The sides that will be playing in the semi-finals of the Champions League this season will be determined this week. The final quarterfinal fixtures in the competition will be played on Wednesday, with Liverpool and Manchester City looking to make it through after picking up victories in their first leg ties last week in the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester City Odds, Preview & Pick
| Atletico Madrid | +375 |
| Draw | +250 |
| Manchester City | -125 |
Manchester City will have a 1-0 lead to defend when they visit the home of the Spanish champions on Wednesday. City were extremely good value for that narrow advantage, as Kevin De Bruyne scored the only goal in the win with 20 minutes remaining. Atletico will need to show a lot more in the final third in the second leg, as they failed to register a single shot at the Etihad last week.
Atletico lost the first leg away from home for the fourth time last weekend, but they have progressed on two of the previous three occasions. City also don’t have the best record away from home against Spanish opposition, as they have picked up just three victories. But, Atletico have a poor record in the Champions League at home, as they are winless in their previous seven.
City look to have the best chance of claiming victory, but the best value for this fixture could be on the draw, as City edge over the line and into the semi-finals of the Champions League for the second straight year.
Pick: Draw @ +250
Liverpool vs Benfica Odds, Preview & Pick
| Liverpool | -350 |
| Draw | +500 |
| Benfica | +850 |
Liverpool are still chasing an unprecedented quadruple this season, and almost certainly already have one foot in the next round of the Champions League. The Reds took a strong hold on the tie in the first leg, as they won away from home in Portugal 3-1. Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz did the damage in Portugal, and it appears hard to see past them progressing through to the next round.
The omens are certainly good for the Reds too, as they have won the European Cup on both previous occasions when they have knocked Benfica out in the knockout stage. Liverpool also have an excellent record at Anfield in the knockout stages, as they have only lost on two occasions when conceding more than once. However, one of those defeats did come against Benfica in the 2005-06 season.
However, Liverpool’s recent record against Portuguese opposition is very strong, as they have won their previous five, and have conceded just three. Benfica’s away record in recent seasons in the competition also isn’t the strongest, as they have won just once in their previous nine attempts. This could be the most straightforward game to call at this stage of the competition, as Liverpool should get the win.
Pick: Liverpool @ -350
