The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals will see Arsenal face off against Real Madrid in the pick of the fixtures. Meanwhile, Aston Villa will be looking to cause an upset.
Arsenal will host Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich will host Inter, Borussia Dortmund will visit Barcelona and Aston Villa will face Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
UEFA Champions League Pick of the Fixtures: Arsenal vs. Real Madrid
Arsenal upset Real Madrid in the 2005/06 round of 16 en route to competing in their only UEFA Champions League final to date. The Gunners will look to repeat the feat against the defending champions, who are coached by Carlo Ancelotti. The game will take place at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
The two sides have not played a competitive match since the 2005-06 round of 16 tie. At that time, Arsenal’s home ground was Highbury. This will be Real Madrid’s first tie against the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.
Los Blancos are second in LaLiga, four points behind Barcelona and three ahead of Atlético Madrid. They dramatically beat their city rivals in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, eliminating them 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate draw.
Arsenal are second in the Premier League, 11 points behind leaders Liverpool. With their hopes of claiming a first league title in 21 years all but dashed, the Gunners will focus all their energy on claiming a first-ever Champions League title. This would be a major step. A draw (3.55) is worth looking at for this fixture with competitive soccer betting odds.
Bayern Munich vs. Inter
The other Tuesday tie will see Bayern Munich (1.98) host Inter (3.95) at the Allianz Arena in another clash between European titans.
Bayern are top of the Bundesliga by six points with Harry Kane banging in the goals both domestically and in Europe.
Inter are three points ahead of Napoli in the race to Italy’s Serie A title. Marcus Thuram is the player to watch for them.
Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona will host Borussia Dortmund at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Wednesday. The Blaugrana are the likely winners of this tie, given that they are top of LaLiga while Dortmund are struggling in eighth place in the Bundesliga.
Lamine Yamal has been a superb creative influence for Barcelona this season. He has six goals and 11 assists in LaLiga and three goals and three assists in the UEFA Champions League. There is a high chance that whatever the hosts create will come through the 17-year-old wunderkind.
PSG vs. Aston Villa
Paris Saint-Germain (1.41) are huge favourites for their home game against Aston Villa (7.20) at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Villa have players who can cause problems, such as Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio. Asensio is allowed to play against PSG in the UEFA Champions League even though they are his parent club because the competition has different rules from the Premier League.
However, PSG are having a superb season and beat Premier League leaders Liverpool in the last 16. It would be a huge shock if they did not win.
Conclusion
All eyes will be on Arsenal’s tie against Real Madrid. Bayern’s clash with Inter will also be thrilling for soccer betting enthusiasts. Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund and PSG vs. Aston Villa are likely to go the way of the hosts, but in the UEFA Champions League, nothing can be taken for granted.
