It was a solid week for us in Champions League last week, hitting on 2/3 winners at odds of $3.50 and $2.30 for a very profitable performance. The action continues this week as we round out the rest of the Round of 16 matches, with four teams set to pack their bags. See our best bets of the week below.
Champions League Round of 16 Betting Tips
Manchester City vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Wednesday 7am (AEDT)
Manchester City will take a commanding 2-0 lead into their home fixture against German side Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday morning. They were far too good for their oppoentns on the road, maintaining 60% possession and firing off nine shots in the win. They have a comfortable lead in the EPL now as well, sitting 14 points clear of their nearest rivals, so their focus should be on this UCL clash on Wednesday morning.
These two teams have squared off five times in the Champions League and the German side has never won. Manchester City holes a 4-1-0 record in those five games and Monchengladbach’s only win over Manchester City in the history of their club came in the Europa League all the way back in 1979.
Manchester City has arguably been the most dominant team in the world this season. They breezed through the group stage with a 5-1-0 record and they have barely dropped a point in the EPL season to date. However, they will likely be taking this one a little bit easier as they only need a draw or even a 2-1 loss to advance to the next stage. I think they win this one by just one goal as they cruise into the quarter finals.
Real Madrid vs Atalanta
Wednesday 7am (AEDT)
It was a tight clash between these two sides when they met in Italy a few weeks ago. Real Madrid got the job done on the road, claiming a 1-0 win, but Atalanta did well to keep it to a somewhat manageable deficit after receiving a red card in just the 17th minute of the game.
Atalanta had stout defence in the loss as Real Madrid maintained 68% possession and fired off 18 shots to just 2 with the man advantage. Real Madrid are no doubt the stronger team but Atalanta should be more competitive this time around, given they manage to keep 11 men on the field.
Getting $2.00+ for Real Madrid at home is pretty hard to look past here. They are the superior side and haven’t really done much wrong in the La Liga season to date. They are 9-1-3 at home in the La Liga, the third ranked team in the league at home. Back them to win here.
Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid
Thursday 7am (AEDT)
The game of the week sees Chelsea hosting Spanish side Atletico Madrid from 7am on Thursday morning. The Blues will take a 1-0 lead into the return fixture after upsetting Madrid at home a few weeks ago. It was French veteran Olivier Giroud who scored the game winner for Chelsea in the first game and he will likely have another big role at Stamford Bridge on Thursday given they will be without striker Tammy Abraham.
Madrid currently sit atop the La Liga table with a 19-6-2 record, six points clear of their nearest challengers. Madrid are 9-3-1 on the road in the La Liga this season, the best record of any team in the league while the Blues home record in the EPL is the third best at 7-5-2.
What a tough game to call between two world class sides. Regardless of the outcome and who goes through to the next round, we think this one will be a low scoring affair. Neither team will want to give an inch as the Blues can advance with a draw and Madrid need only a 1-0 win to force extra time. Only 1 of their last 5 meetings has resulted in over three goals. Back the under here.
