After both teams pulled off comeback wins in their quarterfinal rounds, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid now battle for a ticket to the 2014 UEFA Champions League finals.
Update: Chelsea’s Premier League storylines have become a significant distraction for the team as it tries to stay focused on the Champions League semis. Just days after the blue shirts’ first match against Atletico, the team will return to England to play Liverpool in a game that will decide the League’s champion for 2014. At best, this is a historic moment for Chelsea. At worst, it is an intense stretch of games that could limit their success in both high profile competitions.
Read on for all the stats and trends you need to bet on the Champions League with Top Bet sportsbook.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea Betting Preview
When: Tuesday, April 22, 2014, 2:45PM EST
Where: Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid
Line: Atletico Madrid -0.5 (-115) at Chelsea +0.5 (-105); total 2.0 – view all soccer lines here
Betting on Atletico Madrid
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Following a draw with rival Barcelona in the first leg, Atletico shut out its opponent in the second contest and advanced to the semis by virtue of Koke’s goal in the five-minute mark. Throughout the entire UEFA season, Madrid has won games with its defense. In 10 contests, the Diego Simeone-led club has not allowed an opponent to convert more than one goal.
However, Atletico will most likely be without Diego Costa, who is still nursing a hamstring injury. Costa leads his team with seven goals in the 2014 UEFA tourney. In his absence, someone else will need to step up, particularly Raul Garcia, who was scoreless in his lone appearance vs. Barca.
It’s also important for the squad to get off to a quick start. Atletico Madrid is 6-2-2 in UEFA matches where they’ve scored first this season.
Betting on Chelsea
Like Atletico, Chelsea is a team that can shut out an opponent on defense. In 10 UEFA matches this season, Chelsea shut out their opponents in 6 of these games. Unlike Madrid, Chelsea can also be a scoring powerhouse when it needs to.
The José Mourinho-mentored team has scored two goals at least five times this UEFA season, going 5-0 in that span. Fernando Torres, Demba Ba, and Samuel Eto’o lead the team with three goals each, while Ramires, Eden Hazard have two apiece, proving how deep Chelsea’s offense is.
The bad news: Eto’o is considered doubtful due to an injured hamstring. In their 2014 UEFA campaign, Chelsea is 5-2-1 when the Cameroon native plays.
Writer’s Prediction
In a duel between two defensive workhorses, the club who’s better offensively should catch bettors attention, which is why wagering on Chelsea would be the way to go. Who are you going to bet on?
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