On Monday in Switzerland, the draws for the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals were made.
The legendary Xabi Alonso's hand brought together many famous clubs. The quarter-finals will start on February 13th, but anticipation for the matches is already high.
The portal "EuroFootball.com" decided to look into the betting offers and evaluate the chances of all teams to advance. Here is an overview of the remaining four matchups. The first part is HERE.
"Bayern" - "Besiktas"
Bayern's fate with the draws was fortunate - they could have faced clubs like "Barcelona" and "Manchester City" in the second place, but now they will face the Turkish champions. "Besiktas" should not be underestimated, as they performed impressively in the group stage. Of course, "Besiktas" is not the favorite in this matchup, so the German team definitely has a better chance of advancing. The odds for "Besiktas" to reach the quarter-finals are very high (6.00). Bayern had a slow start to the season, but with J. Heynckes back, things turned around and they defeated PSG in the last group stage match.
"EuroFootball.com" prediction - Bayern will win by two goals in Germany and face tough matches in the incredible atmosphere of the Turkish champions' stadium. Bayern has much more experience in these stages and should confidently reach the quarter-finals.
"Chelsea" - "Barcelona"
Another football treat - a meeting of two teams with not very warm relations towards each other. Both "Chelsea" and "Barcelona" would have preferred to avoid each other, but fate decided on a matchup between these two teams in the quarter-finals. Barcelona is playing solidly this season and is rightfully considered one of the main contenders to win the Champions League tournament. On the other hand, Chelsea has been playing inconsistently this season - they can win or lose against anyone. The bookmakers see Barcelona as the favorite in this matchup, with odds of 3.50 for Chelsea to advance. It's hard to predict the form of both teams, but the English champions still have time to improve their game and cause trouble for their not so favorite opponents.
"EuroFootball.com" prediction - Barcelona will advance to the next stage, but both matches will be tough. The first leg could decide a lot - if Chelsea can achieve at least a minimal victory, we could witness a scenario similar to the 2011-12 season, but at this stage of the season, Barcelona seems more secure.
"Sevilla" - "Man United"
"Manchester United," back in the UEFA Champions League, has the highest goals - to climb to the top of the tournament. The draws for the quarter-finals set up a clash between the "Red Devils" and the equally challenging "Sevilla." Sevilla concedes a lot of goals this season but has offensive potential. Man Utd demonstrates solid defense this season and matches like these are suitable for Jose Mourinho's team - they can easily withstand the first match defensively and seek their chances at "Old Trafford." However, Man Utd are considered the favorites in this matchup, so they have to prove this status on the field. The bookmakers offer odds of 1.40 for Manchester's chances to advance, but they do not underestimate Sevilla - with odds of 2.87.
"EuroFootball.com" prediction - Sevilla can cause trouble at their fortress, but Man Utd can play solid defense, so we should not expect mistakes like the ones Liverpool made in the group stage against Sevilla. Sevilla is not as disciplined a team as Man Utd, and they fell at this stage last season under Leicester. The Manchester team has better chances to advance to the quarter-finals and most likely will not lose both matches.
"Shakhtar" - "Roma"
Both clubs were surely satisfied with the draws. This is a matchup between teams of similar strength. Of course, Roma already has the status of a favorite solely based on their name. The bookmakers confirm this - a somewhat low odds of 1.40 for Roma to advance, while for the Ukrainian champions, the odds are 2.75. Roma is playing powerfully this season in both the Serie A and the Champions League, where they surpassed Chelsea and Atletico in the group. However, we should not write off the Shakhtar team - they fought their way out of a tough group, which included Napoli, one of the strongest teams in Italy. Therefore, both teams have chances.
"EuroFootball.com" prediction - contrary to the betting odds, Shakhtar may surprisingly advance to the next stage. Roma faces strong competition in Italy, so they also have high hopes there, while Shakhtar has less trouble in the Ukrainian league. Roma has more experience in such matches, but they are not as clear favorites as bookmakers suggest - the chances of both teams are equal.
