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Betting on sports is a perpetual battle between entertainment and personal pride. The first legs of the quarterfinals last week were not only entertaining but surprising. If you read my picks, you know that I didn’t see a 3-1 Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge coming, and there weren’t many people on the planet who had Villarreal beating Bayern Munich 1-0. Beating them, maybe, but keeping a clean sheet? Against Bayern Munich? It might be the most impressive thing humans have done since landing on the moon.
However, as I alluded to, the entertainment didn’t go well for me. I went 1-3 in my picks, and now I’m torn between wanting this week’s matches to be just as entertaining and full of surprises or wanting my picks to be correct. I’ll settle for 2-2!
Anyway, like the struggle between entertainment and pride is eternal, so are the odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
Real Madrid vs. Chelsea
Date: Tuesday, April 12 | Time: 3 p.m. ET | Watch: Paramount+/CBS
Think back to Real Madrid’s first match against PSG in the round of 16, Madrid surprised me (again) by coming out ultra-defensively, essentially playing a style similar to what Atletico Madrid did against Manchester City last week. Instead of scoring a hat trick like he did in the second leg and last week against Chelsea, Karim Benzema was the loneliest man on the field, as all his teammates sank into a low block, hoping to keep PSG from scoring. It almost worked, but PSG scored late to win 1-0, while Real Madrid finished with 0.1 expected goals (xG).
Now that Real Madrid are returning home for the second leg with a 3-1 lead don’t be surprised if we see a similar approach. It might go against the spirit of competition or playing the game “the right way,” but it’s the smarter approach here. Especially when you consider Madrid will be without Eder Militao. Chelsea are a team at its best when countering and catching a defense out of…
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Source : cbssports
