few weeks ago after winning 27 matches, drawing three and losing just once in their first 31 games. They’ve also made it to the German Cup Final in June against Stuttgart.

Barcelona is hoping to get veteran defender and team captain Carlos Puyol back in the lineup for this match. If he’s not ready to go then Alex Song may be used in the back four along with Gerard Pique. It looks like Javier Mascherano will miss the match. Messi should be ready to start the game, but David Villa and Cesc Fabregas could start on the bench. Bayern will likely start Mario Mandzukic or Mario Gomez up front.

Bayern has a lot of scoring power in their side and play a more direct game than Barcelona. The Spanish team prefers to play possession football, especially if they have a lead. However, they can’t afford to do that in this match. They have no choice but to score at least four goals and have to create chances instead of just trying to own the ball. Their best plan of attack would be to start with their most effective goal scorers and shoot as often as possible. Leaving them on the bench will be a big mistake here since Messi can’t be expected to do it all by himself.

So… our predictions:

Bayern was beaten 2-0 at home in the quarterfinals by Arsenal, so it’s been proven that they can slip up. They’re too strong of a team to lose the tie though even if they do lose this game. We think Barca will win by one goal in the end, not being enough.

Borussia Dortmund visits Spain to take on Real Madrid on Tuesday April 30 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg of their European Champions League semi final. Dortmund built up a sizable lead at home last week with an impressive 4-1 victory.

The away goal for Madrid could prove to be a crucial one since they will advance if they can manage to win the game 3-0 as they would advance to the final on this result. A 4-1 win will see the contest go into extra time and a possible penalty shootout while a draw will see Dortmund go through. A four-goal win or higher puts Madrid into the final at Wembley in London, England on May 25. Any three-goal win for Madrid other than 3-0 or 4-1 will see Madrid knocked out on the away-goals rule.

These teams have met in competitive matches three times this season with Dortmund winning two of them and the other ending in a 2-2 draw in Spain. However, Madrid thumped the German side 5-0 in a friendly back in 1999. In the last five matches overall in all competitions Madrid has three wins and two draws while Dortmund has won five straight.

Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in a local derby over the weekend and could possibly gain some confidence from that. They’re going to need a lot more than confidence to win this game and tie though and manager Jose Mourinho knows this. They need gals and lots of them. They’ll be looking to Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo to break out of his mini Champions League slump to lead the way even though he scored their lone goal last week.

When it comes to Dortmund, striker Robert Lewandowski had a remarkable game in the first leg as he scored all four of their goals. Madrid will definitely need to mark him closely if they hope to keep him off the score sheet this time around. But even if they subdue Lewandowski and the rest of his teammates, they’re still going to have to score at least three goals while they’re at it.

Madrid has been crowned champions of Europe nine times in the past and has lost just twice in their last 19 home tournament games and two of their past 26 home matches domestically. Dortmund manager Juergen Klopp doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with Madrid this season though, but knows his players can’t afford to relax at anytime in the game. His side took three points from Fortuna Dusseldorf over the weekend with a 2-1 win while Lewandowski, Marco Reus and Jakub Blaszczykowski were given a bit of a rest.

Look for Dortmund to play a bit more conservatively this week. They know they can afford to draw the game or lose by a close result. But the best way for them to play this match is to take the same attitude as in the first leg. If they sit back, look for Madrid to win the game, but still lose the tie on aggregate.

Sportsbook William Hill has the latest odds of a Real Madrid win at 8/13 with a Dortmund victory at 4/1 and a draw at 3/1.

The European Champions League quarterfinal showdown between Barcelona and PSG (Paris Saint Germain) resumes at the Camp Nou in Spain on Wednesday April 10. This matchup features the league leaders in both Spain and France and is a must game for both teams if they hope to reach the semifinal stage. The first match finished 2-2 last week at Parc de Princes in Paris. The biggest news in this game is the fact that Argentine striker Lionel Messi was injured in the first contest and will likely miss this leg.

Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova is hoping that his team won’t miss Messi too much if he doesn’t play and that everybody else in the squad can chip in with an extra effort to make up for his absence. He also has to make sure his players mark Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic very closely as he’s PSG’s top scorer and is always a threat.

These teams have faced each other just twice and both games ended in 2-2 draws. One of them was a friendly last summer. Messi opened the scoring last week in the 38th minute, but Ibrahimovic tied it at 1-1 in the 79th. Xavi scored on a penalty in the 88th minute and it looked like Barcelona would escape with a win. However, PSG leveled the game at 2-2 during the fourth minute of added time when Blaise Matuidi scored.

If this game should happen to end in another 2-2 draw then we’ll see extra time to decide a winner. If there’s no scoring after 30 minutes then it goes to a penalty shootout. If the match finishes 0-0 or 1-1 then Barcelona will go through. Any draw 3-3 and above will see PSG reach the last four. If either team wins the game outright then they will advance.

If Messi can’t play then look for Cesc Fabregas to go up front. Also look for Pedro to get a start after returning to the team from a calf problem. For PSG, skipper Thiago Silva missed the match on the weekend when his club beat Rennes, but is expected to play. Alex and Thiago Motta are also likely to be back in the squad, but Matuidi will miss the match with a suspension.

Barcelona hasn’t lost in their last 20 home games in the Champions League. They’ve won 16 and drawn four in this stretch with the last loss being in 2009. They’ve won five, lost one and drawn one against French teams in overall European play. The Spanish side has drawn the first leg 23 times in the past and have advanced 18 times. PSG has won three games on the road this season in four Champions League tries. They’ve never lost a series to Spanish opposition. They’ve won four, drawn once and lost three to Spanish sides overall.

Betting Predictions for Barca vs PSG

Barcelona doesn’t need to win this game to advance, but they can’t afford to hope for a draw. Look for them to win a close game and advance. We’ll go with a 2-1 win.

William Hill has the latest odds of a PSG win at 8/1 with a Barcelona victory at 4/11 and a draw at 7/2

Bayern Munich will travel to Turin, Italy on Wednesday April 10 to face Juventus in the second leg of their European Champions League quarterfinal matchup. The German Bundesliga side has a 2-0 lead after the first leg at home. Whoever wins the tie on aggregate will go through to the tournament’s semifinal stage.

Bayern recently won the German league on the weekend and did it with a record six games to spare by beating Frankfurt 1-0. It was their 23rd domestic title. Juventus has won five out of six previous quarterfinal matches against German sides. These teams also met back in 2009/10 with Munich handing the Italian side a 4-1 beating.

Juventus’ Quagliarella will be the man to watch for Munich as he’s scored four goals in the Champions League so far this season despite playing less than four full games. This is a big test for Juventus since they haven’t advanced past the quarterfinal stage since beating Barcelona back in 2002/03. If Bayern make it to the last four it will be their third appearance in the semifinal in the past four seasons.

Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes is obviously pleased with the first leg win at home, but knows his side has to engage Juventus manager Antonio Conte’s side or else they could end up losing this tie. If they lose 2-0 to the Italian team then extra time will be needed. If they draw or win they’ll go through. However, if they lose by three or more goals they will be eliminated. They can afford to lose by two goals though by any score other than 2-0 as this means they will have scored a crucial away goal.

Juventus will have to do without Arturo Vidal and Stephan Lichtsteiner for this game as they’re both suspended. They enter this game after a 2-1 win over Pescara on the weekend when most top players were rested2-1. It looks like Gianluigi Buffon will be back in goal while Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli are back from bans. We could see Paul Pogba fill in for Vidal, but Sebastian Giovinco was injured on the weekend and will likely miss the game.

