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The UEFA Champions League continues this week with the second leg of the quarterfinal round concluding. The action starts on Tuesday with two matches, followed by Liverpool v. Benfica and Atletico Madrid v. Manchester City on Wednesday afternoon. Both matches kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET and can be streamed on Paramount+ and fuboTV.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Liverpool favored to win with odds at -380 on the moneyline, while Benfica comes in at +950. Manchester City is favored to win the second leg with odds at -125 while Atletico Madrid sits at +370.
Champions League predictions 2022
Liverpool vs. Benfica
Even with a congested schedule, Liverpool got off to a flying start in the first leg thanks to goals from Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane, and Luis Diaz. Benfica’s Darwin Nunez pulled one back in the 49th minute, but the Reds still grabbed a big 3-1 win on the road at Estadio da Luz, putting them in prime position for an aggregate win. Liverpool is fresh off a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Manchester City on Sunday in EPL play, and will face them again on Saturday in an FA Cup semifinal clash. Jurgen Klopp has said that he’ll be looking to rotate the squad a bit for the return leg against Benfica, so he’ll likely be pushing defensive tactics to hold off any advances from Benfica. The Reds should be able to close this one out at home and advance to the semifinal round.
Pick: Liverpool -380
Atletico Madrid vs. Manchester City
Manchester City got a 1-0 win at home in the first leg, and will now travel to Spain to take on Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. City dominated the stat sheet at home, holding Madrid to zero overall shots and just 29 percent of possession. The home side sent 15 shots in, but only put two on target throughout the entire contest. Kevin De Bruyne broke the deadlock in the 70th minute after a perfectly placed pass from Phil Foden, logging the match’s game winner and only goal.
While City also has to prepare for the FA Cup match at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, they don’t have the luxury of a two-goal lead allowing them to sit back and defend. If Atletico comes out swinging and gets an early goal, it’s game on for the rest of match as City will have to look to find the back of the net on the road. Regardless, Man City should likely prove to be too much for Madrid even within the confines of their own stadium after the display they put on in the first leg.
Pick: Manchester City -125
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