Written by Darry Worthington for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Real Madrid v VFL Wolfsburg | Tuesday 12 April | Santiago Bernabeu | 20:45
Real Madrid will face the toughest test of their Champions League campaign this Tuesday evening when they host VFB Wolfsburg. Zinedine Zidane’s men will need to overturn a two-goal deficit against a well-organized Wolfsburg outfit if they are to advance to the semi-finals of European football’s premier club competition.
So can Los Blancos secure their place in the final four or will the Wolves be able to hold onto their lead? Let’s see if we can find some money!
To Win (90 Mins)
Real Madrid 1/5 | Draw 6/1 | Wolfsburg 10/1
Real Madrid
Impotent, lacking creativity, and naïve. These were some of the words used by the press to sum up Real Madrid’s performance in the first leg.
Los Blancos would have probably fancied their chances of advancing to the semi-finals of the competition when the draw for the quarter-finals was made. They had managed to avoid the big guns including local rivals Atletico and old foes, Barcelona. They now see their hopes of claiming an unprecedented 11th European Champions title dangling by a thread.
While I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Madrid thought they would simply rock up at the Volkswagen Arena claim a victory, I do think they were guilty of underestimating their opponents.
Having drawn a blank in Germany, they now come into this game knowing that they will need to beat their opponents by 3 goals or more. With the attacking triumvirate of Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gareth Bale set to lead the Madrid assault, Zidane’s side are more than capable of overturning Wolfsburg lead.
They will have to be weary, though, as Wolfsburg are more than capable of hitting Madrid on the counter with Julian Draxler set to be the Wolves’ main attacking threat. The German international gave Madrid fullback Danilo the run around in the first leg. The Brazilian is going to have to put in a much-improved performance this time around if they are to keep the German international quiet.
VFL Wolfsburg
Goals from Ricardo Rodriguez and Maxi Arnold saw Wolfsburg take a 2-0 lead inside twenty minutes of their first leg against Madrid. The scoreline would remain the same for the remainder of the match, much to the delight of the Wolfsburg faithful. The result has left the Germans in a commanding position heading into the second leg.
While a two-goal lead is nowhere near insurmountable, it will help Wolfsburg implement their counter-attacking style. Dieter Hecking’s men are at their best when opponents come onto them and leave space in behind. They have some extremely gifted wingers in the shape of Julian Draxler and Bruno Henrique. Both men have incredible ball control and read the game with aplomb. Their most potent weapon though is their sheer pace. The duo are capable of running opposing fullbacks ragged: just ask Danilo about that.
They also have a top quality midfielder in the form of Chelsea old boy Andre Schurlle. The attacking forward was instrumental in last week’s victory and will be looking to once again pull the strings for his side.
At the back, Naldo and Dante form a formidable centre-half pairing, while fullbacks Vieirinha and Rodriguez are both fleet of foot which could go some way in containing Madrid’s explosive wingers.
Verdict: Over 3.5 Goals at 7/10
This game is sure to be filled with goals as Madrid need to attack like their lives depend on it and Wolfsburg are capable of bagging a goal on the counter. Back the over 3.5 goals market at 7/10.
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