On Tuesday evening Real Madrid and Chelsea delivered another spectacle for football lovers as their battle for a semi-final spot went into extra time. There was a huge upset in Bavaria where FC Bayern was knocked out by Villareal. The UEFA Champions League continues on Wednesday evening with Liverpool hosting Benfica while Man City travels to Madrid for their second meeting with Atletico. Mcebo Mpungose previews.
37/10 Atletico Madrid | Draw 26/10 | Man City 15/20 (21:00)
Agg: 0-1
There was a lot of hullabaloo over the tactics deployed by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final clash after seeing them register no shots on target in 90 minutes.
Football pundits, Man City players, and coach, Pep Guardiola, criticised Diego Simeone’s tactics with many referring to them as anti-football. Under his guidance, however, Atletico has featured in Champions League semi-finals and got as far as the final in 2014.
Judging by his response to the media when questioned about the criticism of his tactics it seems highly unlikely that his team will play very differently from how they played last week, however, being a goal down may force him to tweak things.
In LaLiga Atletico has shown they are a team that can adapt and changes their football to get the required results, this is how they won the title last season. This season, despite being accused of playing mainly defensive football, Atleti has the third-highest number of goals scored, behind Real Madrid (by six goals) and Barcelona (by three).
It’s the defence that has mostly let them down this season, ironically. Atletico has conceded 38 goals in 31 games this season. Last season, they only let in 25 in 38. Against the most creative team in the world in front of goal, Simeone knew his team’s weakness and aimed to keep them in the game for the return leg at least.
They did lose by a single goal over the weekend to relegation-threatened Mallorca but I’m expecting a stronger XI and a fired-up Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.
Having already faced and drawn with Liverpool in a game they could have won, Man City too will be fired up for this one, especially with talk of them not going down as one of the best teams in history with a UCL trophy.
I’m expecting City to put Atletico under siege until they kill the game. The key to that will be keeping a clean sheet.
Verdict: Man City win or draw, BTTS @ 9/10
I reckon both teams will find the back of the net, as much is almost a given with City. Atletico need to score to keep themselves in the tie, and if they leave themselves exposed at the back you can bet that Pep’s men will punish them.
1/4 Liverpool | Draw 52/10 | Benfica 9/1 (21:00)
Agg: 3-1
Training match? It could feel like one, but seeing what Chelsea did to Real Madrid reminds us all that this is the Champions League! Benfica has a mammoth task on their hands at Anfield, a place where Liverpool hardly loses.
Fortunately for Benfica fans, their team isn’t shy in front of goal, and despite being third in the Primeira Liga they are the highest-scoring team with 73 goals in 29 games.
Their striker Darwin Nunez, who is linked with a transfer to Man United, has 24 goals to his name this season and is the league’s top scorer. Nunez managed to pull a goal back early in the second half when Liverpool seemed to be running away with the first leg fixture.
Liverpool still has the upper hand here. They can afford to sit back and use their ruthless counter-attacking ability to punish any of Benfica’s forays forward. There will be a threat from Sadio Mane, Moh Salah, Diogo Jota, and former FC Porto man Luis Diaz who scored in the first meeting.
Verdict: Liverpool on (-2) @ 33/20
Benfica absolutely have to go for this. They’re two goals down in a tie nobody expects them to win. I do, however, expect Liverpool to pick them off on the counter-attack with relative ease. Back the Reds on the (-2) handicap.
