The dust has settled on the League Phase of the 2025-26 Champions League and we have the 24 teams moving on. The first leg of the Knockout Phase kicks off on Tuesday with all four of the games. The last four will take place on Wednesday. We did all the leg work on the Champions League: Knockout Phase so you don’t have to.
We’ve dug through all of the action to find you the best Champions League bets. Come check out what we cooked up for the occasion.
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Champions League: Knockout Phase Leg 1 – Picks, Predictions, and Best Bets
Paris Saint-Germain (-190) over Monaco
Sure, this play is a touch on the chalky side, but it seems like a great value. The line is likely a little closer due to the fact that Monaco plays host, but that shouldn’t make much of a difference. Monaco barely made this stage and did so on a 0-0 draw with Juventus, who had nothing to play for. They managed just eight total goals in their eight league games. PSG, meanwhile, was fourth in the table with 21. With that difference in firepower, I have to imagine this will be an easy one.
Club Brugge (+260) over Athletico Madrid
Club Brugge charged into the knockout phase with some solid play down the stretch. Led by the scoring of Romero Vermant, they took out Marseille and Kairat down the stretch. In those two games, they outscored their two opponents by a combined score of 7-1. Contrast that with the way that Athletico limped into this portion. They were taken out by Bodo Glimt on Matchday 8 and had an ugly draw with Galatasaray prior.
Benfica (+265) over Real Madrid
I wasn’t buying the fall off of Real Madrid in the way that some of the other pundits were. However, they proved to us during their final game, that they just don’t seem to look like themselves. The keeper play from Thibaut Courtois wasn’t what it once was, and they played hot under the collar. The kicker is that that last game came against the very Benfica squad they’ll see on Tuesday. In that game Madrid jumped out to an early lead only to concede three straight – including a brace from Andreas Schjelderup. It isn’t crazy, especially at this price, to think it could happen again.
Newcastle United (-250) over Qarabağ
Newcastle stumbled a bit early in this tournament, but started to live up to their potential as the League Phase came to an end. The final showing, a 1-1 draw against Paris Saint-Germain, put a stamp on just how good they could look. After falling behind early, Nick Pope stood on his head for the remaining 82 minutes and helped them get back in the game. They won’t see nearly the attacking skill with Qarabağ on the other side. Look for them to keep the Kazakh side quiet en route to an easy win here.
If you’d like even more Champions League: Knockout Phase bets, be sure to check out the Soccer Gambling Podcast. The guys are dropping weekly episodes to make you the smartest guy at the bar.
