With a wild opening to the Knockout Phase, the Champions League campaign rolls on. We’re on to the Round of 16 teams, where some familiar faces square off and some surprises look to make a splash. It’s all on the line Tuesday and Wednesday. We did all the leg work on the Champions League: Round of 16 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: Round of 16 Leg 1 – Picks, Predictions, and Best Bets
Tottenham (+475) over Athletico Madrid
The odds for this first leg are simply out of control and it’s worth a stab on a huge underdog here. Athletico struggled down the stretch of the League Phase, dropping the finale to Bodo Glimt and drawing with Galatasaray. They did get their offense going against defensively challenged Club Brugge once they got to the Knockout Phase, but it took a own goal and a penalty shot to salvage a 3-3 in one of those legs.
Everybody points to their struggles in EPL, but Tottenham hasn’t let those games stop them from being a force in Champions League so far. They are riding a three-game UCL win streak in which they’ve outscored their opponents 7-0. I like that defense and the keeper play of Guglielmo Vicario to keep the Spaniards in check.
Arsenal (-175) over Bayer Leverkusen
Speaking of teams that didn’t look offensively inspired in the previous round, Leverkusen hosts the first leg of this one. While we are paying favorite prices on the road, I like Arsenal to win this one easily. They sit comfortably on top of the EPL table and have strung four straight wins together. Their offense has also been clicking on all cylinders lately. Led by Gabriel Martinelli, they haven’t failed to score three goals in the Champions League since October 1st, 2025. Facing a team who has been held scoreless in two of their last four, Arsenal should just have too much firepowert.
Bodo Glimt (+180) over Sporting CP
If we’re going to pay some chalk on the road, then we definitely want to find some home dogs as well.
Bodo Glimt has become the darling of the tournament. They not only knocked out Inter Milan, but beat them in both legs of the Knockout Phase. If you’ve had an eye on the Norwegians, you have to love the play of Kasper Høgh, who is making his name known in this tournament. Sporting is fresh off a road draw with Braga, and are travelling again here.
Paris Saint-Germain (-110) over Chelsea
I also like PSG’s chances to grab a first leg win this week. Chelsea has looked like a powerhouse this year, grabbing the #6 spot in the table. However, they didn’t always look great doing it. They closed the League Phase by allowing two goals to an anemic offense of Napoli. They needed to come from behind in that one to pull it out.
I also think the odds are underselling PSG due to their Knockout Phase troubles with Monaco. I’ll chalk that one up to the familiarity effect and expect that they get some revenge on Chelsea here for their Club World Cup loss.
If you’d like even more Champions League: Round of 16 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.
