Soccer Betting Podcast

Liverpool host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday with a two-goal deficit to recover after defeat in the French capital last week.The Anfield side have staged some outrageous European comebacks over the years but aside from that history it is hard to make any kind of case for them to fight back against PSG.Elsewhere, Real Madrid must overcome a one-goal deficit if their pursuit of a 16th Champions League title is to continue, but that appears unlikely against a Bayern Munich side that looks like one of the best sides on the continent this season.Vincent Kompany’s side beat Los Blancos 2-1 at the Bernabeu and followed that with a fifth successive victory when they visited St Pauli on Sunday, extending their unbeaten run to 15 games across all competitions.

Manchester United face their first fixture in 25 days tonight, having been given a watching brief since the opening match of the last round of league action. With no European or FA Cup fixtures, the Red Devils have had plenty of time to prepare for the visit of Leeds.The visitors have played twice since United’s last game, including a penalty shoot-out win at West Ham in last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals. Daniel Farke’s side are without a league win in over two months, which has left them firmly in the relegation dogfight.

A three-game winless run, one which began with a 1-0 defeat to rivals AC Milan, will have had Inter fans worrying their title charge was set to unravel but Cristian Chivu’s side alleviated those fears in emphatic fashion last weekend. The Nerazzurri proved why they are sitting pretty at the Serie A summit by routing Roma 5-2 and they can overcome another tricky test when making the short trip to Como on Sunday. Como themselves have enjoyed an excellent season and are firmly in the mix to finish in the top four. However, Inter have looked a cut above the other 19 Serie A teams all season and can prove their strength at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.

Billi (@LockBetting on IG) breaks the Matchday 32 EPL slate. With eight games to go, City will be keen to put the pressure on leaders Arsenal but a nine-point gap at the start of this weekend means any slip up could be fatal. Arsenal host Bournemouth in Saturday's early kick-off, while City travel to Chelsea on Sunday night. If Arsenal win on Saturday, City will be 12 points behind the Gunners going into their game. Having both booked their place in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, Sunday may not be the last time that Chelsea and Manchester City lock horns this season, as they could well meet again in the FA Cup final at Wembley. However, there is still plenty at stake for both in the Premier League, and City should be full of confidence, coming off wins against Arsenal and Liverpool.

Billi breaks down all of the Champions League Quarterfinals 1st Leg ties, including the renewal of the Real Madrid and Bayern Munich rivalry, and a rematch between PSG and Liverpool.Manchester City dealt Liverpool’s hopes of laying their hands on silverware a hammer blow on Saturday as the Citizens thrashed Arne Slot’s side 4-0 to dump them out of the FA Cup. PSG knocked Liverpool out of this competition last season, and they could compound the Reds’ misery at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.The Champions League holders put eight past Chelsea over the two legs of their last-16 tie in March and have since extended their winning streak to four matches in all competitions.

AC Milan’s 1-0 win over rivals Inter last month kick-off a winless month in the league for the Nerazzurri, opening the door to a potential title race in the final stretch of the season.Ahead of this weekend’s action, Milan are six points shy of Inter, while defending champions Napoli are seven shy of top spot. With Inter facing a test against Roma on Sunday, both sides will be desperate to keep the pressure on the leaders with three points.Napoli have won four straight Serie A games, and they host a Milan side who have only lost once on their travels this season. The visitors have won away games against Inter and Como, and they’ve scored in draws at Roma and Atalanta.

Bayern Munich look home and hosed in the race for the Bundesliga title, but Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart, who occupy the next two spots, should serve up a treat when they meet as the league resumes after the international break on Saturday.

Billi breaks down all 4 of this weekend's FA Cup Quarterfinals, before closing out with a Lock. The game of the round sees Liverpool travel to Manchester City. Manchester City and Liverpool have spent much of the last decade battling it out for the Premier League title but they may have to watch on as Arsenal lift the crown this season.Out of the Champions League and adrift in the Premier League, the FA Cup may be the only other opportunity that Manchester City get to add to the Carabao Cup, as they host a Liverpool outfit who are even further back in the top flight, after an extremely disappointing title defence. As a result, tomorrow's FA Cup quarter-final has much more significance than usual in what has been one of the defining rivalries in recent English football history.

Billi (@LockBettingSS) breaks down the final 4 World Cup qualifiers before closing out by looking at the friendlies between England and Japan, and USA and Portugal. The USA’s World Cup preparations took a hit last week, as they fell to a 5-2 defeat to Belgium. The 2026 co-hosts have arranged four big friendlies ahead of the tournament, and they face the second of those on Tuesday when they host Portugal. Portugal are likely to have too much for a US side who conceded 10 shots on target against Belgium. The Red Devils were good value for their victory and weren't flattered by the scoreline, which should be cause for alarm for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and any US fans who have inflated expectations for the summer.

