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Manchester United v. Roma
Manchester United enter this semifinal matchup as a heavy favorite in this game and in the tie. The English side is second in the Premier League and are hunting to secure their first major trophy in several years. United is coming off a lackluster draw this past weekend against Leeds United where the game finished goalless. Man U are typically more of an attacking team than they showed on Sunday, and despite a massive league game against Liverpool looming, the Red Devils are set to use the majority of their starters tonight. United will roll out in their typical 4-2-3-1 formation with Bruno Fernandes as the #10, Edison Cavani as the #9, and Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba on the wings. Roma enter this game in a split mindset. The team from the Italian capitals has struggled in Serie A league play this season as they sit far outside Champions League spots and need some favorable results to secure Europa League qualification for next season. Roma’s only way into the Champions League next year is to win this year's Europa League so all their eggs will be in the continental competition basket. Roma enters this game fresh off a 3-2 loss to Cagliari, one of the worst teams in Italy. However, Roma have impressed in Europe this year with wins over Ajax, Donetsk, and Braga. I expect Manchester United to score multiple goals and win this game tonight, but Vegas expects the same meaning the odds are rather skewed.
The Bet: No Pick
Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Roma
Villarreal v. Arsenal
This game will be the better of the two semifinals. To start, there is managerial drama. Villarreal’s manager, Unai Emery, was Arsenal’s last manager and was fired just under 2 years ago for poor league results and failing to secure Champions League qualification. Emery’s replacement was Mikel Arteta, who still leads the Gunners today. Arteta grew up in the city of Valencia and supported Villarreal as a child. Villarreal are sneaky strong favorites to win this tie despite Arsenal being a bigger club, from a bigger city, in a bigger league. Villarreal has a strong goal scoring record with Gerard Moreno leading the charge in their 4-3-3 formation. Arsenal enter this game in a funk, having been winless in each of their last two league games. The Gunners were impressive in the quarter finals with 5-1 aggregate win over Prague but tonight they face a far tougher opposition. Arteta has chosen an extremely unique 3-5-1-1 lineup which I have not seen Arsenal use all year. This strange choice in formation makes me think Arteta has over-thought his tactics, something his old managerial teacher Pep Guardiola was known to do, and is likely to confuse his players. I doubt Arsenal comes out on top tonight, and if either side was to win this game it would be the hosts.
The Bet: Game to End in a Draw
Alternate Bet: Villarreal to Win on the Draw No Bet Line
Prediction: Villarreal 1-1 Arsenal
