Champions League Best Bets: Knockout Phase Play-Offs First Leg, February 17-18

• The knockout phase of the 2025/26 Champions League gets under way this week

• Eight matches will be held across Europe on Tuesday and Wednesday 

• Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are among the teams in action

Champions League Knockout Play-Offs Odds

The odds for the Champions League Matchday Five contained in this article are taken from the bet365 sportsbook, one of our top-rated soccer betting sites. Use our bet365 bonus code WSN365 and claim your welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets, win or lose.

Monaco vs. Paris Saint-Germain

PSG -1 Handicap (+137) at bet365

Paris Saint-Germain did not finish in the top eight of the league phase last year, and they went on to win the whole tournament. That goes to show that none of the teams in the play-offs can be ruled out, but Luis Enrique would rather have done without this double-header against fellow French side Monaco.

Still, the Ligue 1 table suggests PSG do not have a great deal to fear. Monaco are around mid-table and have a fight on their hands to qualify for Europe next term. Provided they are fully focused on the task at hand, PSG can take a giant step towards the round of 16 by beating Monaco by two clear goals or more in this first leg.

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Borussia Dortmund vs. Atalanta

Borussia Dortmund to Win (+105) at bet365

Borussia Dortmund are attempting to stay within touching distance of Bayern Munich back home, but the Bundesliga title will surely be out of their reach. Dortmund may soon turn their attention to the Champions League, where they finished as runners-up to Real Madrid in 2024. BVB will feel they can go deep again this term.

Atalanta should not be written off, but it is not hard to see why the best online sportsbooks have Dortmund down as favorites in front of their own fans. With the backing of the Signal Iduna Park crowd, BVB should win this week.

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Qarabag vs. Newcastle United

Draw at Half-Time (+150) at bet365

Newcastle United are in need of a pick-me-up. Things have not gone to plan for Eddie Howe’s team in the Premier League, with a top-five finish now almost certainly out of bounds. The best chance Newcastle have of qualifying for next season’s Champions League is by winning the 2025/26 edition of the competition.

That will not be easy, of course, but at times this season Newcastle have looked more comfortable in Europe than they have in the Premier League. A trip to Qarabag is a potential banana skin, however, and Howe will ensure his team is set up in a solid defensive shape first and foremost. Expect a tight first half.

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Benfica vs. Real Madrid

Real Madrid to Win (-118) at bet365

Benfica produced one of the moments of the European season on matchday eight of the league phase. Needing one more goal against Real Madrid to qualify for the play-offs, their goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin headed home in dramatic fashion in second-half stoppage time. It was a wonderful moment for Benfica and their manager Jose Mourinho.

The two teams will renew hostilities this week, with Madrid likely to enact revenge. Benfica are not having a great season overall and the Blancos’ superior quality is likely to make the difference at the Estadio da Luz. Madrid struggled against Mourinho’s men last time, but they should have learned from those mistakes. 

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Galatasaray vs. Juventus

Galatasaray or Draw (-150) at bet365

For one of Europe’s biggest clubs, and the most successful side in Italian domestic soccer, it is curious that Juventus have only ever won two Champions League. They were finalists twice in the 2010s, but in recent seasons the Bianconeri have failed to trouble the latter stages of the tournament. That is something Luciano Spalletti is looking to change.

Juventus are the favorites to advance from this two-legged tie, but they will not have everything their own way in the first leg. Galatasaray’s ground is an unforgiving place for visiting sides on European nights, so Juventus would probably be happy enough with a draw in this one. The Turkish outfit can get something.

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Club Brugge vs. Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid to Win to Nil (+275) at bet365

The whispers around Atletico Madrid are that this could be Diego Simeone’s last season at the club. We have heard rumors of that nature before, but there is a sense at the moment that a change might be necessary despite the wonderful work the Argentine has done since 2011.

If this is to be Simeone’s final campaign in the Spanish capital, he will be determined to go out on a high. We could see a classic Atletico away performance against Club Brugge, with an emphasis on keeping things tight at the back and nicking a goal at the other end. This will probably not be a thrilling game, but Atletico would be delighted with a win and a clean sheet.

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How to Watch Champions League Knockout Play-Offs

• Location: Europe

• Dates: Tuesday, February 17 - Wednesday, February 18

• How to Watch: Paramount+