Champions League Quarterfinals Second Leg Preview Bayern/PSG and Chelsea/FC Porto

*Picture via Chelsea.net

What a great first leg we got for both games we are looking at today. As expected, Bayern and PSG put on an offensive show and Chelsea vs Porto was a rather defensive battle. I do expect these games to go nearly the same, although I expect a more tactic heavy approach after becoming more familiar with each other in the first leg. As last week, below will be a preview, prediction, and some bets to consider.

Chelsea (-120) vs FC Porto (O/U 2.5)

Even though I had predicted a 1-0 Chelsea win in the previous preview, the game did not go exactly as predicted. While there was a bit of a defensive battle, Porto showed the ability to get shots off no matter who they are missing. I expect after some familiarity in the first leg, both teams open up even more. FC Porto will get back their top goal scorer and I expect there to be more offense in this second leg. With the FA Cup approaching, I expect Tuchel to rotate often for Chelsea, especially given their depth across the board. After a beautiful finish to open the game by Mason Mount, I expect Tuchel to start the young star for valuable Champions League experience. It will be interesting to if we see Pulisic get a start in this matchup as he has shown promise across multiple starts in recent Premier League fixtures. Chelsea is the favorite in this matchup again, but Porto showed they can create plenty of chances and even converting a few would have us looking at the second leg differently.

Prediction: I do see Chelsea winning this matchup 3-2 with a possible late Giroud goal to seal the win. I expect the matchup to hit the over 2.5 goals at +105. However, there is value in the FC Porto ML at +345 if you are feeling risky.

Bayern Munich (+105) vs PSG (O/U 3.5)

Even without Lewandowski, this was as interesting of a game as expected. Kylian Mbappe opened the game with a goal within the first 5 minutes of game time and reminded us why we tune in every time he plays. Both teams will be injury riddled as some notables missing for PSG are Marquinhos, Kurzawa and Marco Veratti. Bayern will be missing Lewandowski again, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Jerome Boateng, and Leon Goretzka. I do not expect this second leg to be nearly as offensive, mostly due to the large injury list for both teams. Although, these two teams are still titans of the football world, so I expect this to be worth the watch.

Prediction: Bayern is the favorite again, but I believe the injuries will simply be too much. They showed some promise without Lewandowski in the first leg but Mbappe will take this game over late I believe to secure the win. I think PSG ML at +200 is a very good bet and would also look at the under 3.5 goals at +110. I see PSG winning this 2-1 with it being a back and forth the entire game.

* All bets and lines via Bovada.com