Champions League Betting Preview: Semi-finals, May 5-6

And then there were four.

The Champions League returns after a brief hiatus, with the semi-finals set to put the footballing world on hold over the next two days. 

Tuesday sees the tournament's last remaining dark horse, Juventus, welcome Real Madrid to their eponymous stadium in a rematch of the 2003 semi that saw the Italian club oust their Spanish counterparts. Can the Bianconeri harken back to those halcyon days, or will Cristiano Ronaldo and his superstar sidekicks take another step towards defending their European crown?

The crown jewel of the round comes 24 hours later, when Barcelona and nearly 100,000 fans welcome Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola back to the stadium that was for so long his home. 

Barcelona have already unveiled their plan for a spectacular tifo set to precede the opening kickoff. Will their performance do the stadium-wide mosaic justice?

Here's a betting overview for this week's matches.

Juventus v. Real Madrid

Odds:

Analysis: Real Madrid got exactly what they wanted. It was what everyone wanted, in truth. 

Juventus, for all their dominance in Serie A and their talent-laden squad, are not on the same level as the other three teams remaining in the competition. That's not a slight on Massimiliano Allegri and his men. It's just the way things are in 2015. There's Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and everyone else.

Expect that gap to show on Tuesday night at the Juventus Stadium. Despite the Italian club's defensive solidity - they have conceded just five goals in 10 Champions League matches this season, including three consecutive clean sheets - the overwhelming attacking talent at the disposal of Los Blancos will be too much to overcome.

Look for Gareth Bale, expected to make his first start since returning from a calf injury, to have plenty of success attacking the side of Juventus's defense that will be marshaled by a struggling Giorgio Chiellini.

That Cristiano Ronaldo guy, too. He'll probably do something.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2, Juventus 1

The Play: Real Madrid to win at 13/8 (William Hill)

Barcelona v. Bayern Munich

Odds:

Analysis: Had Bayern not been missing Arjen Robben (calf), David Alaba (knee), Franck Ribery (ankle) and potentially Robert Lewandowski (face, concussion), the outlook of this tie would likely be very different.

As it is - and even if Lewandowski plays, as it's been suggested he will (with a protective mask) - a Barcelona squad at full strength, and absolutely scorching hot at the moment, goes into the opening leg as clear favourites.

If Bayern wants to reach the final - and enjoy a repeat of their victory over Barca at this stage of the tournament two seasons ago - they'll need another earth-bending performance in the second leg, because Wednesday will see the Catalan club come out with a convincing win.

Prediction: Barcelona 3, Bayern Munich 1

The Play: Barcelona to win and Over 2.5 goals at 21/10 (BetVictor)

Odds courtesy bet365, BetVictor, William Hill