Bayern will have Javi Martinez back after suspension, but Toni Kroos could be out due to injury. Mario Mandzukic took a rest on the weekend, but should be in the team. Last week’s win by Bayern ruined Juventus’ 18-match unbeaten string in Europe. They’re undefeated in their last five at home overall. Bayern has won 13 of their last 14 on the road in Germany thus season and have allowed just two goals against. They’ve lost just once this calendar year, which was 2-0 at home to Arsenal in the Champions League. Luckily they won the first leg 3-0 on the road.

Juventus v Bayern Predictions

This is a tough match to predict. A 2-0 home lead can be easily overturned, but Munich should be able to at least earn a draw and advance.

Sportsbook William Hill has the latest odds of a Bayern Munich win at 13/8 with a Juventus victory at 7/4 and a draw at 21/10

Spanish giants Real Madrid will be visiting Turkish club Galatasaray at the Turk Telekom Arena on Tuesday April 9 in the second leg of their European Champions League quarterfinal showdown. Madrid is definitely in the driver’s seat after winning the first leg 3-0 at home at the Bernebeau. Manager Jose Mourinho knows his team still has a tough task ahead of them though since playing in Istanbul can put a lot of players off of their games.

If Madrid wins or draws this game by any score then they’ll advance to the semifinal stage of the tournament. However, if they lose 3-0 it means the game will have to go to extra time. If they lose by three goals by any other score they will also advance. They will have to lose by four or more for Galatasaray to make it to the final four.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be the man to watch as usual as he has now scored a total of nine goals in this season’s event in nine matches. He’s got a great cast supporting him as well such as Mesut Ozil, Luka, Modric, Karim Benzema, Pepe, and Kaka. Galatasaray is hoping that former Chelsea star Didier Drogba will be able to find the back of the net and have a better game than he did last week. The same can be said for Dutch midfield star Wesley Sneijder as well as leading scorer Burak Yilmaz. However, Yilmaz who is just one goal behind Ronaldo with eight in the Champions League this season, is out of the game with a suspension.

Mourinho might have his team try to sit on their 3-0 lead, but that would likely be a mistake. If the Spanish side can manage to score first it would mean Galatasaray will have to score five goals to come out of it with a 5-1 win. Madrid has made it to the semifinal stage in the European Cup for a record 24 straight times and are a good bet to extend that record to 25.

Madrid has four wins and a draw in their past five matches overall while Galatasaray has four wins and a loss. Madrid beat Levante 5-1 at home on Saturday while Galatasaray beat Mersin Idman Yurdu 3-1at home. Madrid has scored 21 goals in the Champions League tournament this season, which is the most by any team. These teams have each won twice against each other in their past four head-to-head meetings.

Galatasaray will also have to play without centre-back Dany Nounkeu as he’s suspended as well. However, Selcuk Inan and Albert Riera are aback after missing Saturday’s game with suspensions. Real Madrid will be without Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos as they’re also banned from the game due to yellow cards. Galatasaray has lost just twice in their past 13 matches at home in Europe, but have won only once there this season. They’ve won five, drawn two and lost five at home when playing Spanish teams. They’ve scored just 11 goals in the tournament this season, which is the lowest of the last eight teams and allowed 12 against, which is the most.

Madrid has won 10 and drawn two in their last dozen games and even though they might not earn all three points here, they should certainly do enough to advance.



Bet365 has the latest odds of a Real Madrid win at 8/11 with a Galatasaray victory at 19/5 and a draw at 13/5

Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and Spain’s Malaga will battle it out on Tuesday April 9 for a coveted spot in the European Champions League semi final. The Bundesliga League side and the La Liga outfit drew the first leg of this tie 0-0 last week in Malaga. Dortmund now has the home field advantage and fully intend to use it in front of their fans at Signal-Iduna-Park.

Bet365 has the latest odds of a Malaga win at 13/2 with a Dortmund victory at 2/5 and a draw at 7/2

Malaga might count themselves unfortunate after the first leg as they were the better team. However, they couldn’t find the back of the net and that may come back to haunt them now. If this match ends up as a win for either team then they will advance to the last four. If it ends up in another 0-0 draw we’ll see extra time. However, if the game ends in a draw by any other score then Malaga will go through due to the away-goals rule.

