Real Madrid vs Liverpool betting

The Premiership is flying the flag in Europe this week with Liverpool’s 1-0 win away at Real Madrid the result of the week. Tom Allen saw it coming though, luckily for us, with his tip to lay Real. All four English teams now look in great shape to progress and we will have more top betting tips for you before the second legs.

Some intriguing clashes last night in the Champions League and I expect more of the same on Wednesday. Chelsea and Liverpool are both in action, against Juventus and Real Madrid respectively, and the latter are worth siding with.

Rafa Benitez’s men have seemingly blown any chance of landing that elusive Premier League crown but the wily Spaniard is a dab hand at preparing a side to do battle in European competition and Liverpool are still very much a team to be feared.

Having guided the Reds to two Champions League finals already during his time at Anfield, Benitez will be eager to make that a hat-trick of showpiece appearances in 2009 and he certainly possesses the squad to do so. Liverpool are set up perfectly to tackle the top sides in Europe, with Mascherano and Alonso shielding a highly organised defence, and if Steven Gerrard is fit enough to take to the field in the Spanish capital then they may just sneak a win.

We saw last night exactly how cagey first legs of knockout ties can be, with three of the four matches ending level, and both sides would probably be satisfied with a goalless draw. The hosts are in flying form at present but on Tuesday we witnessed the strength of the English clubs these days against the best the continent has to offer, in particular Manchester United’s largely dominant display in the San Siro, and Liverpool are no exceptions to the rule.

The inclusion of Gerrard would obviously be a massive plus but the visitors should still be able to emerge unscathed even if their captain fails a late test. Juande Ramos has performed admirably to turn around Madrid’s fortunes in recent weeks, it’s nine wins in a row now, but they don’t necessarily need to establish an advantage and laying them is the shout.

I’m more than happy to oppose the home side at around the 2.08 mark although I’m equally aware of the talent that the likes of Raul, Higuain and Robben possess. That trio are capable of conjuring something out of nothing but the Liverpool back four and goalkeeper Pepe Reina are among the most experienced on show in this competition and Rafa is sure to have made them well aware of the threat.

Just one loss in 32 Premier League and Champions League games so far this season points to a team that is very tough to beat and I would find it impossible to punt the home side at anything less than 2.50. That makes the 2.08 on offer about a Real win look very much on the short side and whatever the result the tie should still be very evenly poised come the return at Anfield in a fortnights time.