The second legs of this season’s Women’s Champions League quarterfinals conclude on Thursday night. Barcelona welcome Wolfsburg to Spain with a 4-1 advantage, while Chelsea are looking to overturn a 2-0 deficit over Man City at Stamford Bridge.
Football tipster Tom Desborough has scoured the markets to find the four best bets for the action.
Women’s Champions League betting tips
5:45pm Barcelona v Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg to score first
Draw/Barcelona (Halftime/Fulltime)
8pm Chelsea v Man City
Chelsea to score over 1.5 goals
Mayra Ramirez to score
Barcelona v Wolfsburg (4-1)
Champions League match at Estadi Johan Cruyff, Barcelona
TV: TNT Sports, DAZN YouTube, 5:45pm
Wolfsburg to score first
Going into a second leg against the best team in the world with a 4-1 deficit away from home offers little to no hope, but Wolfsburg won’t lie down and accept their fate.
Opponents Barcelona suffered a shock 3-1 defeat at home to Real Madrid on Sunday. This was their second home loss in as many months, following a 2-1 defeat to Levante in February.
If the German side have any chance of performing the unthinkable, they need to get at the hosts as soon as the whistle blows. As Real Madrid showed on Sunday, it’s not impossible to take the lead away at Barcelona.
Despite last week’s result, Wolfsburg can give the reigning European champions a tiny scare.
Draw/Barcelona (Halftime/Fulltime)
With the advantage so dominant from the first leg, it’s understandable to expect that Wolfsburg don’t have a chance on Thursday, and you would probably be right.
However, the scoreline will allow Barcelona to be a bit more conservative, which could lead to a relatively uneventful first half if they can shut out their opponents. Even if they can’t, they have the quality to level the game up quickly.
A draw at halftime followed by a second half in which the hosts secure the win to ensure qualification is a good value bet.
Chelsea v Man City (0-2)
Champions League match at Stamford Bridge, London
TV: TNT Sports, DAZN YouTube, 8pm
Chelsea to score over 1.5 goals
Chelsea’s task on Thursday night is straightforward: Score two or more goals, or you’re out. However, putting those words into action will be slightly more difficult, especially after the shock result in the first leg.
This is game four of consecutive meetings between these two teams, and Chelsea found the back of the net twice in two of the last three – a 2-1 win in the Subway Cup Final and, more significantly, a 2-1 win in the WSL last Sunday.
Chelsea’s 2-1 league win over Man City will give them confidence ahead of Thursday’s meeting. They overturned a 1-0 halftime deficit. Their second-half performance proved they can put the Cityzens to the sword, and a 2-0 deficit in the Champions League isn’t impossible to overcome.
The Blues will go all out to find the goals they need, and I think they have enough quality to get them. Another story is whether they can prevent City from scoring and increasing their task. But I expect Chelsea to score over 1.5 goals.
Mayra Ramirez to score
Chelsea faced a similar task at the end of last season’s WSL. They knew they needed a significant scoreline to secure their fifth consecutive league title. They managed it with a dominant 6-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, and the star of the show that day was Mayra Ramirez.
The Colombian striker bagged a first-half brace after opening the scoring in just two minutes, and Blues fans hope she can perform similarly on Thursday to keep their Champions League dreams alive.
The Man City defenders kept her pretty quiet in the first leg, but she was much more dominant in the Subway Cup final, scoring the opening goal. She got almost a complete rest on Sunday and will be chomping at the bit to put the team on her back again and get them to the semi-finals.
She will be Chelsea’s main danger, and I can’t see Man City keeping her out.
Thursday football betting tips
5:45pm Barcelona v Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg to score first
Draw/Barcelona (Halftime/Fulltime)
8pm Chelsea v Man City
Chelsea to score over 1.5 goals
Mayra Ramirez to score
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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