The UEFA Champions League knockout phase kicks off this week with some potentially pulsating first-leg playoff ties.
Sixteen teams will battle for a place in the last 16, with marquee matchups such as Real Madrid’s trip to Manchester City and Celtic’s home clash with Bayern Munich promising high drama and quality football.
Atalanta are worth keeping an eye on, too, as the Europa League holders’ path to another final appearance has opened up with a relatively kind draw that sees them next take on Club Brugge.
Over 3.5 goals in Manchester City vs Real Madrid @ 11/10
Manchester City host Real Madrid in a blockbuster clash at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. These two European heavyweights are no strangers to each other, and this is their fifth meeting in the knockout stages since 2020.
Their previous encounters have consistently delivered high-scoring thrillers, including last season’s dramatic 3-3 draw at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
City’s attacking depth, led by Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, will test Real Madrid’s injury-hit backline.
Los Blancos were forced to field midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni at centre-back for Saturday’s Madrid derby with David Alaba, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger all unavailable.
But Carlo Ancelotti’s side still boasts plenty of match-winners at the other end of the pitch, with Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe capable of causing problems for City’s leaky defence.
With both teams struggling for defensive consistency this season, over 3.5 goals looks like a strong pick for this colossal contest.
Both teams to score & Atalanta to win vs Club Brugge – 10/3
Atalanta travel to Belgium on Wednesday to face Club Brugge in what also promises to be an open and entertaining contest.
The Italian side narrowly missed out on automatic qualification, finishing just one point shy of the top eight in the league phase.
Known for their attacking style, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have seen seven of their last eight UCL away games produce at least three goals.
Club Brugge, meanwhile, scraped into the playoffs despite a nail-biting 3-1 loss to Manchester City in their final group game.
The Belgian champions have struggled against Italian opposition historically, with their last victory dating back to 2003.
With the visitors’ superior quality potentially firing them into a first-leg lead, Brugge’s ability to score at home makes both teams to score & Atalanta to win bet an appealing option.
Draw-Celtic HT-FT vs Bayern Munich @ 14/1
Celtic Park could be the scene of the biggest shock of the playoff round games, with Brendan Rodgers’ side aware that they cannot afford to take anything other than a lead to Allianz Arena for the second leg.
The Hoops are likely to hit Bayern with everything they have got on Wednesday, having warmed up for the visit of Vincent Kompany’s men by destroying Dundee 6-0 and ramming five more goals past Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup.
Celtic’s defensive stats from the League phase suggest they can at least hold Bayern’s star-studded attack at bay in this game.
Rodgers’ men were one of only two clubs that stopped free-scoring Atalanta from registering against them, and they kept three clean sheets in their eight games overall.
Bayern’s recent away record in this competition leaves a bit to be desired as the Bavarians have lost five of their last seven on the road, winning only once.
That should encourage Celtic to have a good go with the home fans capable of roaring their team to a memorable victory in the second half.
Bayern have conceded more goals than they have scored after the break in six of their last seven UEFA Champions League away matches.
