Two nights of elite football is upon us, precariously balanced on a knife edge after two matches of absolutely brilliant first leg encounters that was thrilling for football purists.
N’Golo Kante and Kevin De Bruyne put in world class displays that earned them both Man of the Match awards respectively, urging bookmakers to make an all-English Champions League final their favoured prediction to reach Istanbul on 29th May.
To Win Outright:
Manchester City 13/20
Chelsea 33/10
Real Madrid 5/1
Paris Saint-Germain 10/1
Tuesday 4 May
Manchester City 13/20
Draw 32/10
Paris Saint-Germain 36/10
(21:00)
Manchester City are firm favourites to surpass Paris Saint-Germain and reach the final. The Citizens’ ultimate goal for bringing in arguably the best coach in the world, Pep Guardiola, was to elevate the club to UEFA Champions League glory and undoubtedly be recognized as the best team in the world.
The goal is within touching distance, more so now after PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino is left sweating on the fitness of speedster Kylian Mbappe, who’s nursing a calf injury but has travelled with the team to Manchester.
Neymar would be the obvious choice, however, the player to watch out for is 26-year-old Brazilian defender Marquinhos. Alongside Presnel Kimpembe, the duo provides one of the most solid central-defensive partnerships in Europe.
A man for the big occasion, Marquinhos, found the net against Manchester United in the group stage, while scoring the decisive goal against Bayern Munich and the Parisians’ only goal in the return leg that keeps them in the contest.
PSG’s away form has been near perfect, only suffering defeat to RB Leipzig early in the competition. The boys from Paris have made the trip to Manchester, beating United on both occasions, although lost out to City in a narrow 1-0 defeat thanks to a De Bruyne goal back in 2016.
I’m expecting City’s Belgian talisman to pull the strings for the Sky Blues once more and inspire his team to victory, with Sergio Aguero promised by his teammates that he will be riding off into the sunset with the famous “big ears” trophy to complete his collection.
Put your money on Home To Win To Nil at 22/10.
Wednesday 5 May
Chelsea 11/10
Draw 47/20
Real Madrid 5/2
(21:00)
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will have his Blue army ready for battle when old boys Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois return to Stamford Bridge under the tutelage of Zinedine Zidane.
Zizou has an incredibly impressive record in the Champions League as a manager and years of experience as a legendary player that makes for an intriguing match.
Edouard Mendy will be aiming to outperform his opposite number Courtois after yet another solid performance in Spain. Karim Benzema’s spectacular overhead kick was Los Blancos’ only shot on target, highlighting the quality of Chelsea’s backline.
Mendy has kept 17 clean sheets in 23 games across all competitions that has provided the back bone of the club’s resurgence since the arrival of Tuchel in January.
Meanwhile, Timo Werner, who’s come under heavy criticism for his wasteful finishing has registered more than 10 goals and 10 assists in his first season, the first player to do so since Belgian maestro Hazard in 2012/13.
Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were rested last weekend despite being in the thick of a heated race for the La Liga title against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. The Blues played Billy Gilmour in the middle of the park against Fulham, affording Kante a much-deserved rest following his Man of the Match display at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Sergio Ramos is fully expected to reclaim his captain’s armband with partner Raphael Varane missing out through injury this time around.
Expect a very tactically astute battle that resembles more of a chess match rather than a football match, with Chelsea “my outright winner from the onset” coming out trumps on home soil.
I’m going brave once again and I’m all in on: Home To Win To Nil (Yes) at 49/20.
DOUBLE @ 10/1
Man City Home To Win To Nil 22/10
Chelsea Home To Win To Nil 49/20
Written by Bryan Naicker