The Champions League is upon us and we have another full slate of matches this afternoon. Action gets underway at 12:45 p.m. ET with a pair of ties as Real Madrid hosts Union Berlin, and Copenhagen makes the trip to Turkey, to take on Galatasaray. The subsequent six matches kick off at 3:00 p.m. ET. Below I’ve narrowed in on three bets that I have already locked in from today’s UCL board.
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Today’s Champions League Best Bets
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbooks
Real Madrid (-265) vs. Union Berlin (+800), DRAW (+400) | 2.5 (-150/+110)
14-time European Cup winners Real Madrid start the international campaign at home, where they’ll host a scrappy Union Berlin side. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ET from Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, ES.
As we all know, Los Blancos (The Whites) are a perennial powerhouse across Europe. That has held true on the domestic front this season as Real Madrid is off to a 5-0-0 start in La Liga. However, they’ve managed just 10 goals over the five matches, so they’re not exactly blowing out the opposition. In my opinion, it’s likely due to some injury issues throughout the lineup with Vinicius Junior, Thibaut Courtois, and Dani Carvajal all being sidelined. All three are confirmed out for this match. Carlo Ancelotti’s offensive production will fall on the shoulders of Jude Bellingham, a 20-year-old who makes his Champions League debut.
Considering the injuries to Real Madrid, I think they’ll opt to play this game a little more on the conservative side. Per Flashscore, they’ve conceded goals within the first 15 minutes in three of their five matches this season. Look for Madrid to settle in early on as they try to avoid giving up any fluky goals early on. If they’re able to establish possession and control the game, I don’t see Die Eisernen (The Iron Ones) scoring at all. They’ve netted just one goal in their two previous Bundesliga matches. Give me the under with a plus-money payout.
Bet: Under 2.5 (+110)
Bayern Munich (-235) vs. Manchester United (+550), DRAW (+425) | 3.5 (+105/-140)
The marquee matchup this afternoon features a battle between Bayern Munich and Manchester United. Kickoff falls in the later window of 3:00 p.m. ET, and the match will be played at Allianz Arena in Munich, DE.
Well, if you haven’t heard by now, Erik ten Hag is officially on the hot seat. Injuries, poor managerial decisions, and underwhelming play may have the Manchester United skipper on the chopping block soon. United is off to a baffling 2-0-3 start in the EPL and it hasn’t been pretty to watch.
I’m not expecting them to turn things around against German giant Bayern Munich. There’s absolutely no chance considering the injuries and suspensions to key players like Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Mason Mount, Antony, and Jadon Sancho. There’s simply too much talent on this Bayern side for them to not take care of business against a short-handed United squad. I’ll lay the 1.5 goals considering this game is at the hostile Allianz Arena.
Bet: Bayern Munich -1.5 (+110)
Arsenal (-260) vs. PSV Eindhoven (+700), DRAW (+425) | 3.0 (-125/-110)
In my futures article following the Champions League draw, I noted that two bets I’m on are Arsenal to win Group B (-190) and to win this tournament outright (+1000). They’ll open up the international competition at home against PSV Eindhoven. This one is slated for 3:00 p.m. ET from Emirates Stadium in London, GB.
I think there’s a good chance that this match turns into an absolute barnburner, so I’m locking in the over 3.0 goals. Arsenal has managed to score nine goals over their five EPL matches, and they’ve scored at least twice in all three home competitions (3,2,2).
On the flip side, PSV Eindhoven is off to a brilliant start on the domestic front in the Netherlands. The Rood-witten (Red and Whites) are a perfect 4-0-0 and they’ve scored 13 goals while conceding just once. Sure, this will be a step up in competition for Peter Bosz’s men, but I think they have an ample amount of firepower to stay competitive. Luuk de Jong leads the way with four domestic goals and he has three assists as well. If they net two goals here, there’s a great chance this match goes over the total. I’m not overthinking this one €“ give me the over!
Bet: Over 3.0 (-125)
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