Quarterfinal play in the UEFA Champions League continues on Wednesday with a pair of games. FC Porto will face Liverpool in one matchup while the other will feature a battle of English Premier League sides as Manchester City takes on Tottenham. In Tuesday’s play, Barcelona had no trouble with Manchester United winning 3-0 and Dutch Eredivisie side Ajax continued their inspired play shocking Juventus with a 2-1 win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are the betting previews for both Wednesday quarterfinal matchups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liverpool took a 2-0 victory in the first leg at Anfield and that has put them in great shape as they travel to Est\u00e1dio do Drag\u00e3o for the second half of this matchup. Porto was more competitive in the first leg than the final score would suggest but they squandered an opportunity to score an away goal. The Portuguese Liga side has been very effective at home in Champions League play winning 6 of their last 7 here dating back to last season. Worth noting that the loss during that span was to Liverpool. Porto has won all four Champions League games played at home this season scoring 2+ goals in each. They have lost only 1 of 8 in all competitions and have won 18 of 20 in all competitions at home including three straight with 2+ goals scored in each. Pepe and Hector Herrera will be back in the lineup after missing the first leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Liverpool hasn’t traveled particularly well in Champions League play winning only 1 of their last 5. That was last month’s 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in Germany so at least they have the confidence of having broken a four game losing streak. Overall, Liverpool’s recent form has been excellent and they are unbeaten in 16 straight in all competitions and have won 6 in a row. They are unbeaten in 7 straight away games. There was some concern that midfielder Jordan Henderson could miss this contest but reports indicate that he trained at Melwood on Tuesday showing no ill effects of a ‘ankle knock’ suffered against Chelsea over the weekend. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will remain in England though Andrew Robertson has returned from suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Liverpool has indicated that they plan to employ a conservative and measured gameplan here it’s obvious that Porto needs goals and will be forced to take some chances if they are to have any hope of advancing. The problem is that Liverpool’s counterattack is very good and they will take advantage of any opportunities presented to them. In the previous three games here Liverpool has two draws and a dominant 5-0 win last year. This game should be closer but my expectation is a 2-1 Liverpool win. The Champions League betting odds<\/a> have Liverpool a prohibitive -4000 favorite to advance but we’ll back them to win this contest that should feature several goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BET LIVERPOOL +108 OVER FC PORTO Manchester City dropped the first leg played at White Hart Lane by a 1-0 score but are confident in their prospects as they return to their home field at the Etihad Stadium. Tottenham did a good job of controlling tempo forcing City into a defensive posture which they’re just not very good at. That is something that City will need to turn around if they are to advance–their forte is keeping position and playmaking meaning that it is imperative that they force the Spurs into the role of defender. Leroy Sane and Kevin De Bruyne were inexplicable ‘healthy scratches’ for the first leg and you can expect to see them back in the lineup here. There was some concern about Sergio Aguero heading into this matchup–he appeared to be limping off the pitch after last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace but Pep Guardiola appears confident that he’s fit to go as is Bernado Silva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This matchup should be a tactical contrast in styles as Tottenham’s best route to victory appears to be mucking up the affair and ‘taking the air out of the ball’. Manchester City’s tactical plan is much more fluid–they have had success in the past pushing tempo against the Spurs but Guardiola will likely tap the brakes at least a little bit here. If all goes well for City they’ll dominate time of possession and push the attack with their superior playmaking while minimizing risk in their half of the field. Tottenham has been somewhat erratic of late–they went through a stretch where they lost 4 of 6 in all competitions with only one win but they have since won 3 straight. Those victories, however, were at home. The Spurs have lost 6 of 7 away from White Hart Lane giving up 2 or more goals in each loss. City has won 12 straight at home and have been much better defensively there. Look for City to get the win and advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BET MANCHESTER CITY TO ADVANCE -150
BET LIVERPOOL\/FC PORTO OVER 2.5 -109<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMANCHESTER CITY VS. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
BET MANCHESTER CITY\/TOTTENHAM UNDER 3, 3.5 -112<\/strong>
BET MANCHESTER CITY CLEAN SHEET +110
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