Bayern Munich was incredibly lucky just to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Alas, they've gotten the job done and are back installed amongst the favorites to win the UCL this season. Their quarterfinal draw against Benfica was about as easy is as gets, as the Portuguese side really has no business doing any damage on German soil on Tuesday night.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Bayern Munich -526
Benfica +1571
Draw +615
Over/Under 3 (under -113)
ODDS ANALYSIS
By all accounts, the Bavarian giants shouldn't have an issue here. They've got a much easier draw against Benfica in the quarters than they had against Juventus in the Round of 16, and the betting odds in this game are indicative of that. The Reds are set at -526 on the moneyline and are favored by a comfortable two goals. If that's how this turns out, there's really no overturning this result in Portugal next week.
The total has to be relatively high because of the fact that Bayern Munich is favored by so many goals. The number to beat is basically a flat 3.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Benfica was blessed with a draw in the Round of 16 against Zenit St. Petersburg. Yes, the travel was an eternity to get back and forth between Portugal and Russia, but there's no doubt that it was the better side in a 3-1 aggregate triumph over the Russians.
Bayern Munich looked like it was going to coast to a victory over Juventus when it took a 2-0 lead on Italian soil, but all of a sudden, the Old Lady stormed back with two goals to end that first fixture and the first two at the Allianz. Juve was unlucky not to bag a third several times along the way. Sure, Bayern came back and scored twice in the second half to force extra time, where it ultimately triumphed, but it was far more of a sweat than the defending champs of this tournament seemed ready for.
RECENT FORM
Bayern Munich has looked a little complacent of late in the Bundesliga. It's easy to forgive it for that knowing how far ahead of the rest of the field it is, but matching 1-0 wins over FC Cologne and Eintracht Frankfurt weren't impressive.
Benfica is in a title match of its own, but it has been unstoppable of late. The Eagles have snared eight straight victories across all competitions, but they were beaten by FC Porto back in February in what could be a telling problem in this match.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Julio Cesar is very likely to be worked a ton in this match for Benfica, and that could be a real problem for him. Yes, he's 36 years old, but he also doesn't have a very experienced defense in front of him, and that could leave all sorts of gaping holes for Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben and all of the Bayern Munich attackers.
Benfica's best offense has come out of its midfield in this tournament, as Nicolas Gaitan has been fantastic with four goals on 20 shots, nine of which have hit the target. Counterattacking against Bayern Munich might be the only chance Benfica really has in this one, and we don't see it making a difference.
The Bavarians have been waiting for this clash for quite some time, and we'd bet they remove any and all doubt that they're headed to the UCL semis with a strong showing on Tuesday night at home.
Bayern Munich 4, Benfica 1
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between Bayern Munich and Benfica will take place at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at Allianz Arena. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 2.
