The Champions League round of 16 kicks off with four first-leg ties this week and there’s plenty of intriguing prices to be found on the European stage courtesy of a Real Madrid deprived of Jude Bellingham and couple of specialists in low-scoring fare.
Champions League round of 16 tips
Real Madrid to beat RB Leipzig @ 23/20
PSG vs Real Sociedad – Both Teams to Score – No @ 10/11
Lazio vs Bayern Munich – Under 2.5 goals @ 11/10
Bet on the latest Champions League odds at Betzone
Real Madrid expected to find a way away to stumbling Leipzig
The odds about Real Madrid winning away to RB Leipzig look appealingly generous at 23/20. Could the price about a first-leg win in Germany be influenced by Jude Bellingham missing the tie injured?
Los Blancos have won all four matches they’ve played when the nailed-on future Balon d’Or winner hasn’t started this season, including a 3-0 UCL stroll against Braga. To make matters more encouraging still they face a side who have won one and lost three of their last six outings.
Real have tended to find a way to get what they need out of games under Carlo Ancelotti this season, losing just once inside normal time in 34 matches. Even without their star man they should be capable of coming away from Germany with a lead in the tie.
Tip: Real Madrid to beat RB Leipzig @ 23/20
Bet against BTTS in Paris with stingy Sociedad road defence
Goals look well worth opposing when Paris Saint-Germain host Real Sociedad at the Parc des Princes with the visitors’ away form exhibit A for the prosecution.
The Basque side have kept 14 clean sheets in 21 road games across all competitions this season, including all three of their Champions’ League away assignments. That trio of UCL road trips also produced under 2.5 total goals – as have seven of their last eight matches in all competitions.
Having also been held 0-0 on four of their last nine away days across all competitions there’s a chance La Real could also assist ‘both teams to score – no backers’ by blanking themselves. PSG gave up only one goal across their three-group stage home games so aren’t likely to be giving freebies.
At 10/1 both teams to score – no offers a marginally better price for punters than under 2.5 goals at 9/10 with the former price taking into account the hosts matching the 3-0 win over AC Milan they registered in the sections.
Tip: PSG vs Real Sociedad – Both Teams to Score – No @ 10/11
Low scores par for the course when Lazio turn out at Stadio Olimpico
Lazio, like Real Sociedad, have been friends of the under 2.5 goals fraternity this season, particularly at home, where 14 of their 16 games in all competitions have produced one strike or less.
It’s suspected that the fact that three total match goals or fewer can be backed at 11/10 on Valentines Day has much to do with their visitors, perennial German champions Bayern Munich. However, the Bavarians are in the midst of one of one of their more mortal campaigns.
In their UCL group stages they managed underwhelming 2-1 and 1-0 away wins against FC Copenhagen and Manchester United respectively and were also held 0-0 by the Danes in Germany.
Thomas Tuchel’s men come into this off the back of a sobering 3-0 away defeat against Bundesliga-leading Bayer Leverkusen and could struggle to assert themselves in Italy on that evidence.
