Champions League betting: Barcelona, Inter huge favorites in quarters

The 2011 UEFA Champions League enters its quarterfinal round this week. Below runs a story line or two from each match, along with Champions League betting odds from top online sports betting sites.

Inter Milan v. Schalke – The odds would seem to be well against Schalke when they visit the defending champions, even if Internazionale was crushed 3-0 on the weekend by AC Milan. After all, new Schalke head Ralf Rangnick has never coached at this advanced a stage in Champions League play and will now have to do so without defender Christoph Metzelder. The shortest odds you can find on Schalke are probably bet365’s 11/2.

Real Madrid vs. Tottenham Spurs – Coming off a 1-0 loss at home to Sporting Gijon in domestic league play this weekend, even Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is a bit squeamish about taking on Tottenham in England right now, stating that a 0-0 draw “would be a good result.” If you’re siding with Mourinho’s opinion, the best place to visit for wagering might be Unibet, which is refunding all losing Correct Score, Halftime/Fulltime and First Goalscorer/Last Goalscorer proposition bets on any match that finishes nil-nil.

Match W/D/L	Bet365	Bodog	Unibet
Inter Milan v Schalke	4/7 11/4 11/2	4/7 11/4 6/1	1.60 3.75 6.25
Real Madrid v Tottenham	2/5 7/2 15/2	4/9 7/2 7/1	1.40 4.50 8.50
Barcelona v Shakhtar Donetsk	1/5 11/2 14/1	2/9 5/1 14/1	1.20 6.60 15.00
Chelsea v Man United	11/10 11/5 11/4	23/20 9/4 51/20	2.05 3.25 3.90

Chelsea vs. Manchester United – As though English football needed another grudge match, they’ve got one here. Five weeks ago, Chelsea upended United in Premier League play with a 2-1 victory on a controversial call. Chris Smalling was the perpetrator of that key penalty and he could be one to watch in this one, though at just 33/1 to score a goal for Manchester in Bodog’s proposition bet; Didier Drogba is naturally the favorite at 5/1.

Barcelona vs. Shakhtar Donetsk – Donetsk is definitely the darkest horse of them all in these four matches; the club’s general manager Serhy Palkin is remaining calm, however, and has stated to media that “fortune has smiled on us.” Just don’t tell Lionel Messi, who proclaimed that “Ourselves, Madrid and Chelsea are the favourites” to win the Champions League; Messi is at 12/5 to score a goal and back up his boast, according to Bodog.

Outright winner odds on the matches from bet365, Bodog and Unibet are as follows, with odds on home win, draw and away win listed in that order.

For top-quality service and a wide range of proprosition betting and live in-play betting, try JackpotFinder-approved online sportsbooks bet365, Bodog, and Unibet during this week’s UEFA Champions League matches.