Champions League Tuesday 14th April Preview – Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid & Juventus v AS Monaco Live

English supporters might not be as excited as usual but the Champions League quarter-finals are upon us once more, commencing with two mouth-watering first-leg matches on Tuesday night, and we’re set for another thrilling fortnight as eight elite European outfits bid to reach the last four.

Even the lack of an English presence can’t detract from the quality on display in all four ties and it should be a truly memorable quarter-final round.

Hopefully we’ll win some money too!

Atletico V Real Madrid

Live – 7:45PM ITV 1

The headline fixture from this quarter-final round sees a rematch of last year’s final as the titans of Madrid square off once more for a place in the final four.

Nobody will forget last year’s thrilling showpiece final, which saw Los Blancos finally capture La Decima. However, despite the obvious star attraction of a squad boasting the likes of Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to name just three, it is the Rojiblancos who have enjoyed dominance of this fixture in 2014/15.

Diego Simeone’s men are unbeaten in half a dozen meetings this term, winning four of those previous encounters. Atletico have additionally lost just two home games all season and will be extremely confident in front of a packed Vicente Calderon.

On the other hand, the European Cup is where Real come into their own and Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be expected to thrive on the big stage. It should be an absolute cracker.

Atletico V Real Madrid Betting

Fans, punters and bookmakers alike would have real difficulty predicting this one with any conviction and that sentiment has been replicated by Bet365’s odds of 8/5 on Real Madrid against 7/4 for Atletico. Meanwhile, the draw is priced 23/10.

As far as we’re concerned the best bet appears to be goals. Whilst it’s fair to say that first-leg matches can be tentative, we can be assured that both teams will be eager to take a lead back to the Bernabeu next Wednesday.

Atletico have won all three head-to-head home games without conceding but it’s hard to envisage the Blancos not scoring, especially after hitting 14 in their past three alone. Likewise, the freescoring hosts should also find the target with relative ease.

Both Teams To Score @ 10/11 with William Hill

Juventus v AS Monaco

Live – 7:45PM Sky Sports 1

The night’s other contest comes from Turin as Serie A champions face French side Monaco.

Many were surprised to see Leonardo Jardim’s men eliminate Arsenal in the round of 16 but the French outfit certainly showed that they’re no pushovers. Nonetheless, Massimiliano Allegri’s men will be strong favourites to progress.

The Italians have looked incredibly strong under their new head coach, particularly in this competition, and should have far too much quality and experience to fall for the same trap that the Gunners did last month.

It would be a massive shock if the visitors gain anything from this game. Expect the hosts to firmly place one foot in the final four.

Juventus V AS Monaco Betting

Unsurprisingly, Juventus are heavy favourites for this clash and are priced just 4/9 to grab the win with Bet365. Meanwhile, the visitors can be backed at 7/1 whilst the draw is available at 16/5.

The Old Lady are a quality side, especially at the Juventus Stadium. Meanwhile, aside from the Arsenal game, Monaco haven’t been all too prolific on the road and we can see them struggling here. We’re edging towards a 2-0 home victory and think a win-to-nil is the more logical selection.

Juventus Win-To-Nil @ 20/21 with BetVictor