Real Madrid v Galatasaray Prediction 3rd April 2013

Real Madrid v Galatasaray Betting Preview
It is perhaps a bit of a shame that the matches were reversed for the two legs in this one. Given the power that Real Madrid have at their disposal, this could all be over in the first leg at the Bernabeu. Bookmakers have installed Jose Mourinho’s men as heavy favorites to win the first leg in Spain. After attracting some big names to their ranks, this is exactly what Galatasaray wanted, a chance to test themselves against the very best in Europe. Are they at the level to make this a contest though, or will they face a tough night in Spain?

Real Madrid v Galatasaray Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Real Madrid 1/6, Draw 6/1, Galatasaray 14/1

Real Madrid v Galatasaray Recommended Bet:
Should they get through this quarter final, Real Madrid will be in the European Cup semi final for a record 24th time. They had their work cut out for them in the round of sixteen, when they came up against a stubborn and tactically astute Manchester United. Real Madrid never really got their game going in either game, but still managed to show enough character to edge their way through. Jose Mourinho’s men have a strong home record in Europe and it is no surprise that they are such strong favourites. The sheer weight of pedigree and history gives them a tremendous edge of experience. At the Bernabeu this season, Madrid have taken two wins and two draws so far on home soil in the competition, and they have only lost one of the last 16 European matches at home under Mourinho. The Special One has a 100% record in Champions League quarter finals, having won through on all previous six occasions he has guided a team there. Real Madrid actually trail the head to head 2-1 against Galatasaray, with all meetings coming back in the 2000/01 season. The only time they met the Turkish side was in the quarter finals of that season, and while Galatasaray made life difficult for them, Madrid still won through 5-3 on aggregate.

Galatasaray players Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder will be reunited with Jose Mourinho, as the dark horses of the competition face a massive test. They have some reasons to be confident though. After losing on match day one of the group stage against Man United at Old Trafford, they have posted three away wins in a row against Cluj, Braga and Schalke respectively. Galatasaray have only lost just two of the last 18 European away matches now, and ten of those have been won. It was tremendous character that they showed in Germany in the second leg of their round of sixteen match against Schalke. After a 1-1 draw in Turkey, Galatasaray battled tremendously to a 3-2 win to move through to the last eight. Not since that quarter final defeat in 2001 against Real Madrid have they been back to this stage of the competition. They are looking for just their second ever European Cup semi final. They have lost three of their four previous quarter finals in the competition. Galatasaray hold a W1 D4 L7 record in Spain and only once in five two-legged European ties have Galatasaray prevailed against a Spanish side.

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