posted March 5, 2008 at 17:02 in Soccer Betting Trends

Seria A side Roma heads to Bernabeu with a 2-1 advantage where they will take on 2002 Champions League winners Real Madrid in the second leg of their tie. A quarterfinal place in the Champions League on the line, Real Madrid is favoured at -135 with BetUS on the money line, while AS Roma is tipped at +350.

Team Spread Moneyline Total PointsTeam Total Points

Real Madrid -½ -135 -135 Over 2½ -135

AS Roma +½ +115 +350 Under 2½ +115

Draw +235

First Leg Review: In the first leg, Raul gave the La Liga side, Real Madrid, the lead after just eight minutes, and with the momentum on their side, a fourth consecutive win at the Stadio Olimpico seemed on the card for Bernd Schuster and his squad. In their last three visits to AS Roma, during the group stages of the 2004-05, 2002-03 and 2001-02 Champions League, Real Madrid owned a perfect record, winning all three matches. But when David Pizzaro levelled the score for Italy and Mancini turned over the score with his goal, Real Madrid received their first away loss in Stadio Olimpico.

Second Leg Preview:

Match Time: March 5, 2008 2:45 Eastern Time

Home: Real Madrid (-135)

Real Madrid is playing without some of its key players. Robben got injured last weekend and joins Van Nistelroy, Drenthe, Sneijder and Metzelder on the alarming list of players that will be forced to sit out this match. Nevertheless, Real Madrid is playing in front of a partisan crowd and with a home ground advantage as well as a 2:1 score makes them the favorites.

Away: AS Roma (+350)

Since AS Roma won the first leg, some of you soccer bettors may be surprised to find the Italian squad so disadvantaged on the money line. But a poor away record for the Seria A side this season, gives the Spanish champions the favorite nod from the bookies. Roma has gone a month and a half without a win away.

Roma will face a tough match, and cannot allow themselves to fall behind as they did in the first leg (after half an hour of the match slipped by did Roma take any initiative on the pitch and score). In Santiago Bernabeau, Roma’s mandate will be to score as soon as possible to compensate for Real Madrids away goal. With many of Real Madrid’s key players missing, the balance on the pitch could swing in their favour.

Soccer Betting Picks: Real Madrid is expected to turn this tie around at home. Real owns a strong home record, having lost only once in 12 home La Liga matches this season, making their -135 favorite odds the bettors best pick. But their recent 2:1 loss in Stadio Olimpico and a 3:2 victory at Recreativo Huelva (where they prepared for this upcoming match) could be a sign of cracks in their defence.

AS Roma could try to grind out the draw, thereby securing their berth in the quarterfinal – tipped at +235, the draw would be a good bet. Worst-case scenario for the favourites would be if Roma scored an away goal.

With cracks in Real’s defence, history between these two teams – previous head-to-head clashes brought a lot of thrilling excitement on the pitch – an attractive offensive playing style on both sides, which promises to score, and more importantly the need for both teams to score (for different reasons) and impose their game, promises an exciting clash between these two squads with lots of goals.

My Soccer Free Picks:

Spread: Over 2.5 goals

Money line: Real Madrid -135

Team Spread Moneyline Total PointsTeam Total Points

Real Madrid Over 1½ -370

AS Roma Under 1½ +300

Real Madrid -1 +145 Over 3 +140 Over 1½ -145 Under 1½ +115

AS Roma +1 -165 Under 3 -160 Under 1 -155 Over 1 +125

More Soccer Betting Odds

Real Madrid To Score 1st Goal -260

AS Roma To Score 1st Goal +200

Roma to Qualify for Quarterfinals -105

Real Madrid to Qualify for Quarterfinals -125

Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.

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