Welcome in to Champions League Best Bets, brought to you by Bettor In Green, where we recap the latest Champions League action and look ahead with my favorite bets for the upcoming matches.
Recap:
The first leg of the Playoff Rounds did not disappoint, with 34 goals spanning the 8 matches.
On Tuesday, Galatasaray got off to a great start against Juventus, winning 5-2.
One of the dominant storylines coming after Tuesday’s UCL action was not sporting related, but rather about alleged racist comments coming from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni towards Real Madrid’s Vini Junior. Football is the World’s sport and racism at any level is simply unacceptable in this game.
Wednesday saw more big scorelines, with Newcastle winning 1-6 over Qarabag and a 3-3 draw between Club Brugge and Atlético Madrid.
One of the biggest upsets was Bodø/Glimt continuing their fairytale season with a 3-1 win over Inter Milan.
We went 1-2 for Best Bets, winning with Real Madrid, but losing on Inter and Atlèti.
Upcoming Matches:
The clubs now play the return legs in these ties. The team that has the best aggregate scoreline will advance.
In the event of a tie, clubs will play extra time and then go to penalty kicks to decide a winner. The “away goals rule” of the past is no longer in play, so the aggregate score is the only thing that matters.
As always, you can stream all of the matches here in the US on Paramount+!
Let’s get to the bets:
Best Bets:
Pick #1: 2-Leg Parlay: Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan Moneylines -141 (Feb. 24, 2026; 12:45 p.m. EST and 3:00 p.m. EST):
For my first bet, I’m returning to the two clubs that let us down last week.
Admittedly, I don’t love betting on 2nd-legs of knockout ties. I don’t often bet on draws and knockout ties can be ripe for different motivations, with some clubs perhaps just hoping for a scrappy 0-0 game to allow them to advance.
Here, however, I’m backing two teams that need a result to advance.
First is Atlético Madrid, who almost got the win last week, but for a 89th-minute equalizer from Club Brugge.
It was a game of two halves for Atléti, who held a comfortable lead of 0-2 at halftime and then let it slip in the 2nd half. As we discussed last week, it depends which version of Atléti shows up, and apparently both versions showed up for different halves.
Atlético Madrid had a strong home record in the League Phase, with a 3-0-1 record at home, whereas Club Brugge had a 1-0-3 away record in the League Phase.
Ademola Lookman looked sharp in the last game and I expect him to have another strong game and help secure a win.
The other club I’m backing in this parlay is Inter.
All credit to Bodø/Glimt, what they’ve done this season is incredible, but it would be an embarrassment for Inter, last season’s runners-up, to go out in this round to the Norwegian debutants.
Inter are down by 2 goals in the aggregate scoreline, so they’ll desperately need a win in regulation to force extra time.
I do ultimately think Inter can advance, despite an injury to star striker Lautaro Martinez. I will dabble on Inter to Advance -125, though I’m not playing that as my Best Bet, given the surprises Bodø/Glimt have managed thus far.
Pick #2: Borussia Dortmund to Win or Draw -135 (Feb. 25, 2026; 12:45 p.m. EST):
Next, I’m backing Dortmund to win or draw on their way to advancing to the Round of 16.
Dortmund got a 2-0 lead in the first leg at home against Atalanta. They now have to defend that lead to advance to the next round.
Last week, Dortmund didn’t dominate possession, but did dominate in the xG category, with 2.10 xG compared to Atalanta’s 0.47.
Atalanta had a poor end to their League Phase campaign, ending with losses to Athletic Bilbao (who weren’t in great form for that match) and Union St. Gilloise. Both of those clubs failed to advance beyond the League Phase.
Further, Atalanta only scored 10 goals in their League Phase, putting them 25th for goals per game, compared to Dortmund in 8th.
Dortmund only have 2 losses in their last 15 matches in all competitions, both coming in the UCL at the hands of Spurs and Inter Milan.
While I worry Dortmund could lose this by 1 and still advance, I think they’ll look to make this cagey and try to pick up at least a draw, or perhaps get a goal and try to put it to bed early.
Pick #3: 2-Leg Parlay: PSG and Real Madrid Moneylines -122 (Feb. 25, 2026; 3:00 p.m. EST):
Finally, I’m taking another parlay of 2 home favorites, PSG and Real Madrid.
This match is primarily about 2 European Powerhouses winning to guarantee their spot in the last 16.
One worry here is that each of these clubs has a 1-goal advantage, so a draw sees them through, though they won’t be comfortable with only a 1-goal lead and their fans will want to see the push for more at home.
PSG play Monaco in an all Ligue 1 affair, having won 2-3 on the road last week.
PSG dominated possession in that match after going down by 2 early in the first half. Now playing at home, I expect them to keep the momentum that they had for the rest of that match.
Though they are likely to be without Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, they will have plenty of other talent through Doué, Kvaratskhelia, Barcola, Vitinha, and Hakimi. Monaco, on the other hand, will be without Aleksandr Golovin through suspension.
They made it through last season’s Playoff Round to win the whole thing, and I think they’ll have little trouble advancing here.
With Real Madrid, tensions will still be high from the racial slur allegedly aimed at Vini Junior. Madrid are the most successful club in the history of the UCL and would feel embarrassed to go out at this stage.
With only a 1-goal advantage, they’ll be seeking a bigger cushion, and with players like Mbappe, it’s hard to bet against them doing so.
While Mourinho’s ability in cup competitions makes me nervous, he’ll have a steep climb at the Bernabéu to advance.
Season Record:
League Phase: 12-12
Playoff Round: 1-2
