Tuesday Football Tips: De Bruyne to hit the target in Champions League Bet Builder

It’s one of the best weeks of the football season as the Champions League rolls into the semi-final stage with the first legs being played on Tuesday and Wednesday. After a solid Bet Builder winner on Saturday @AnthonyEadson returns with a three-pronged punt he likes the look of for the game from the Etihad. 

Our Bet Builder for Tuesday can be backed with bet365 and it’s worth checking your account as they are offering a £5 free bet on the game to most customers. At the time of writing the treble picked out pays 7/4 and can be backed by clicking below. 

On paper this looks like a mouthwatering clash and I really hope these two teams put on a show here. I fancy plenty of action in-front of goal in this first leg and I’m kicking-off this 7/4 poke with Kevin De Bruyne to hit the target at least once in the match.

The Belgian was brought off against Watford shortly into the second half on Saturday against Watford to be fresh for this game, and he’s a player who often steps up on the big occasions for City.

In his last 16 appearances in all competitions, De Bruyne has notched 19 shots on target with eight of those resulting in goals. Against Man United at home last month he had four shots on target before hitting another two in the home leg against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. No player averages more shots per game in the league for City this season than Kevin De Bruyne and I see him taking things into his own hands against Madrid letting off plenty of attempts on goal. 

Karim Benzema has enjoyed another magnificent season with Real Madrid and I’m backing him to have Over 1.5 shots on his trip to Manchester this week. Only Robert Lewandowski has more goals in this competition this season than the Frenchman with 12 in just nine appearances including a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge in the quarter-finals. 

Benzema has scored in nine of his last ten matches for Los Blancos and when it comes to getting shots away, no player is averaging more in the Champions League this season than the 34-year-old with 4.3 per game. This selection of over 1.5 shots has landed in nine of his last ten for Madrid and I can see the visitors creating some chances against City who won’t have it all their own way.

Rounding off this Bet Builder is both teams to receive a card in the match. We all know just how much Manchester City would love to win this trophy which they have come so close to in previous years. In last year’s semi final first legs, 10 yellow cards were shown across the two matches (five going to Real Madrid and two to Manchester City),  and it’s no surprise when you consider the importance of staying in the tie in the first leg. 

Referee Istvan Kovacs will be the man in the middle at the Etihad and he’s taken control of four Champions League games so far this term. In that period he’s given out 21 yellow cards which averages out at 5.25 per game and can hopefully bode well for card-backers. At 7/4 I feel we are getting a decent price here with an implied probability of 36.4%, compared to just 5/4 which is on show over at Betfair and Paddy Power.

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