Champions League Betting Tips: Kane returns to North London and Bellingham welcomes Man City

The Champions League quarter-finals are upon us and the draw has served up some titanic clashes. Manchester City and Arsenal are the two outright market favourites but both face extremely tough tests against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively. 

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

20:00 Tuesday, TNT Sports 1

Arsenal are the favourites as they welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. They moved up to first in the Premier League over the weekend and have been in fine form. They are second favourites to win the Champions League this season despite having never won the trophy. This clash with Bayern Munich is a chance to send a message to their rivals after scraping past Porto in the last round.

Bayern have been poor this season. They have all but surrendered their Bundesliga crown to Bayer Leverkusen. This is now their last chance to win silverware this campaign. 

We are backing under 9.5 corners in this match. The start of a two-legged encounter can often be cagey and the corner count may suffer as a result. The home side are favourites but they cannot afford to be reckless. The Gunners are well aware of the threat posed by Harry Kane so don’t expect them to overcommit early on. All four of their Champions League matches at the Emirates this season have seen fewer than nine corners with an average of 6.25. 

Thomas Tuchel’s side’s matches in this competition during this campaign have seen an average of 8.5 corners. There were eight corners when they faced Lazio in the away leg of their round of 16 tie.

Recommended Bet: Under 9.5 corners at 1.78

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

20:00 Tuesday, TNT Sports 2

Real Madrid are the undisputed Champions League specialists but they are the underdogs ahead of this tie. Carlo Ancelotti has already guided the club to two Champions Leagues but a win in this year’s edition would arguably be his greatest success.

Pep Guardiola’s side are the juggernaut of European football. Years of investment have allowed them to dominate the English game and they are now reaping the rewards in this competition.

The midfield battle will be crucial here as the home side looks to disrupt City’s rhythm. This should lead to a reasonable amount of fouls. There were 30 the last time these teams went head-to-head last season so we are backing both teams to have at least two cards here.  Madrid were awarded two yellows and City had three in that match. This bet also won in both legs of Real’s round of 16 clash with RB Leipzig.

Manchester City are yet to be tested in this season’s Champions League so there has been an average of just 2.88 cards per game. However, this bet won when they played at the Bernabeu last season with the teams each picking up two cards.

Recommended Bet: Both teams to receive 2+ cards at 2.06 

Paris Saint-Germain vs Barcelona

20:00 Wednesday, TNT Sports 1

The Champions League has so far eluded PSG. Unlike Manchester City, the Parisiens’ lavish spending hasn’t translated to a triumph in Europe’s most coveted club competition. Luis Enrique is enjoying a solid first season as PSG boss and eliminating his former club in this tie would be further evidence of that.

Barcelona’s purse strings are a little tighter than PSG’s but they have long been established as one of Europe’s elite. Winning the Champions League was an expectation for Barca but they haven’t reached those heights since 2015. 

PSG are unbeaten in their four Champions League home matches this season. They have found the net in all four with an average of 2.25 goals. Enrique’s side are now on a run of 27 matches without defeat so they will fancy their chances here. We are backing them to get half the job done and win the first leg as a result.

Barcelona have lost two of their four away matches in this competition this season. They have scored three goals during that run and conceded five. The last time faced PSG was in Messi’s last season at Barca. They suffered a 5-2 defeat on aggregate.

Recommended bet: PSG to win at 1.99

Atletico Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund

20:00 Wednesday, TNT Sports 2

Atletico Madrid reached this stage thanks to their performances at the Wanda Metropolitana. They were outclassed by Inter at the San Siro in the last round but duly delivered in the second leg on home soil. Diego Simeone has proven himself to be a master tactician in the Champions League and he needs a good display from his side here.

Dortmund beat PSV in the last round. They are the underdogs here and suffered a disappointing defeat at home to Stuttgart over the weekend. The defeat saw them drop out of the top four in the Bundesliga, jeopardising their position in next season’s Champions League.

Dortmund matches have seen the fewest cards in the Champions League with an average of 2.50 per game. Their opponents are averaging just 0.88 cards per game so we are backing under 1.5 cards for Atletico Madrid here. This bet has won in all four of their away matches in this competition this season.

Simeone’s side have a reputation for being a physical side but they have been awarded the eighth fewest cards in La Liga this season. This bet has won in two of their four home Champions League matches so far.

Recommended bet: Under 1.5 cards for Atletico Madrid at 2.68 

Recommended Bets:

Back Under 9.5 corners in Arsenal vs Bayern Munich @ 1.78
Back Both Teams to Receive 2+ cards in Real Madrid vs Man City @ 2.06
Back PSG to beat Barcelona @ 1.99
Back Under 1.5 cards for Atletico Madrid against Borussia Dortmund @ 2.68