By Ian Palmer
Bayern Munich vs Porto Betting Preview: Oddsmakers list Munich as the favorites in this clash at 3/4 with Porto 4/1 and a draw at 13/5.
Portuguese club Porto will be hosting German Bundesliga’s reigning champions and current league leaders Bayern Munich this Wednesday, April 15 in a European Champions League quarterfinal showdown. The second leg will take place in Germany the following week. Porto enters the game in second place behind Benfica in the Portuguese league and reached the last eight of the Champions League by disposing of Swiss side Basel in the round of 16 stage.
Porto is undefeated in their past six Champions League home matches and have also won four of their past five. The team has also lost just once in their last 14 outings in all competitions and are on a 10-game home winning streak in all competitions. Their last home defeat came at the hands of Benfica. The Portuguese squad will have to make do without the services of Ivan Marcano as he’s out with a suspension and Jackson Martinez and Tello are both questionable for the contest due to injuries.
Manager Pep Guardiola of Spain has Bayern Munich in first place again this season, but they’re not too happy about losing in last year’s Champions League semifinal to Real Madrid. The team is hoping to repeat it Champions League triumph of two years ago when the final takes place in Berlin this May. Bayern beat Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 16, but they’ve won just twice in their past six Champions League road games with two draws and two losses.
The German side is still in fine form though with just one defeat in their past 14 outings in all competitions. They’re also undefeated in their past seven road contests in all competitions and have allowed just one goal against in those encounters, which consisted of five wins and a pair of draws. Bayern will have Spanish defender Xabi Alonso back in the lineup following his suspension, but several of their top players are questionable due to injuries. These include David Alaba, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Medhi Benathia.
These two clubs haven’t met each other in a competitive fixture for 15 years. Their last meetings were also in the Champions League quarterfinal stage. The teams drew 1-1 in Porto and Bayern Munich scored a last minute goal at home to win the second leg 2-1. This will be a good test for Munich as Guardiola will see just how much depth he has in his squad if his injured players aren’t healthy enough to return in time. Porto has allowed three goals against in their past half dozen home tournament matches with three clean sheets.
