UEFA Champions League Semi Final Betting Preview
As the UEFA Champions League semi-finals of this epic soccer tournament kick off this week, betting has heated up with just four teams remaining - Germany's Bayern Munich, Spain's Real Madrid and Barcelona, and England's Chelsea.
Tonight (Tuesday, April 17), Bayern Munich will host Real Madrid in what should be something of a nail-biting match, while on Wednesday, Chelsea will host Barcelona is what should be an equally exciting matchup, as all four teams vie for Champions League glory.
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
This Champions League semi-final will see two of Europe's heavyweights do battle at Munich's Allianz Arena, and what will make the proceedings that much more exciting is the fact that bookmakers have them pretty even on the odds front, which means the match could go either way and will be watched live by soccer fans all over the world.
Looking at Bayern Munich, they've had a very impressive tournament so far, with the enviable distinction of being unbeaten at home all season long. Not only that, but when they've rolled out their A-game, they've dished out some hugely crushing defeats, highlighted by their 7-0 thrashing of Basel, which means their confidence will be high come this evening.
That said, their rivals Real Madrid are no slouches, after chalking up a near perfect record this season. They have won all of their Champions League games by impressive margins, except for one away game which resulted in a draw. With a record like this, the Spaniards will be as equally fired up as their opponents, and will pull out all the stops.
Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid Odds at William Hill Online
| Bayern Munich | 17/10 |
| Draw | 21/10 |
| Real Madrid | 17/10 |
Chelsea vs Barcelona
With regards to the Chelsea vs Barcelona, Champions League semi-final these teams are far less evenly matched judging by the betting lines at the bookmakers, who have Barcelona as the overwhelming 8/11 favourites versus Chelsea at 4/1. It hasn't been lost on the bookmakers - or fans of both teams - that Barcelona are the defending Champions League champs, and currently one of the best teams on the planet.
Part of the reason for that is Barcelona's diminutive forward Lionel Messi who is firing on all cylinders and is more than capable of scoring a few goals against the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Chelsea's only answer to Messi may well be their centre Ramires, but whether he'll have the stamina to box in the Argentinean will remain to be seen.
Likewise, Chelsea powerhouses Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba have been anything but consistent this season, but if there is one game in which both need to wake up and bring their A-games, it's Wednesday's big showdown. Despite being the big underdogs, perhaps playing in front of their home crowd will spur the Blues into action against Barca.
Chelsea vs Barcelona Odds at William Hill Online
| Chelsea | 4/1 |
| Draw | 5/2 |
| Barcelona | 8/11 |
