For all intents and purposes, Real Madrid has already locked up its place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
The Galacticos have a 2-0 lead already coming back to the Bernabeu, and AS Roma really has no chance whatsoever of overturning that result against one of the best teams in the world.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Real Madrid -235
AS Roma +650
Draw +380
Over/Under 3 (over -127)
ODDS ANALYSIS
There are a couple schools of thought here in this match. The first would suggest that Real Madrid should just sit back and let this 90 minutes run off as fast as it can. With a 2-0 lead from the first leg, Roma needs to score twice, and likely a heck of a lot more than that, to have any chance of advancing.
However, this is Real Madrid we're talking about. Cristiano Ronaldo loves playing on this stage and loves to go forward, even if he doesn't have all the help in the world with him either. That's why Real is a -235 moneyline favorite and is favored by a goal and a half against an overmatched Italian side.
Roma is +650 just to win this fixture, and one could argue that Lloyd Christmas had a better chance than this to stay alive.
The total has to be high in this duel at 3 and -127 vig on the over, as this might end up looking more like a wide open exhibition than anything else when push comes to shove.
THE FIRST LEG
It's tough to think that CR7 already has a dozen goals in the Champions League this year. His 12th goal was his most important, as it was the one which effectively put aside Roma. The Italians did a nice job of playing a tactical match against Real Madrid for almost an hour, but eventually, all of the possessions for Real Madrid finally told with the Ronaldo strike to make it 1-0.
Jese replaced James Rodriguez late on and made an immediate impact with the Roma defense spread just a bit. The Italians knew they had to go forward and get a goal to level the tie to have any chance at the Bernabeu, but instead, it was Jese who scored the second for the Galacticos to remove any shadow of doubt from this match.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"The first thing is that Gareth will be in the squad tomorrow. That is very good, makes us very happy, the fans too. The important thing is that he is with us, with Real Madrid, and we hope he will be on Tuesday for an important match with Roma." – Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane on the return of Gareth Bale to the lineup after a two-month absence from a calf injury
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
It'll be important for Bale to get his legs about him in this one. The intensity is sure to still be high, as Roma will believe it will have a chance to spring Mohamed Salah up the center of the pitch time and time again. It'll only take one goal in the first half to suddenly make the Bernabeu tense up just a bit.
We do think Roma is going to make this remotely interesting as long as it stays positive and doesn't lose its tactical shape as it did at home after taking a 1-0 lead. We think it was a big error to go for it at that point. Francesco Totti and Edin Dzeko know just how important this match is, and they're not going to say die, even knowing they to score in bunches in this one. Let's not forget that over the weekend, Roma was able to drop four on Fiorentina.
There's a big difference between playing at home against Fiorentina and playing at Real Madrid, though. The Galacticos will be happy with their day of work against Roma, but Zidane will realize there are holes which have to be filled before the quarterfinals at the back.
Real Madrid 2, AS Roma 2
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform.
Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between Real Madrid and AS Roma will take place at 2:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
