Atletico out to end Leicester's Champions League dreams

Published on April 4th, 2017 2:54 pm EST
Written By: Cian Murray
If you thought that Leicester City's magical story was over, then think again.

After a dismal first-half of the season, they have regrouped, got a new manager and started playing like the Leicester side that surprised the world last year. The man who has orchestrated it, Craig Shakespeare, insists that Premier League relegation is still a realistic concern.

However, to the outside viewer, that sentiment looks like a coach guarding against complacency. The Foxes have outwitted all recent opponents in their domestic competition and are now more likely to finish in the top ten than the relegation places.

Thus, last year's unlikely Premier League winners can now focus on their Champions League campaign. Nobody quite expected them to get by Seville in the last round and similarly, they are underdogs in their last eight tie against Atletico Madrid.

The opening leg of this quarter-final is in Madrid and Leicester are priced at a massive 10/1 to come away from the Spanish capital with a win.

They lost the home leg in the last round against Seville, so these long odds won't bother Shakespeare's side.

A draw, which is priced at 4/1, would be a great result for last season's Premier League champions. Atletico are almost unbackable at 1/3 for the game in Spain.

The Foxes overturned a deficit against another La Liga side in the last round and if you fancy them to upset the odds again, you can get a price of 4/1 for them to qualify for the semi-final. If you think this will be the end of the road for Leicester, you can back Atletico Madrid to make it through to the next stage at a price of 1/5.

Atletico Madrid drew with Bayer Leverkusen in their last Champions League tie on home soil and Diego Simeone's teams are known for their 'safety-first' style of play.

Leicester are also known for playing better against sides who push onto them and take the initiative and that certainly isn't the Atletico way.
Unfortunately for spectators, this indicates that the first-leg could end up as a little bit of a damp squib. Fortunately for punters, the scoreless draw is priced at an enticing 10/1. You can hedge your bets slightly here by backing there to be '0-1' goals at a price of 13/5.

Sides led by Diego Simeone also have a tendency to have a bit of bite. Thus, backing there to be a penalty in this game could be an interesting market to take advantage of.

There have been eight penalties involving Leicester City in the Premier League thus far this season, not to mention that vital save Kasper Schmeichel made against Seville in the last round of this competition.

Thus, we'll be backing there to be a penalty at a price of 14/5 and we will also be putting a few quid on a scoreless first-leg.