Borussia Dortmund is hoping to get good news on the fitness Mats Hummels. He missed his team’s game on the weekend against Augsburg due to injury and the club is hoping he’ll be recovered in time to face Malaga. If he’s fit enough, he should play in the back four instead of Felipe Santana in defence. Dortmund managed to beat Augsburg 4-1 in that match. The status of Jakub Blaszczykowski is also up in the air and he’ll be a game time decision. If he’s healthy he could get the start in place of Kevin Grosskreutz.

Malaga will certainly have to play without the services of both Manuel Iturra and Weligton as they received yellow cards in the first leg and are now suspended for this game. It’s believed that Francisco Portillo, Sergio Sanchez, Pedro Morales and Seba Fernandez may start this match on the bench. Malaga is heading into this match after losing away to Real Sociedad 4-2 on the weekend.

Dortmund has gone into the second leg of playoff ties eight times after drawing the opening match and have advanced on six of those occasions. Manager Jurgen Klopp has been doing a good job with his club in this season’s Champions League since they’re the only undefeated team left in the event. Juventus was also unbeaten until Bayern Munich beat them 2-0 last week. They’ve won all of their four European home games so far this season and have allowed just one goal against in them.

Malaga has been held to draws twice before in Europe and they advanced both times after winning the away legs. This took place in the UEFA Cup back in the 2002/03 season when they beat AEK Athens and Leeds United. Manager Manuel Pellegrini is enjoying a surprising run in this year’s tournament considering it’s the first time Malaga has ever participated in the Champions League. He managed to lead Villareal to the last four seven years ago. However, they’ve managed just one road win in Europe this season.

Dortmund has won three, drawn one and lost one in their past five matches overall while Malaga has two wins, two losses and a draw. Look for the German side to win this match by a goal or two and advance to the semis.

The English Premier League title race may be over for all intents and purposes, but it doesn’t mean the Manchester Derby on Monday April 8 at Old Trafford will be a tame affair. League-leading Manchester United goes into the match with second-place Manchester City with a huge 15-point lead with just another eight games remaining in the season. When this game ends the lead will still be 15 points, 12, or 18. Either way, it’s very unlikely that City will be able to make up the distance with just 21 points available after the game.

Sportsbook William Hill has the latest odds of a Man United win at 13/10 with a Man City victory at 12/5 and a draw at 2/1

City is the Premier League’s best defensive team and have 14 clean sheets, but they’ve scored 17 fewer goals than they had at this point last year. They’ve drawn too many games and this has certainly hurt them in their attempt to retain the league championship. This game will enable fans to see the league’s top scoring side, United, against the stingiest defense. United will also want to hand out some revenge for their 6-1 beating at the hands of City in this fixture last season.

United has been as hot as a pistol in the league with seven consecutive victories. They’ve also won 16 and drawn two in their current 18-game unbeaten streak. However, overall they haven’t been that impressive as they were beaten 1-0 by Chelsea in the FA Cup last Monday in a replay of their first quarterfinal game which ended in a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford. United threw away a 2-0 lead in that contest. They were also knocked out of the Champions League recently in controversial fashion by Spain’s Real Madrid.

United was knocked reeling from the League Cup earlier in the season, so they only thing left for them now is the league. This can be seen as a disappointment by some fans as they had hoped to win some more silverware this year. There should be some goals in this game as the last five Manchester Derbies have produced 4.6 goals per game on average for a total of 23. United boss Alex Ferguson should have Brazilian right-back Rafael in the squad as well as forward Wayne Rooney. However, the status of defenders Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans is up in the air.

