THE Champions League quarter-finals kick off tonight with two contrasting ties.
Juventus v Real Madrid could be goal-laden classic between two teams with genuine hopes of winning the tournament.
The other tie between Sevilla and Bayern Munich sees the Germans heavily odds on to win on the night and massive favourites to qualify.
Juve displayed true grit in seeing off Spurs at Wembley but this will be a true test against a side for whom Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to form at exactly the right time.
The Italian champions have won 13 out of 14 domestically to ease four points clear of Napoli but face a team who have been able to concentrate on this their favourite tournament after conceding the title to Barcelona.
Ronaldo, Isco, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos all remained and Dani Carvajal missed last weekend's win at Las Palmas and that allowed Gareth Bale to come and shine.
However, even with six goals in four games he's unlikely to start. Ronaldo's still the main man and he's bagged an incredible 23 in 13 games and is 6-4 at Paddy Power to score and 4-1 with McBookie to net first.
Real beat Juve on the way to lifting the trophy last season so will hold a mental edge.
However, when the Italians won in 2014-15 they took the home leg 2-1 and there should be goals from both sides again at 17-20 with Ladbrokes. Madrid have scored in their last 23 in the Champions League.
Juve are unbeaten in 27 and will have backers at 21-10 with bet365 to win in Turin and 2-1 at bet365 to qualify.
But Real live for this tournament and I reckon they'll get the job done overall. The holders are 8-15 at betfair to qualify and 13-8 at betfair to win in Italy which is a little short as they could settle for returning to Spain level. The draw pays 23-10 at bet365.
Sevilla knocked out Man United in the previous round and that was at the same stage they lost to Leicester a year ago so progress has been made.
They also have a Spanish Cup Final against Barcelona to look forward to but Bayern are streets ahead of Man United and were at their ruthless best at the weekend as they netted five first-half goals against Dortmund on their way to a 6-0 romp.
They've won 12 in a row in the Champions League and a face a side who will miss Ever Banega who was the star of the show at Old Trafford.
Robert Lewandowski hit a hat-trick against Dortmund to take his tally to the season to an incredible 40 – he's just as prolific as Ronaldo but humbler.
The Pole has netted 14 in 12 and is 5-6 at Betway to score and 31-10 with McBookie to break the deadlock.
Bayern are no bigger than 4-6 at Betway to win in Spain and while they are likely to do so it's a little short against a side who held United 0-0 and drew 2-2 with Barcelona at the weekend.
A possible bet is Bayern and over 2.5 goals which is likely to come up if the Germans net an early opener.
Recommended Bets
- Juve v Real btts
- Ronaldo to score
- Lewandowski to score
- Bayern & over 2.5 goals
Resident football tipster at Scotland's most read newspaper, the Daily Record, for over 20 years and proud host of one the best betting communities on the web with daily betting tips.
GambleAware