Liam Flin
The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League Last 16 continues on Tuesday with the start of the second legs. Liverpool earned an unlikely 1-0 victory in Paris despite PSG looking firmly in control and the French club now have it all to do when they face off at 4:00 pm ET. Also kicking off at that time is Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich, with the latter holding a 3-0 advantage, while Inter Milan currently lead Feyenoord 2-0. Up first at 1:45 pm ET, we have Barcelona holding a slender 1-0 lead against Benfica. Let’s dive into our expert Champions League best bets for EVERY game, while you can also find out our soccer predictions for more Champions League picks as well as our EPL and MLS best bets each week.
Barcelona vs Benfica best bet: Barcelona ML & Over 2.5 goals (-150)
Barcelona edged Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League Last 16 tie but the goals could flow when the teams reconvene in Spain. Despite going down to 10 men after 22 minutes when Pau Cubarsi was sent off, Barca dug deep to win thanks to Raphinha’s strike, although Benfica were lively with 26 shots, 8 of which were on target. They must attack the second leg given the deficit and that could lead to a more open match this time around. Already this season, these teams played out a thriller when Barcelona won 5-4 in Lisbon in January, having trailed 4-2 in that game until the 78th minute.
Benfica showed their attacking prowess on that occasion with forward Vangelis Pavlidis scoring a hat-trick in the opening 30 minutes of the game and they can contribute to another high-scoring matchup. But it is hard to ignore the fact Barcelona finished second in the league phase of the Champions League and they head into this contest on a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions. Benfica should be more exposed than usual given they need to win the game and Barca should capitalize.
Read our full Barcelona vs Benfica prediction
Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich best bet: Tie (+260)
Bayer Leverkusen were stunned by Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich in the Champions League last Wednesday, losing 3-0 at the Allianz Arena, and they have a mountain to climb in the second leg of their Last 16 tie. Leverkusen were fully nullified by their Bavarian counterparts last week, managing just 1 shot on target in the game, and they were not helped by the sending off of Nordi Mukiele after 62 minutes. And at the weekend they were evidently distracted by this Champions League tie, having sustained a surprise 2-0 defeat at home to Werder Bremen.
Interestingly, though, Bayern Munich also slipped up in the Bundesliga on Saturday, going down 3-2 at home to Bochum. Bettors should expect a much closer second leg between these teams but Leverkusen are likely to fall short of what is needed to progress. Indeed, a tie looks the most likely result this time around with the last meeting between them at the BayArena in February finishing 0-0, despite a dominant performance from Leverkusen. Bayern will likely be happy to sit back at the BayArena on Tuesday and wait for chances on the counter-attack.
Read our full Bayer Leverkusen vs Bayern Munich prediction
Liverpool vs PSG best bet: Tie (+290)
Liverpool will take a slender 1-0 lead into the second leg of their Champions League Last 16 tie with PSG at Anfield after Harvey Elliott’s late goal handed the Reds a fortuitous victory in Paris last Wednesday. Arne Slot’s team had been on the backfoot for much of the game at the Parc des Princes and had goalkeeper Alisson to thank for still being in the contest before substitute Elliott slotted home late on, but there were certainly signs of fatigue from the Premier League leaders. That was also true during Saturday’s 3-1 come-from-behind success over struggling Southampton, a result that boosted the Reds’ hopes of Premier League glory, but underlined that the push for both domestic and European honors may be taking its toll.
PSG will feel that if they can match their performance levels from the first leg then they will be able to turn the tie around, and they will come into the game off the back of a 4-1 success over Rennes in Ligue 1. Unlike Liverpool boss Slot, who went with a near full-strength starting lineup against Southampton, PSG head coach Luis Enrique opted to rest several of his key players, although forward Ousmane Dembele did come off the bench to net twice late on.
The Parisians have won 11 of their last 12 matches across all competitions – the exception being last week’s first leg – which is also their only defeat in 24 games, a run that dates back to November. With that in mind, they should be able to push Liverpool all the way here but may come up just short of progressing to the quarterfinals. With that in mind, the match to finish as a tie looks to have nice value at +290 odds.
Read our full Liverpool vs PSG prediction
Inter Milan vs Feyenoord best bet: Inter Milan Win in Shutout (+102)
Inter Milan claimed a 2-0 victory over Feyenoord during last week’s first leg in Rotterdam and they should be able to ease their way into the quarterfinals during Tuesday’s second leg. The Italian club boasts the best defensive record in the Champions League this season, conceding just once in 9 matches, while they have won all 4 of their home games in the competition without conceding. That impressive home record is nothing new, as Simone Inzaghi’s side are unbeaten in their last 13 Champions League games at the San Siro, winning 11 of those and keeping the same amount of clean sheets.
Feyenoord overcame Inter’s city rivals AC Milan in the knockout phase playoffs of this season’s Champions League, but their overall form is poor, as they have won just 3 of their last 10 games in all competitions. Former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Robin van Persie was appointed as their new head coach last month, but Feyenoord have failed to score in either of his games in charge, including last week’s first leg. With a lengthy injury list to also contend with, it is difficult to see Feyenoord laying a glove on Inter, and the Italians should win here while recording a shutout.
Read our full Inter Milan vs Feyenoord prediction
