We’re down to the final eight in the UEFA Champions League and there’s a distinctly Italian flavour to these Quarter Finals with Serie A providing three representatives.
One will be guaranteed a spot in the Semi Finals with Napoli taking on AC Milan in one tie while Inter has been drawn against Portuguese pace setters Benfica.
However the heavyweight battle between Manchester City and Bayern Munich stands out as the headline set of fixtures over the next week.
We’ve got our match previews and best bets for every Champions League Quarter Final fixture below so read on and see who we are backing.
First Legs
It’s fair to say that neither side had an ideal build up to this fixture with both dropping points in their respective league fixtures on the weekend.
Benfica’s eight match winning streak was brought to a halt at home by FC Porto to keep their domestic title race alive, however their run did include a convincing 7-1 aggregate win over Brugge in the Round of 16
Inter made it six matches without victory after a 1-1 draw away to Salernitana, a run that featured a scoreless draw against Porto in their second leg Round of 16 tie to advance 1-0 on aggregate.
We’ve got a proper clash of styles coming up with Benfica’s free scoring, open attack facing a proper test against Inter’s stingy, uncompromising defence.
While Inter showed in the previous round they can go on the road and stifle opponents, their recent struggles are a real cause for concern and they might have some work to in the second leg.
Back Benfica to Win @ $2.15
Manchester City could not be in better form heading into this fixture, with an eight match winning streak, which featured 7-0, 6-0, 4-1 and 4-1 victories in their last four outings.
Pep Guardiola has his side humming and the fact they were so ruthless even without the likes of Erling Haaland and Phil Foden during that run, suggest they are going to give Bayern all they can handle here.
The German giants might be on top of the Bundesliga but they are firmly in a title race with Borussia Dortmund nipping at their heels.
Given City’s propensity to struggle in the big moments in European football, there is every chance they find a way to blow this tie, however they should give themselves a lead to take to Germany next week.
For a bit of extra value, it’s worth adding in the overs considering that has hit in plenty of matches for both sides.
Back Manchester City to Win and Over 2.5 Goals @ $2.38
AC Milan are in the midst of their best Champions League campaign in over a decade while Napoli are into the Quarter Finals for the first time.
However they only have to go back 10 days to see how dangerous AC Milan can be, with the Rossoneri belting them 4-0 in Naples, giving Stefano Pioli’s side hope of an upset here.
Domestically this has been a rivalry that has strongly favoured the visitors over the last few seasons though, with the away side winning the last six head to head matches and just once from the last ten dating back to 2019.
In a situation like this, you have to back the side with the runs on the board and that win over Napoli in Serie A was Milan’s only victory since the start of March.
It won’t come easy but with the added motivation of their big loss less than a fortnight ago, Napoli should take care of business.
Back Napoli to Win @ $2.60
Just when it looked like Chelsea was righting the ship amidst qualifying for the Champions League Quarter Finals, they have fallen in a heap once again picking up just two points from their last four outings.
On paper this should be another blockbuster tie between two heavyweight clubs, but with the Blues’ struggles in England, it’s tough to see how this is going to be competitive.
Best case for Chelsea they stubbornly hold out for the first leg and give themselves something to chase in London next week.
However Real Madrid remain the Champions League specialists and only have to look back to the Round of 16 to remember them blowing an English opponent off the Bernabeu.
That match against Liverpool ended 5-2 in favour of the Spanish side and Real should give Frank Lampard a rough night at the office.
Back Real Madrid to Win -1 Goal @ $2.88
Second Legs
FIRST LEG: AC Milan Won 1-0
The sole Champions League tie with a one goal margin heading into the second leg is the Italian derby and both of these clubs will feel as though they have a great chance of progressing to the Semi Finals.
Remarkably, this is going to be the third meeting between these two sides in the space of 16 days with AC Milan winning both prior matches to nil.
With one eye on this second leg, both sides made plenty of changes in their weekend engagements which saw each team forced to settle for a draw.
Milan also saw their three match clean sheet streak brought to a halt against Bologna while Napoli’s usually potent attack was held in check for the second game in a row.
While there is value to be had backing the visitors to get something in the Double Chance market at $2.05, the price on both teams to score is where I will be heading for this tip.
Napoli will have to score at least once, but they are going to have a hard time keeping Milan at bay, which might make this a bit more open than the first leg.
Back Both Teams to Score @ $2.00
FIRST LEG: Real Madrid Won 2-0
Last season, Real Madrid took a two goal aggregate advantage to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of that tie and only just escaped from London with an extra time victory.
In the previous round, Chelsea overturned a 1-0 deficit on Dortmund with a stunning performance in what was the high point of the brief Graham Potter era.
All signs are suggesting we are heading towards another Champions League epic then, correct?
Not so much, the Blues’ dysfunction appears to be as bad as ever, except now Frank Lampard has to produce his best Al Pacino speech to rally his players.
Unfortunately for him, Real Madrid is a really good side and they will likely punish Chelsea when they leave space open at the back.
After all, they are the specialists in this competition and you just cannot have faith in a Premier League club that has picked up a grand total of two draws from their last six.
Back Real Madrid to Win (90 Minutes) & Over 2.5 Goals @ $3.70
FIRST LEG: Inter Milan Won 2-0
If the last few seasons of Champions League football has taught us anything, it’s that you can never rule out a team trying to overturn a 2-0 deficit.
However Inter is in a very strong position to advance from their advantageous position after doing the hard work in Portugal last week.
Goals from Nico Barella and Romelu Lukaku gave them a much needed win as they held Benfica to just two shots on target over 90 minutes.
Now they return to the San Siro, where they fell to Monza on the weekend, looking to hold off a determined opponent that is staring down the barrel of their fourth straight defeat.
The Italians just look too good and it would be a big surprise to see them fail to win this second leg at home.
Back Inter Milan to Win (90 Minutes) @ $2.10
FIRST LEG: Manchester City Won 3-0
The first leg could not have produced a more stunning result in Manchester, not so much that City won, but the convincing manner that they were able to dispatch their German foes.
It continued their imperious form as they chase an unlikely treble at home and abroad, but Bayern will not roll over here.
On their day they have the talent to overturn a deficit of this size against most opponents, and they should win on the night, but City don’t lose matches by three or more goals.
City’s 10 match winning streak might come to a halt here, but they should find a way to advance.
However from a punting perspective, Bayern as a home underdog is too good to pass up from a value perspective.
Back Bayern Munich to Win (90 Minutes) @ $2.70