Experts combine for HUGE 1,925/1 Champions League last 16 acca
Sports Journalist at FST, Gareth qualified as a journalist after graduating from university and spent over a decade as a freelance broadcast journalist, commentator and tipster before joining FST. Now living in Manchester, he is a long suffering Bolton Wanderers fan who also enjoys boxing, the NBA, tennis and rugby league.
The Champions League last 16 ties get underway next week and we asked our team of experts who they think will reach the quarter-finals.
We’ve got a pick for each of the eight ties, and a few of our experts fancy the underdogs to pull off upsets so this eight-fold comes in at a gigantic 1,925/1.
Read on to see who they think will progress and which big guns could fall short.
1,925/1 Champions League Last 16 To Qualify Accumulator Tip
Club Brugge v Aston Villa – Phil Agius
At the prices, Club Brugge are worth siding with to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals. The Belgian side finished only 24th in the league phase but stunned Atalanta, who finished ninth, with a 5-2 aggregate success in the playoff round, winning both legs.
Brugge won only three of their eight round-robin games but one of those was a deserved 1-0 home win over the Villans in November, when Villa had more possession but were unable to carve out many chances.
Nicky Hayen’s team were one of only two clubs to upset the seedings in the playoff round (Feyenoord were the other), but they might not be finished just yet.
To Qualify – Club Brugge
Borussia Dortmund v Lille – Rob Eddy
While there are understandable reasons Borussia Dortmund are favourites – they did make last season’s final of course – they are a little too erratic to be truly confident of their progression.
BVB’s league form is anything but consistent, thrashing Union Berlin 6-0 to showcase their offensive threat, but that came on the back of a 2-0 defeat at second-bottom Bochum, and they lie down in 10th – so which Dortmund will turn up?
They beat Sporting 3-0 on aggregate to reach this stage but Lille finished seventh in the League Phase with victories over both Real and Atletico Madrid included in their five wins, while they only lost 2-1 at table-toppers Liverpool and might just be under-estimated at the prices.
To Qualify – Lille
PSV v Arsenal – Jamie Griffith
A lack of attackers cost Arsenal against West Ham on Saturday, with Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard failing to threaten the Hammers as the Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat.
The continued absences of Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus is a real issue for Mikel Arteta and it is not guaranteed that it is one he will overcome, with PSV boasting more than enough talent to cause the toothless Gunners some issues over two legs.
The Dutch side knocked out Juventus in the playoff round and drew with PSG in the League Phase, suggesting they relish these big matches, and, at the prices, it could be worth siding with PSV to pull off a shock.
To Qualify – PSV
Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid – Henry Hardwicke
I’d take a chance with Atletico Madrid here. Real Madrid were impressive when beating Manchester City in the Champions League playoffs, but City were without Rodri, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne for the second leg of that tie and Pep Guardiola’s side have hardly been in flying form.
Atletico have avoided defeat in two games against Los Blancos this season and Diego Simeone’s men have proved at least Real’s equal in La Liga this term.
To Qualify – Atletico Madrid
Feyenoord v Inter Milan – James Mason
Feyenoord knocked out AC Milan in the playoff round but they are unlikely to have enough to get the better of Inter, who boasted the defensive record in the league phase with just one goal conceded.
While the Nerazzurri’s away record in the Champions League will give Feyenoord a glimmer of hope of progressing, Inter haven’t lost at home in Europe’s top competition since September 2022.
Simone Inzaghi’s side are a force to be reckoned with this season, as they also challenge for Serie A glory, and the last-16 stage is where Feyenoord’s European run may come to an end.
To Qualify – Inter Milan
Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen – Enda McElhinney
Bayern are on track to reclaim the Bundesliga crown from Bayer Leverkusen but their hopes of appearing in another Champions League final on their own patch could be dashed here.
Xabi Alonso’s six-game undefeated streak against Bayern is a German domestic record and their recent tussle at the BayArena witnessed Vincent Kompany’s side failing to even muster a shot on target. It ended scoreless despite Leverkusen’s xG rising to 2.19 at the end of 90 minutes.
Bayern had real trouble dispatching Celtic in the play-off round and having the second leg at home could be massive for the underdogs now.
To Qualify – Bayer Leverkusen
Benfica v Barcelona – Tom McGarry
Benfica are heavy outsiders to make it through to the quarter-finals at the expense of Barcelona, but in a two-horse race, there may be value in siding with the Portuguese side.
When these two teams met in the league phase it finished in a memorable 5-4 win for Barca in Lisbon, but Benfica led 3-1 and 4-2 during that game and may have revenge on their minds now.
Bruno Lage’s side saw off Monaco in the knockout phase play-offs and are unbeaten in seven matches across all competitions, winning six of those. If they can make home advantage count in the first leg, they could prove tricky for Barca to overcome.
To Qualify – Benfica
PSG v Liverpool – James Milton
This should be a cracking tie and the quality of PSG’s wingers up against Liverpool’s unconvincing full-backs may give them a decisive edge.
PSG made a stuttering start to the league phase although their defeats came away to Arsenal and Bayern Munich, where Ousmane Dembele was sent off early in the second half, and at home to Atletico Madrid, who scored an injury-time winner.
They have won their last five Champions League matches by an aggregate score of 21-3, producing a stirring comeback to beat Manchester City 4-2, and Liverpool look less formidable than they did in the first half of the season.
To Qualify – PSG
Build better bets with our free betting tips, predictions and accumulators, every day.
More betting news:
View All Today’s Football Tips
Betting Academy: See our complete guide to football betting
Free Super Tips is the home of Free Football Tips. Make sure to take a look at our most popular betting tips, such as our Accumulator Tips and Both Teams To Score Tips.