The Top Dogs in Europe Are Playing Tonight
The Champions League has become the preserve of the European superpowers and the richest clubs in the main leagues. There is a correlation between wage bill and results in the biggest domestic competition in the world. The days of a club like Nottingham Forest becoming champions of Europe are long gone and clubs like Real Madrid and Juventus are now the typical winners. They are respectively the wealthiest clubs in Spain and Italy and meet tonight in Turin in the first leg of their quarter-finals tie in the Champions league in a repeat of last year’s final which Real won 4-1.
The squads have not changed significantly since that final in Cardiff and Madrid are still the better team with the best players. The Italians were dominated in midfield and in fact they are slightly weaker tonight with the absence of a key player. Real Madrid have suffered defeats in just two of their last 27 matches in the Champions League and have won the trophy three times in the last four years. Juve have lost just one of their last 32 home European competition meetings and are unbeaten since last November. The logical outcome is the DRAW at 23/10 with Betfair.
Sevilla benefitted from abysmal tactics and a horrible performance from Manchester United at Old Trafford in the last round. The first leg in Spain was goalless but Jose Mourinho messed up the second match and United were out. Bayern Munich won’t be so accommodating in the first leg of their quarter-final in Seville. The German champions have scored in all but one of their last 31 matches and United made Sevilla look better than they are. Away wins in the knockout stages of the Champions League are rare but BAYERN MUNICH are the bet at 4/6 with Ladbrokes.
The conditions at Fairyhouse were appalling yesterday and today’s meeting at the track is subject to an inspection. Pontefract and Wincanton in Britain have already been lost so Lingfield on the All-Weather is the only confirmed fixture. After the riches of the All-Weather Championships Finals on Good Friday the racing is more mundane and less lucrative. The richest race on the card is the six furlongs handicap at 4.25 but the winner only earns about £5.5k. On ratings SANDRA’S SECRET is the one to beat and the horse can be backed at 5/2 with William Hill.
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