An Overview of the Champions League Quarter-Final Draw
Who Do You Have to Make it to the Champions League Semi Finals?
Improvements have continued to be made and we have finally seen sport return around Europe and the rest of the world. Football returned, led by Germany and the Bundesliga and since we have seen the Premier league return in the UK, alongside the likes of the Serie A in Italy and La Liga in Spain.
These have all proven a great success and teams are also now looking ahead to European competition, with the Champions league given the ‘green light’.
The competition will now resume on the 7th of August, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and then final all being played as a straight knockout tournament. Rumours were circling that this would be held in Lisbon and this was finally made official.
- Round of 16 legs (venue yet to be confirmed) – 7/8 August
- Quarter-finals (Lisbon) – 12/15 August
- Semi-Finals (Lisbon) – 18/19 August
- Final (Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Lisbon) – 23 August
This comes as ready news for fans and European football as a whole, with the major European competition nearing its return. PSG, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig and Atalanta have already progressed through to the quarter-final stage but there are still four ties that still need to be completed.
These are:
- Juventus v Lyon (0-1)
- Manchester City v Real Madrid (2-1)
- Bayern Munich v Chelsea (3-0)
- Barcelona v Napoli (1-1)
The quarter-final draw was made in July and has now further added to the excitement for fans and punters. Many have already started betting on the upcoming fixtures, whilst the outright markets have also continued to prove popular. This had even proven the case, when football was postponed. That three month period had seen a shift for players, who moved over to casino based games, such as poker, roulette and of course slot games. That is now likely to be a trend moving forward, despite some players now moving back to their usual football betting since it has returned. It had proven a great source of entertainment for so many new and returning players, with the lack of sport available.
That has now changed and we will see the competition return in the coming weeks. So what was the outcome of the quarter-final draw, as we take a look into the likely outcomes of the next stage of the draw.
Manchester City/Real Madrid v Juventus/Lyon
The opening fixture will see the winner of Manchester City and Real Madrid take on the winner of the tie between Juventus and Lyon. Manchester City are the favourites to progress through, as they take a lead into the second tie. Juventus are down following the opening leg but will also be expected to progress past Lyon and into the quarter-finals. If it is Manchester City v Juventus then City will be the favourites for the victory, as they also remain the outright favourites for the title this season at a general 3/1. Juventus on the other hand are a general 16/1 to win the Champions league this season.
RB Leipzig v Atletico Madrid
The second tie has already been guaranteed with both RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid both progressing through against each of last seasons finalists. That included Atletico knocking out defending champions and now Premier league champions, Liverpool. Atletico Madrid are the favourites to progress through this tie, with both sides having outside chances for the title. Atletico are a best priced 9/1 for the Champions league, as they look to win it for the first time, having finished runners-up on three occasions, with the most recent coming back in 2016.
Barcelona/Napoli v Bayern Munich/Chelsea
Another quarter-final tie that has yet to be decided. Barcelona must first take on Napoli, with the two sides playing out a draw in the opening leg. Barcelona are the heavy favourites to progress through this tie, despite having recently lost their domestic title to Real Madrid.
Bayern Munich have also all but sealed their progression, as they currently hold a first leg lead of 3-0. Bayern Munich will be the strong favourites whoever they play, and are now joint favourites in some places for the outright title at a best priced 3/1. They have been in stunning form in the second half of the season, that has included them wrapping up the Bundesliga title for the record breaking 30th time and eighth in succession. Can they also now add a sixth top European title? With their last coming back in 2013.
Atalanta v PSG
The final tie will see another side at the top of the market in PSG, taking on Italian side Atalanta. The latter are taking part in the competition for the first time in their history but have already progressed through to the final eight. Atalanta have also returned from the break in flying form domestically, as they remain one of the rising stars of European football at present. This is a blockbuster clash against two of the top attacking sides at present. PSG will start as the overwhelming favourites to progress through and are also the general third favourites for the title at a best priced 5/1. This quarter-final fixture will be expected to be a high scoring affair, and is one not to miss.