City manager Roberto Mancini will have skipper Vincent Kompany in the team and that will help solidify an already strong back four. City hammered Newcastle 4-0 last weekend while United beat Sunderland 1-0 in the league. They know this is their last kick at the can and a loss or draw here will certainly end any hope they have of catching United. The last time these two teams met, which was at City’s Etihad Stadium, United won 3-2 on a last-minute free kick by Robin van Persie with Rooney adding a pair. However, City won both games last season, 1-0 at home and the 6-1 thrashing away. United did manage to beat them 3-2 in the FA Cup though.

Man Utd v Man City Predictions

This game should see both teams highly motivated with a lively atmosphere in the crowd. Look for both teams to create chances with United winning a close one.

Spanish giants Real Madrid will be hosting Turkish club Galatasaray on Wednesday April 4 at the Bernebeau in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal matchup. Madrid, vouched by Portugal’s Jose Mourinho, boast one of the world’s greatest players in his fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo, and the Turkish side will have to keep him off of the score sheet if they hope to escape the country with all three points.

Ronaldo already scored at a goal-per game rate with his club this season with 28 goals in 28 matches. He’s also banged home eight more in eight Champions League contests, which is tops in the tournament. He’s certainly helped out by some of Madrid’s other star players such as Mesut Ozil, Luka, Modric, Karim Benzema, Pepe, and Kaka. The most dangerous player on Galatasaray at the moment is likely former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

WilliamHill.com has the latest odds of a Real Madrid win at 2/11 with a Galatasaray victory at 14/1 and a draw at 11/2

However, the Turkish side certainly isn’t just a one-man team as Dutch midfield star Wesley Sneijder also joined the club in January and Burak Yilmaz is the squad’s leading goal scorer with eight Champions League goals. Galatasaray w8ll be no pushovers and could certainly give Madrid more than they can handle. The Spanish side will try to end this tie in the first match as they know it’ll be tough to get a win in Istanbul in the return leg next week. They’ll want to get a decent lead here at home and hope to hang onto it on the road.

That could lead to some trouble though since Galatasaray is pretty good on the counter attack. Madrid’s defence will need to be tight to look after Yilmaz and Drogba as they have sometimes put in some shaky defensive performances so far this season. Madrid is hoping to make it to the semi-final stage in the European Cup for a record 24 consecutive times here.

Mourinho is pleased that he doesn’t have any injury concerns for the game as defenders Fabio Coentrao and Raphael Varane have returned from injury. Also, look for keeper Iker Casillas to remain on the bench while Diego Lopez should get the start in goal. Madrid is going into this match after a 1-1 draw on Saturday at Zaragoza. Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim also has a full squad to choose from other than Tomas Ujfalusi, who’s out with a knee injury.

Madrid has four wins and a draw in their past five matches overall while Galatasaray has three wins, a loss and a draw. Madrid hasn’t lost in their last 37 home matches, going back to January of 2012. Thirty of those have been wins. They’ve scored 18 times in the Champions League tournament this season, which is tied for the most with Germany’s Bayern Munich. Galatasaray has managed to win 10 out of their past 18 games on the road in Europe and have lost just a pair of them. They’ve also beaten Real Madrid twice in three previous meetings.

It’s easy to pick Madrid at home, but Galatasaray give them problems and this game could certainly end in a draw.

Spanish club Malaga will be at home at the Estadio La Rosaleda on Wednesday April 3rd as they host German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie. This is the very first season Malaga have played in the Champions League and the underdogs are hoping to keep up their surprising run. They’re also doing well in the Spanish La Liga and sit sixth in the table. Dortmund is in second place in Germany, but they’re a huge 20 points adrift of league-leading Bayern Munich.

