Champions League: Knockout Phase Play-Offs 1st Leg Tips
The first legs of the eight Champions League knockout phase play-off ties take place on Tuesday and Wednesday and there are several mouthwatering match-ups to look forward to.
Manchester City’s huge home showdown with Real Madrid on Tuesday is the standout fixture, while Scottish champions Celtic host Bayern Munich on Wednesday. We've picked out our favourite four bets, which can be combined in an accumulator that pays out at 50/1.
Tip 1 - Brest vs Paris Saint-Germain - PSG to win & both teams to score @ 17/10
Tuesday, 5.45pm
Ligue 1 sides Brest and Paris Saint-Germain both ended the league phase with 13 points, but French champions PSG are clearly the superior outfit and should take control of this tie with an away win.
PSG again lead the way domestically and Luis Enrique’s side are 22 points better off than Brest, who are down in eighth place as they struggle to repeat their heroics of last season when they finished third.
The two sides met in the French top flight at the start of the month when PSG eventually ran out 5-2 winners and another away win with both teams scoring could well be on the cards.
PSG have won 13 of their last 14 games in all competitions but have found keeping clean sheets hard to do, managing just three shutouts in that spell, while Brest have scored in four of their last five matches.
Tip 2 - Manchester City & Real Madrid to draw @ 11/4
Tuesday, 8pm
The Etihad meeting between record 15-time European champions Real Madrid and Premier League giants Manchester City would be fitting of the final — but the last two winners of the Champions League instead are paired in the play-off round.
Both teams surprisingly struggled in the new league phase, City relying on a Matchday 8 win over Club Brugge to sneak into the top 24 while Real ended up in 11th place in the 36-team table.
Pep Guardiola’s side have also had problems domestically this season — their expected title defence lies in tatters — while they were unconvincing when beating League One Leyton Orient 2-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Making a case for a home win is difficult considering City’s recent form and Real, who are top of La Liga, should be content with a draw at the Etihad before hosting their familiar English opponents in Madrid next week in the second leg.
Tip 3 - Juventus vs PSV over 2.5 goals @ Evens
Tuesday, 8pm
Italian giants Juventus have been drawn against PSV Eindhoven again after the two teams met on Matchday 1 in the league phase with Juve winning 3-1 at home.
Another entertaining tie with at least three goals looks likely in the first leg of the play-offs as both teams have been involved in plenty of goal-laden affairs lately.
Nine of PSV’s last 11 games have produced four or more goals, while there have been at least three goals in three of the Old Lady’s last four matches, including in their 2-1 win at Como in Serie A on Friday.
Tip 4 - Bayern Munich to beat Celtic & both teams to score @ 31/20
Wednesday, 8pm
Celtic squeezed into the play-offs despite losing 4-2 at Aston Villa in their final league phase game and Brendan Rodgers’ side landed one of Europe’s big guns when they were paired with German giants Bayern Munich.
Bayern could only finish 12th in the table after winning five and losing three in the first stage, but they are favourites to pick up a first-leg victory in Glasgow.
Vincent Kompany’s side approach the tie on the back of four straight wins, three of which were achieved with the opposition also finding the net, and they can outscore the Bhoys at Parkhead on Wednesday as well.
Celtic have netted 14 goals in their last three games in all competitions and only failed to score in two of their eight league phase matches on their way to landing a play-off berth.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation