Andrew Wilsher
The play-off stage of the Champions League wraps up on Wednesday with the last of the 2nd legs before we reach the Last 16. Among the matchups is a blockbuster clash between Real Madrid and Manchester City. The Spanish giants currently hold a 3-2 advantage over the Citizens, but after seeing plenty of goals in the 1st leg, things could quickly change in this one. Wednesday’s slate starts at 12:45 pm ET on CBS Sports Golazo Network with Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting Lisbon, before we have Real Madrid vs Man City, PSV vs Juventus and PSG vs Brest at 3:00 pm ET on Paramount+. Let’s dive into our expert Champions League best bets, while you can also find out our soccer predictions for more Champions League picks as well as our EPL best bets each week.
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Real Madrid vs Manchester City best bet: Man City ML (-105)
Manchester City head to the Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday knowing that only a win will keep them in the Champions League as they seek to overturn a 3-2 1st-leg deficit against reigning champs Real Madrid. Last week’s game in Manchester was a rollercoaster for both clubs with Carlo Ancelotti initially looking like he had the upper hand over an unbalanced City side before Pep Guardiola’s gameplan began to take shape. The final 5 minutes of the game proved decisive, however, as 2 moments of defensive madness from City left them with a mini mountain to climb in Madrid.
Pep Guardiola’s tactical options have been reduced by injuries to 3 starters from the 1st leg: Jack Grealish, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake. However, he finally appears to have solved the biggest issue his side have faced this season — replacing injured Ballon d’Or winner Rodri — with new signing Nico Gonzalez impressing in the midfield pivot role against Newcastle on Saturday.
While City warmed up for their mission in Madrid by crushing a good Newcastle team 4-0, Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 tie by Osasuna in La Liga last weekend. Ancelotti’s team has now failed to win 3 of their last 5 games and, despite their impressive recovery in Manchester, could be vulnerable to the Citizens, who know that only a victory will do. Man City have form for bagging multiple goals on the road in Europe and certainly boast the firepower to show for it. They have scored at least 2 goals in 7 of their last 9 Champions League matches on the road while Real Madrid have not recorded a shutout in their last 8 European games at the Bernabeu. A victory in regulation for Manchester City is not out of the question.
Read our full Real Madrid vs Manchester City prediction
PSV vs Juventus best bet: Both teams to score (-178)
Juventus secured a 2-1 victory when these teams met in Turin last week, leaving PSV with everything to do in order to progress. The Dutch champions head into this clash in shaky form, having won once across their last 5 matches. The hosts will need to push forward in this clash to turn the tie around, which should see them feature in another high-scoring game. 10 of PSV’s last 11 matches have finished with both teams scoring, while they are yet to draw a blank at home this season.
That means Juventus are likely to need to score in Eindhoven in order to progress. The visitors head into this clash on the back of a fine run, as they’ve won 4 in a row after beating Italian champions Inter Milan on Sunday. 6 of Juve’s last 7 matches have seen both teams find the net and that run can be extended on Wednesday. PSV have scored in 2 defeats at Juve this season and the hosts have extra motivation to push forward, which plays into the visitors’ hands. Expect both teams to find the net in this one.
Read our full PSV vs Juventus prediction
