UEFA Champions League Knockout Round Soccer Picks, Predictions and Best Bets
The second year of the new Champions League format arrives in a double-legged playoff-style round where participating teams will determine who awaits them in the Round of 16. The first leg of eight separate games commences this Tuesday and Wednesday, with some hectic rematches on the slate, including Benfica and Real Madrid, while former champions PSG will take on French rivals Monaco.
Galatasaray vs. Juventus kicks off the action this Tuesday at 12:45 pm ET, with plenty of other games following throughout the day and on Wednesday as well.
Don’t forget to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of Champions League match odds and Champions League futures.
Benfica vs. Real Madrid Draw
During the final group stage match last month, Benfica committed one of the greatest upsets and comebacks in the history of European football against Los Blancos. Up 3-2 yet set for a 2026 Champions League exit on goal differential, Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin headed home a goal in the 90′ + 8′ to snatch 24th place in the group stage, securing a playoff round spot for the Portuguese.
By the luck of the draw, Real Madrid and Benfica face each other once again to move on to the Round of 16. Madrid has three league victories since returning from their embarrassing defeat in the Champions League, and sit two points ahead of Barcelona in La Liga. However, the Royal Whites have generally performed better at home this season, with away losses to Liverpool, Benfica, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid. There’s always a chance they struggle on opposing turf, so it’ll be up to the UCL and La Liga top goalscorer, Kylian Mbappe, to drag Madrid to victory.
Former Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho will have his Portuguese side fully energized for this rematch in front of their home fans. Benfica has just three defeats in their last 16 matches overall, which includes victories over Ajax, Napoli, and, of course, Madrid. League-leading goalscorer Vangelis Pavlidis will be crucial in pushing As Aguis for a repeat of what they did last stage against Los Blancos. Considering Benfica are at home in the same scenario as last time, while Real Madrid still poses a looming threat to any team’s defence, this one’s likely to stay tied by the end of 90′.
PSG ML vs. Monaco
Last year’s UEFA Champions are still succumbing to major fatigue from last year’s run, and the Parisians are now one point out of first place in Ligue 1. PSG wingers Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (three UCL goals) will need to be at their best if they want any chance of repeating last year’s trophy run. However, midfielder Vitinha leads the team in UCL goals (five), and if the Parisians can manage their bench, they can capture a win in this match.
Monaco’s last game in the UCL was a scoreless 0-0 draw to Juventus, and while they bounced back on January 31 with four unanswered goals against Rennes, they were knocked out of the French Cup Round of 16 to Strasbourg, only to go scoreless for a 0-0 in their next game. The French side has just two victories in eight contests, and the team clearly lacks in offensive finishing touches, with Folarin Balogun holding the highest goalscorer title for the team in the Champions League (three).
With only seven goals in their last seven games before Friday’s 3-1 win over Nantes, Monaco may continue to struggle in this one against a talented PSG side, so bank on a first-leg PSG win in this matchup.
Anthony Gordon Anytime Goalscorer vs. Qarabag FK
Newcastle have shown strength and promise this whole season, and now they’ll face the four-time reigning champions of the Azerbaijan Premier League, Qarabag FK. Although they’ve had domestic success, they’ve allowed the second-highest number of goals in the UCL group stage (21). Therefore, I expect the Magpies’ leading goalscorer, Anthony Gordon, to do some damage.
Although he only has three goals in 20 English Premier League matches, Gordon leads the league in UCL play, scoring six times in eight appearances. Although this could be a cagey game, I can’t see Gordon not showing up for his team, so I’ll bet on him tucking away at least one goal to help the Magpies win this match.