William Hill has the latest odds of a Malaga win at 12/5 with a Dortmund victory at 6/5 and a draw at 11/5

Malaga is coming off of a 3-1 road victory over Rayo Vallecano on the weekend and was able to rest striker Javier Saviola of Argentina in the contest to keep him fresh for this match. Malaga advanced to the round-of-16 stage after winning their group and then beat Portuguese side Porto on aggregate by a 2-1 score to reach the last eight. Dortmund won on the weekend as well as they beat Stuttgart 2-1 on the road. Dortmund also won their Champions League group over teams such as Ajax, Real Madrid, and Manchester City. They then beat Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk 5-2 on aggregate in the round-of-16 to make the quarterfinals.

Dortmund will have to mark Isco closely as the Malaga midfielder has eight goals on the season in La Liga as well as three more in the Champions League. The 20-year-old is regarded as one of Europe’s top young players and several bigger clubs are looking to lure him away from Malaga. For Dortmund, the most dangerous player this season is Polish striker Robert Lewandowski. The 24-year-old has managed to score 20 goals so far in the Bundesliga in 24 games. He’s also slammed in five more in the Champions League and is a target of many big clubs.

Remarkably, it looks like both clubs are healthy for this match and the managers have a full squad to choose from. Dortmund’s Marcel Schmelzer suffered a broken nose on the weekend against Stuttgart, but is still expected to play and the status of Mats Hummels is actually up in the air.

The teams have never faced each other in the past so it will be interesting to see how this contest unfolds. Malaga has home-pitch advantage in this leg and will need to do well with it if they hope to keep their run alive. They go into the game with two wins, two draws and a loss in their past five games while Dortmund has four wins and a loss.

Malaga has never even faced a German club before in a competitive game while Dortmund has drawn their last two matches in Spain. Dortmund has yet to lose in the Champions League this season and it’s doubtful they’ll lose their first game of the tournament here either.

The league-leading teams in Germany and Italy will face each other in the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday April 2. Bundesliga top dogs Bayern Munich will battle it out with Serie A’s best team Juventus at home at the Allianz Arena in Munich. This is the first leg of the matchup with the winner advancing to the semi final.

Bayern Munich is hoping to have both Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jerome Boateng back in the team after they missed the last Champions League match against Arsenal. Munich managed to win the first leg of that round-of-16 showdown 3-0 in London at the Emirates Stadium, but almost blew the lead by losing at home 2-0 in the second leg. Munich looks to be firing on all cylinders as the completely demolished Hamburg 9-2 in a league match on Saturday.

They will have to play without Javi Martinez though as he’s suspended for this game. Look for Luiz Gustavo to take his place in the lineup. In addition, Holger Badstuber is still out of action for the German club due to torn knee ligaments. Phillip Lahm and centre-back Dante will need to behave themselves in this game because if either of them picks up a yellow card they’ll have t sit out the return leg on April 10 in Torino.

Juventus is hoping that forward Sebastian Giovinco will be able to play after he was injured on the weekend in their 2-1 win over Inter Milan. Mirko Vucinic could miss the match because of the flu and if he does, then look for Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella to play up front. However, Vucinic may recover in time to take part in the game. Arturo Vidal, Stephan Lichtsteiner, and Claudio Marchisio all need to stay away from the referee as they’ll miss the next contest if they’re booked.

Juventus has won all five of previous quarterfinal matches against German teams. They will need to keep close tabs on Munich’s Claudio Pizarro as he’s red hot after scoring four times against Hamburg on the weekend and also set up two others. These teams met back in 2009/10 with Munich handing the Italian side a 4-1 beating. The last time Juventus was beaten on the road in a European competition came back during the 2010 Europa League when they were dropped 4-1 by English side Fulham in London.

Juventus’ Quagliarella will be the man to watch for Munich as he’s scored four goals in the Champions League so far this season despite playing less than three full games. This is a big test for Juventus since they haven’t advanced past the quarterfinal stage since beating Barcelona back in 2002/03. However, look for them to get off to a rough start in this tie as Bayern should be able to earn all three points here at home.

Sportsbook William Hill has the latest odds of a Bayern Munich win at 8/13 with a Juventus victory at 5/1 and a draw at 13/5.