This episode primarily focuses on a selection of tonight's European World Cup qualifiers, before moving on to some of the more glamorous friendlies that will be taking place across the next few days, including Brazil v France and USA v Belgium. The United States did not have to come through World Cup qualification due to being hosts but they have lined up a number of high-profile friendlies to warm up for the summer’s big tournament. With less than 3 months to go, the Americans finally have some momentum, after beating Uruguay 5-1, along with a pair of 2-1 wins over Australia and Paraguay.

In a game Igor Tudor described as like a "World Cup Final" for his players, Tottenham v Nottingham Forest on Sunday is the absolute epitome of a six-pointer. Despite their first-leg defeat making qualification almost impossible,  Tottenham players will have drawn a lot of confidence from their 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in midweek - a victory that ended a run of eight winless games for Igor Tudor’s side - which followed on from their point against Liverpool last weekend. Tottenham come into this weekrnd just a point above both the relegation zone and Sunday’s opponents Nottingham Forest.

Michael Carrick has got Manchester United firing on all cylinders and on course for a place in next season’s Champions League, but his side may not have it all their own way when they travel to Bournemouth tonight. The Cherries’ own European hopes now appear slim, but they have proven to be a bit of a bogey team for the visitors in recent seasons-- with two wins and no defeats in the last five league meetings between these sides. They have also only lost 2 of their 15 home league games so far.

While 5 of the 8 ties looked heavily lopsided, Barcelona and Newcastle remains in the balance. It would've been "advantage Newcastle," if not for a 96th-minute penalty from Lamine Yamal, which kept Barcelona’s unbeaten streak intact at St James’ Park last week. Barcelona are now expected to get the win back in front of their own fans in this second-leg tie in Wednesday's early kickoff. Hansi Flick’s La Liga leaders have not failed to win a home game since the start of October, scoring a massive 50 goals in 15 successive wins since that defeat to PSG.

Manchester United’s failure to progress in the cups and their lack of European football mean they’ve been stewing on their 2-1 defeat at Newcastle for 11 days. This is a clear rust vs rest situation, as Aston Villa were in France on Thursday night for their Europa League tie with Lille.The Villans were 1-0 winners in that first-leg, but that left them with little turnaround time for a key clash with one of their main rivals in the quest for Champions League football. The Red Devils have had plenty of time to prepare for this one, and their empty midweeks could be a major advantage in the run-in.

Inter Milan lost the Milan Derby last weekend, however, they still have a 7 point lead at the top. Inter built that lead thanks to a run that has seen them win 17 of their last 20 Serie A games. They have also gone seven home games unbeaten and have lost just one of their last ten on home soil, which looks like a bad omen for an Atalanta side who shipped 6 to Bayern Munich in midweek.

Billi breaks down this weekend's Matchday 30 Premier League slate. Arsenal head into Gameweek 30 with a seven-point cushion at the top of the Premier League table, although title rivals Manchester City do have a game in hand over Mikel Arteta’s troops. Arsenal’s record in front of their own supporters is formidable and they have only lost once at home in 14 Premier League games. Only Manchester City have scored more goals and enjoyed a better record at home, but the Citizens have played a game more than Arsenal on home soil.Sunday will see Liverpool host Tottenham, and it's fair to say that neither enjoyed their midweek European trips in the Champions League, however, only one side was embarrassed. Slot’s men lost 1-0 to Galatasaray and should have found the back of the net on several occasions in Turkey. By contrast, Tottenham lost 5-2 to Atletico Madrid, with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky replaced inside 20 minutes after a torrid start.Spurs caretaker Igor Tudor has been heavily criticised for that decision, and he has yet to show any evidence that he is the right man to steer Spurs away from the relegation zone. Tottenham have lost all four games under Tudor and they continue to leak goals at the back. Spurs are only one point above the bottom three and they have not won at Anfield since May 2011.

The Champions League Round of 16 will see Real Madrid and Manchester City meet again in what is now the third-most common fixture in the history of the Champions League, and before it the European Cup. This is the fifth time in the last six seasons that the pair have met in the knockout stages of the Champions League, combined with a league phase meeting back in December.Pep Guardiola’s men won that game 2-1 at the Bernabeu, and they are favourites to repeat the trick with Los Blancos plagued with key injuries. Elsewhere, holders Paris Saint-Germain had to navigate a tough play-off round to reach the Champions League last 16 and they face a stern test across two legs against Chelsea.PSG will be looking for a bit of revenge after defeat to the Blues in last summer’s Club World Cup final, but Chelsea have impressed during Liam Rosenior’s brief spell in charge.

The Derby della Madonnina headlines the weekend action in Serie A as Inter bid to extend their ten-point lead at the summit against fierce rivals Milan.Eight straight wins has allowed Inter to cruise clear in the title race and second-placed Milan know anything but a win would all but end their hopes of silverware.

Newcastle host Manchester City in the tie of the round. The Magpies received a welcome boost as they beat Manchester United in midweek, howwver, they have lost five of their last nine domestic fixtures, including a trip to the Etihad last month.

The Red Devils came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on Sunday, extending their unbeaten streak to 11 league assignments, the first of which was a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.They have won six of their last seven outings, scoring 14 goals in the process and securing shock results against Arsenal and Manchester City in January.