UEFA Champions League semifinals odds 2018: Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich picks from model up 1,800 percent

Soccer fans get a Wednesday treat when back-to-back Champions League winner Real Madrid visits Bayern Munich in the first leg of the 2018 Champions League semifinals at 2:45 p.m. ET. Bayern is favored by half a goal, unchanged from the opening line. Bayern is +102 on the money line, meaning you would have to wager $100 to win $102. The over-under, or total number of goals oddsmakers think will be scored, is three.

Before you bet on this battle of juggernauts, you need to see what renowned European soccer expert David Sumpter has to say.

Sumpter is an applied mathematician who wrote Soccermatics, the book that shows how math works inside the game. Together with experienced analysts, Sumpter developed the powerful Soccerbot model.

Sumpter's Soccerbot reads current odds and all team performance data, calculates key metrics and predicts upcoming matches. In the two-and-a-half seasons since it was born, the Soccerbot is up 1,800 percent on bookmakers' closing odds. That's right -- 1,800 percent.

Now, he has set his sights on Wednesday's Champions League fixture between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and his picks are in.

Sumpter is leaning toward the total going under, but what about betting the money line and against the spread?

Sumpter knows this game will go a long way in determining who advances to the Champions League final.

These two European giants have met 24 times in the Champions League. The head-to-head record is even at 11-11-2, with Real Madrid barely edging Bayern in total goals during that span 37-36.

Bayern Munich, which just won its sixth consecutive Bundesliga title, has scored five or more goals in four of its past six games at home. Robert Lewandowski has led the attack for the Bundesliga giants, scoring 39 goals in 43 games in 2017-18.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid will be looking to secure its sixth consecutive away victory in Munich on Wednesday. Los Blancos are led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored nine times in six appearances against Bayern. Ronaldo has a knack for the big stage, made evident by his current 11-game scoring streak in the Champions League.

Sumpter has identified where the value lies on the money line and against the spread.

source : www.cbssports.com