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You Can Bet on the Quarterfinal Draw for the UEFA Champions League

Gary Gowers

by Gary Gowers in Soccer News

Updated Apr 8, 2020 · 12:35 PM PDT

Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus celebrates after scoring a goal against Manchester United. (Photo by Insidefoto/Imago/Icon Sportswire)
  • The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 is complete
  • The quarterfinals draw will take place Friday, March 15 at 7am EST
  • Sports betting sites are allowing you to bet on the draw

This season’s UEFA Champions League has been an enthralling competition, full of thrilling matches, comebacks and shocks.

Already, the competition has lost both Madrid teams, all of its German teams, and all of its French teams.

That means no Real Marid, no Atletico Madrid, no Bayern Munich, no Borussia Dortmund, and no Paris St Germain (PSG) – each one considered a giant of European football but each no longer in this year’s tournament.

If you lost some money in the Round of 16 as a result of one of these upsets, sports betting sites are giving you an opportunity to win it back before the quarterfinals even start.

The quarterfinal draw will be held Friday, March 15 at 7am EST, but you anxiously await the matchups to be revealed, why not have a roll of the dice?

Champions League Quarterfinal Draw Odds

Team Odds
Manchester City +550
Barcelona +550
Liverpool +550
Manchester Utd +550
Tottenham +550
Ajax +550
Porto +550

*Odds taken on 03/14/19

The odds you see above are to play against Juventus in the quarterfinals. But books have the same odds for every team’s quarterfinal opponent.

English Dominance

This year’s competition has been dominated by English teams, with no less than four making it through to the last eight – namely both Manchester teams, Liverpool and Tottenham. They are joined by Juventus (Italy), Barcelona (Spain), Ajax (Netherlands) and Porto (Portugal).

All of which makes for a fascinating draw, not least to see if the English teams are kept apart or if there are to be some all-English quarterfinals.

Who Gets Juventus?

Another fascinating subplot is to see who the Italian champions, Juventus, will be drawn against, particularly given the dramatic way they qualified for the last eight.

After having lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in the first leg of their last-16 tie, the Italians looked to be heading out of the competition but cometh the hour cometh the man.

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of world football’s true superstars – alongside Barcelona’s Lionel Messi – responded in the only way he knows how and sent the Juve fans into footballing heaven with a brilliant hat-trick. Their 3-0 win ranks as one of the great Champions League comebacks.

So, while Juve are currently only third favorites – behind Manchester City and Barcelona – the mere presence of Ronaldo makes them very dangerous opponents indeed, and none of the other seven will be relishing a night in Turin with a noisy, passionate Italian crowd backing the ‘Old Lady’, as they are known.

Among several potentially explosive match-ups would be Juve vs Manchester Utd, which would see Ronaldo return to Old Trafford, where he spent six of his formative years before heading to Real Madrid to fulfil a childhood dream. It would also see a repeat of their Group H qualifiers, which saw two away wins.

While the Portuguese star is still revered by the Old Trafford faithful, it would make for a compelling encounter as United continue to prosper under new manager Ole Gunnar Solkjaer.

If Juve find themselves drawn against Barcelona, it will be a repeat of the 2016-17 quarter-final which the Spanish giants won 3-0 on aggregate, while a tie with Porto will be a re-run of the last 16 tie of the same year, which the Italians won 3-0 over the two legs.

It’s in the lap of the gods of course, but the footballing gods are a mischievous bunch and so don’t be surprised if the draw throws up a reunion. It so often happens.

Pick: Juve vs Manchester Utd

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