Manchester City hosts Real Madrid today (3 p.m. ET, CBS) while Villarreal visits Liverpool tomorrow (3 p.m. ET, CBS).
Man City has never won the Champions League as it chases a trophy the team has long coveted. The UCL title is the only thing that’s eluded manager Pep Guardiola in his time at City and it’s fair to wonder if the season will be considered a disappointment if City wins the EPL title but doesn’t secure the Champions League.
Liverpool, meanwhile, is chasing after a historic quadruple. The Reds won the Carabao Cup in penalty kicks over Chelsea in February and are set to play the Blues on May 14 for the FA Cup title. No team has ever won those two competitions in the same season while also winning the EPL title and the Champions League title.
Madrid will likely be content to let Manchester City have most of the possessions and hope to hit on the counter. Real has leaned on Luka Modric and Karim Benzema throughout the Champions League and will hope that its two veteran stars can make some magic again to grab a goal or two on Tuesday night.
We’re guessing that Villarreal will look to do what it successfully did against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals. Bayern had nearly two-thirds of the possession in the quarterfinals but lost as both of Villarreal’s shots on target went into the back of the net. It’s impossible to bet that Villarreal will be that clinical against Liverpool, but it’s easy to envision how Liverpool will dominate possession over both games.
Article by Nick Bromberg for yahoosportsus©
Source: Champions League betting: Liverpool and Man City are favored to start the semifinals (msn.com)
