The second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals kicks off, Tuesday April 14, with Liverpool vs Chelsea and Barcelona vs Bayern Munich. Wednesday’s second leg action will have Arsenal vs Villarreal and Manchester United vs FC Porto. Liverpool must beat Chelsea by three goals or face elimination, while Bayern has to win by five, over heavy favs Barcelona. Be sure to get your UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg Predictions in now at SBGglobal.com
Liverpool (+175) at Chelsea (-115)
Chelsea pounded Liverpool 3-1, at Ansfield, in the first leg giving Liverpool their first loss on home pitch in ten games and breaking their unbeaten home run in the UEFA Champions League play. Chelsea got a pair of goals from Branislav Ivanović and a goal from Didier Drogba, while Liverpool’s Fernando Torres was their lone scorer after a quick sixth minute goal. Liverpool may have overturned a 3-0 half-time deficit to win the 2005 UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan, but their record at Chelsea does not sit well for their hopes of a comeback. Liverpool have found the Stamford Bridge net just twice in four previous visits in UEFA competition, and only twice in 75 visits overall have they achieved a result that would earn them outright victory in this tie. Rafael Benítez's men will not be daunted by that record given they ended Chelsea's run of 86 home games undefeated in the Premier League in October. There is still no hiding the scale of Liverpool's task. To progress, they must win by three clear goals or, failing that, achieve a 3-1 advantage by full time in order to take the tie into an extra 30 minutes. Only four times in the entire history of this fixture has this happened. Chelsea have had much the better of their meetings at Stamford Bridge, recording 42 wins to Liverpool's 17, with 16 matches drawn.
Barcelona (-110) at Bayern Munich (+145)
Munich will have to make UEFA history if they want to get past Barcelona. No team has ever overturned a four-goal first-leg deficit in UEFA competition, yet that is what Bayern must do following their heavy defeat in Barcelona, a result which emphatically ended their unbeaten record in this season's competition. Bayern had to play without Lucio, Daniel Van Buyten and Philipp Lahm, as their makeshift defence was picked apart twice in the first 12 minutes as goals from Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o put Barça in command. Further strikes from Messi again and Thierry Henry deepened Bayern's misery as the Munich club slipped to a loss that equalled their biggest margin of defeat in UEFA club competition. Barcelona have lost only three of 36 two-legged contests in UEFA club competition when they won the first match at home. Bayern have a good home record against Spanish clubs of W11-D4-L1. Barca are the highest-scoring team on the road with 13 in four matches and boast a fine recent away record in the UEFA Champions League, having won eight and drawn three of their last 12 games on the road. They are unbeaten away from home in this season's competition.
UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals
When: Tue, April 14, 2009 2:45 PM ET
Line: SBGglobal.com
Picks: Barcelona -110/ Chelsea -115
Point-spreads.com UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals Predictions
The Bottom Line: Barcelona are the best team in the UEFA Champions league and a favorite to win it all, while Liverpool won’t be able to overcome their huge deficit. Go Barca and Chelsea! Be sure to get your UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Predictions in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 60% sign-up bonus
