The Champions League playoff round concludes this week as as the 16 teams participating in that phase of the competition play the second leg of their respective ties.
Amid the unsavoury scenes that occurred in Portugal, Real Madrid's encounter with Benfica at the Bernabeu will attract significant attention on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, Juventus are tasked with having to overturn a three-goal deficit against Galatasaray if they wish to progress to the last 16.
Make sure to check out our expert and best betting tips from Wednesday's Champions League matches below:
Today's Champions League betting tips and predictions
Atalanta BC vs. Borussia Dortmund (5.45pm)
Atalanta have a mountain to climb if they are to continue forward, facing a team they have never beaten before. But Borussia Dortmund’s recent struggles in Italy leave the back door open, as La Dea rediscovered their momentum with a win over Napoli at the weekend.
Click here to read our full expert preview for this match
Tip 1: Over 2.5 goals
Atalanta are a different animal at home, and Borussia Dortmund’s away performances lately have not been that convincing. While they rarely lost, they won only four of their last 10 away games in all competitions.
Moreover, the Prussians are not a team that’s going to protect a 2-0 lead. They will push forward again, so this should be a fairly open match, giving value to over 2.5 goals at 7/10. We see this going Atalanta’s way, but Dortmund will qualify forward.
Tip 2: Atalanta to win
Their home form suggests that overcoming a 2-0 deficit is absolutely possible, given that La Dea won eight of their last 10 home matches. And in that period, they defeated Juventus, Roma, Napoli, and Chelsea. Atalanta are 11/10 to win this match.
Borussia Dortmund had to travel to Leipzig at the weekend, and barely won a point through an equaliser in added time. Their domestic form is unmatched, but BVB lost their two previous UCL matches before last week’s first leg.
Moreover, they have to face Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this week too, and the outcome of this clash could decide the title race. Niko Kovac and his squad will have a lot on their mind on Wednesday, not to mention the team’s struggles away in Italy in recent years.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Monaco (8pm)
Champions League champions Paris Saint-Germain missed their chance to seal this playoff in the first leg and will now have to give their all in the return leg against Monaco, who did them a huge favour in Ligue 1 over the weekend with their victory over Lens.
Click here to read our full expert preview for this match
Tip 1: PSG to win at half time
This will be the third clash between the two teams this season, with Monaco winning once in Ligue 1 and PSG prevailing in the Champions League last week.
In fact, Monaco have three wins against PSG in their last 10 games, but each of them has been at home. Games in Paris usually end in a big home win, with PSG scoring 3+ goals in six of their last 10 home games. PSG to be winning at half time is 13/20.
Tip 2: Desire Doue to score anytime
Desire Doue was given the difficult task of compensating for the absence of Ousmane Dembele, who was injured in the 27th minute against Monaco. And the 20-year-old did so in sensational fashion with a brace and an assist.
Over the weekend, he also scored one of the goals in the victory against Metz. His momentum is impressive, and we are sure that he will try to make the most of it in the rematch.
Doue to score anytime is 23/20.
Real Madrid vs. Benfica (8pm)
Real Madrid and Benfica meet for the third consecutive time in the Champions League, after one win apiece and the huge controversies surrounding last week's match.
Click here to read our full expert preview for this match
Tip 1: Real Madrid to win and over 1.5 goals
History points to a victory for Real Madrid, who have only lost once in the last 23 times they have won the first leg.
There is no doubt that Benfica are in good form, but they have not played at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Los Blancos have six consecutive wins and only two losses in 16 games this season (W14).
Real Madrid to win with over 1.5 goals in the match is 3/5.
Tip 2: Vinicius Junior to score
We can't expect anything less than a goal from Vinicius Junior, which can be selected at 3/2 with some bookmakers. The Brazilian was at the centre of attention after his goal and the alleged racism scandal, and he will certainly want to punish Benfica even more.
Even without these factors, Vinicius is in his best form since the start of the season, scoring five goals in his last four games. The season wasn't ideal up to this point in terms of numbers, but he is back to his old self and hungry for more.
Juventus vs. Galatasaray (8pm)
Juventus are on the verge of an inglorious exit from the Champions League, with even home advantage offering little promise of a comeback against the flying Galatasaray.
Click here to read our full expert preview for this match
Tip 1: Both teams to score
The Bianconeri have not won in their last five games, losing four of them. In each of these games, they conceded at least two goals, totaling 15.
Galatasaray also lost their match over the weekend in Turkey, but before that, they won five in a row, scoring at least three goals in each victory.
They don't even need to win in Italy; they just need to not lose by more than three goals. Considering how solid they were in defence in the League Phase, this seems entirely possible.
Both teams to score is available at betting odds of around 3/5.
Tip 2: Kenan Yildiz to score or assist
One of Juventus' main problems, apart from their disorganized defense, is the poor form of their attacking players. There is not a single offensive player in good condition, and it is quite difficult to choose someone to bet on.
From everything we have seen so far this season, only Kenan Yildiz has proven himself (available at 23/20) to be a player who can make a difference against any opponent. The player has not scored or assisted since January, and there is no better time to change that.
Darren is a writer and tipster across a wide array of sports including football, golf, darts and boxing. He counts Keegan Bradley's US PGA Championship win in 2011 as his greatest-ever bet. Darren is also a Chelsea and Hednesford Town fan, as well as a keen golfer and darts player.
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