With British clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all taking part in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League between them, there is a rare opportunity for British sportsbettors to enjoy cheering on some home talent while taking the value and possibly backing their opponents in a bid to make money.
Before you bet on this midweek’s action, why not register with paddypower? You can claim a £20 risk-free bet if you’re a new customer right here.
After a trio of successful tips in our previous Champions League tips (at 5/1, 12/1 and 18/1 if you’re interested) and a 22/1 winner at the weekend when Aymeric Laporte netted the opening (and closing) goal of the game as Manchester City defeated Tottenham to lift the Carabao Cup, we’re feeling on form like Victor Lindelof (pictured below wondering why Eric Bailly has been given a new five-year contract).
Who will come out on top in the first legs of four terrific ties? Let’s look at the numbers and come up with some winning bets.
Chelsea to beat Real Madrid 1-0 (15/2)
The first leg of any Champions League semi-final is tense, but you can expect this one to be cagier than Conor McGregor’s Tiger King impression. Real Madrid no longer seem nearly as imperious as they did at the tail-end of last season and the start of this campaign.
There are rumours that this may be Zinedine Zidane’s swansong as manager of Los Blancos if his side fail to deliver either the La Liga title or the Champions League trophy. If that’s the case, he must feel unlucky to have to face a Thomas Tuchel side who look great on their travels.
Chelsea were excellent in dealing with a stubborn Porto side and we think they can do the same again in Spain. While Madrid have dangerous players, Tuchel’s side are really on the up at the moment and with players like Mason Mount and Timo Werner, may provide the surprise package of Europe’s top club competition this season. We like The Blues to nick a priceless away winner late on to.
Victor Lindelof to score at any time (18/1)
If it wasn’t shorter odds, we’d like the look of Villareal to beat Arsenal with both teams to score, but at 7/2, that falls short of value for our tips. Far more appealing is a certain Swede to notch a goal against Roma in the home leg of this tight semi-final.
Just as we said when it came to Aymeric Laporte the other day for Manchester City, it’s often the deceptive central defender who gets the goal and Swedish centre-back Lindelof will be desperate to prove to visiting defender Chris Smalling that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was right to keep him instead of the former England lynchpin.
Kylian Mbappe to Score; 5+ Corners for Each Team & Joao Cancelo to be Carded (33/1)
Paris St. Germain will go into their semi-final against Manchester City waiting on the fitness of a certain K. Mbappe, but if the Frenchman is fit, then this ‘WhatOddsPaddy’ bet is unmissable on paddy. Mbappe has been like wildfire in Ligue 1 and in Europe this season and he will fancy his chances against a City side that sometimes looks porous.
Joao Cancelo, who may well match up against the channel runs of Mbappe and Neymar could have a very difficult evening and while we’re a fan of him going forward, at the back he is due a booking and in what is sure to be an end-to-end game, this bet relies on far less happening than it appears.
Make sure that you get your bets on before kick-off on Tuesday night at 8.00pm GMT by registering as a new customer with paddypower and you’ll get a risk-free £20 bet.
May all your bets be live until the final whistle!
Users must be 18+, Please gamble Responsibly – BegambleAware.org
