The Champions League quarter-final draw certainly didn’t do any favours to England’s two remaining clubs, with Liverpool and Manchester City being drawn to play each other in what, with all due respect to Real Madrid and Juventus, has to be the tie of the round.
Whilst the draw could have been more favourable and despite the fact that there are a number of heavyweight clubs that still need to be overcome, Liverpool currently represent decent betting value at 12-1 with Coral in their quest to land what would be a sixth European Cup / Champions League trophy at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev on 26 May 2018.
According to The Bookies Offers, the Reds also have very attractive odds of 2-1 with 888Sport to qualify for their quarter-final tie with Manchester City. It’s worth factoring in that the weight of expectation on City is enormous, with anything less than a place in the final almost certain to be regarded as a failure.
The fact that the 1st leg is at Anfield might be seen as a disadvantage by some, but this isn’t a tie that’s likely to be anything other than a feast of attacking football from both teams. There’s unlikely to be any discernible cautious approach from either Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola in either game.
There is nothing quite like a European night at Anfield of course, and even a team of City’s undoubted qualities might just struggle with the intensity of the occasion. In such an atmosphere there has to be a possibility that Liverpool will come flying out of the blocks and score Over 1.5 Goals in the first-half. That potential outcome is on offer at 6-1 with Coral.
You can also get 7-2 with Betway on the ‘Match Result & Both Teams to Score’ if you back Liverpool which, given the way both teams play and the attacking talent on display, also looks a very decent bet, while a Liverpool win and Over 3.5 Goals in the 1st leg is 6-1 with Boylesports.
The City defensive record might be the best in the Premier League this season, but Liverpool proved in the 4-3 win at Anfield in January that their energetic high-pressing game is capable of giving any defence serious problems.
With Mo Salah in scintillating form in front of goal, you would back Liverpool to find the back of the net against any opposition at present. Unfortunately, from a Liverpool perspective, you would also say the same about City given their wealth of attacking talent.
Liverpool might have tightened up at the back to a degree since the arrival of Virgil van Dijk, but depriving the visitors of at least one away goal at Anfield still looks a tall order.
