UCL Semifinals – Tips and Previews
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
5am, Wednesday
The first leg of the Champions League semi-finals kicks off this Wednesday when Real Madrid host Manchester City in Spain.
The home side will enter the clash as the underdogs in the market, despite their 4-0 domination of Chelsea across the two legs of the quarters. Rodrygo was the star of their most recent outing as he netted both of Real’s goals in a dominant second half.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing since that night at Stamford Bridge for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, with Real losing two of their five games to Girona (4-2) and Real Sociedad (2-0).
The Citizens, on the other hand, are peaking at the right time of the year with five consecutive victories since their 1-1 draw with Bayern in the quarters. This includes a 4-1 demolition of Arsenal thanks to a double from Kevin De Bruyne.
City has won three of the last four meetings between the teams in European competition but did lose the most recent 3-1 in the second leg of last season’s semi-final.
While we know Real is a different beast in this competition, it’s hard to go past Pep Guardiola and City when they’re in this type of form.
AC Milan vs. Internazionale
5am, Thursday
AC Milan and Internazionale will clash for the fourth time across all competitions this season when the two powerhouses do battle at San Siro on Thursday.
Inter is into $2.25 favouritism with Bet Nation following their 5-3 aggregate victory over Benfica. Since drawing 3-3 in the second leg of their match-up, Inter has won five matches on the trot, including victories over Juventus (Coppa Italia), Lazio and Roma.
While they will have the home-ground advantage, the market is wary of AC Milan at $2.75. They were impressive in their UCL quarter-final against Napoli but have since won just two of their four Serie A games.
Adding to the uncertainty around Stefano Pioli’s team is that they’ve lost their last two against Inter this season, including a 0-3 thrashing in the Supercoppa Italiana final. They’ve gone goalless in both games, adding more pressure to find the back of the net.
