CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TUESDAY: The Ultra previews the start of the knockout rounds with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Knockout Round
8pm We have a cracking night on Betdaq Betting Exchange as the Champions League Knockout Round Playoffs get underway on Tuesday! We have four very interesting fixtures as Galatasaray Host Juventus, Benfica host Real Madrid, Dortmund host Atalanta and Monaco host PSG in an all French tie. We don’t have a massive red-hot odds on favourites – PSG are the shortest price of the night at 1.57 to beat Monaco. Obviously those two sides will know each other very well and we all know how many levels PSG are above everyone domestically too. However, there are some signs that all is not good in the camp at the moment. They lost at the weekend away to Rennes, and they actually come into this Knockout Round not sitting in top spot in Ligue 1 – they are one point behind Lens!
While we know PSG have a few gears more than everyone else in France, I wouldn’t be rushing to take the 1.57 on them. The other side trading odds on is Real Madrid to beat Benfica – but it’s only very marginal there. Real Madrid are trading 1.97 with Benfica 3.85 and the draw is 4.1 at the time of writing. Who could forget the scenes here as it went viral to football fans around the world. Mourinho’s side were heading out of the competition despite leading 3-2 against nine-man Real Madrid, needing one more goal to leap above Marseille on goal difference. Then in the 98th minute, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin came up for a free kick and powered a diving header into the net to send the stadium into absolute bedlam. Mourinho celebrating with a ball boy was a classic moment – the new in Portugal was interrupted as the studio went crazy. It was superb; the big question now is can they repeat it?
Real Madrid have had a turbulent season with the Xabi Alonso sacking, but the players seem to have responded since his departure – Mbappé has been absolutely sensational, and everyone has noticed he’s putting in a lot more effort now Alonso is gone. Real have the second best attacking figure in La Liga with an average xG created of 2.18 – only Barcelona are marginally ahead of them. At the back, they’ve also been superb with an average xG conceded of just 1.12 which is again the second best defensive figure behind Barcelona. It’s hard to see past a Real win on class terms given the gulf between the sides, but I wouldn’t be taking the 1.97.
Dortmund host Atalanta in what is probably the highest quality game of the night. Dortmund have been the closest challengers to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga – they sit second in the table, and while Bayern are running away with the title, Dortmund have been very impressive in their own right. Atalanta have struggled for results this season, but they’ve been playing some very good football – their average xG created is 1.6 which is the fifth best attacking figure in Serie A but they were mid-table for a long time. It finally feels like results have turned now though, and they are breaking back into the fight for European spots in Italy.
Dortmund are the favourites at 2.08 with Atalanta 3.8 and the draw is 3.85 at the time of writing. It’s no surprise that Dortmund come into the game as the favourites, but with Atalanta now gaining a bit of confidence, that 2.08 feels a little short in my opinion. I expect this game will be closer than the odds suggest, and from a value point of view I’d be happy with a Dortmund lay. The final game to talk about is Galatasaray hosting Juventus in the early kick off. This is always a cracking atmosphere! This is Galatasaray’s 200th European Cup match and their first time in the Champions League knockout rounds in 12 years – the Turkish fans will be absolutely buzzing for this one. Obviously the gulf in class between the sides is a little big, but we all know this is a tough place to come and win. Juventus had a huge game at the weekend, and came out on the wrong side of it too as they lost 3-2 away to Inter Milan.
Juventus have been playing some brilliant football this season – they have the second best attacking figure in Serie A with an average xG created of 1.92 and an average xG conceded of just 1.12 is in the top four too. Those are outstanding numbers, they should be challenging for the title not fighting for a top four spot. However, they’ve struggled to convert their chances. They come into this game as the favourites at 2.2 with Galatasaray 3.6 and the draw is 3.65 at the time of writing. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a low scoring game here with Juventus approaching the game in a cagey fashion. Istanbul is always a tough place to go, and Juventus will be happy to keep things tight and take the tie back to Turin. Galatasaray’s home record is outstanding, but Juventus have the quality to frustrate them – especially given how strong they’ve been defensively too. I’m happy to be on Under 2.5 goals here at 2.0.
The Ultra Says:
Two points lay (liability) Dortmund to beat Atalanta at 2.08 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE and Three points win Under 2.5 goals Galatasaray v Juventus at 2.0 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/CL2026
