8 Champions League teams backed for the last 16 in 23/1 acca!

Following the enthralling 18-fixture strong finale of the newly reformatted Champions League League Phase a couple of weeks ago, this week we head into the first leg of the play-offs as 16 teams battle it out for a spot in the Round of 16.

It is safe to say there are a number of teams we did not expect to see at this stage of the competition, with behemoths such as Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and PSG all missing out on a top-eight spot.

The most eye-catching tie features the winners of the last two Champions League titles as the most successful side in the competition’s history, Real Madrid, face off with a resurgent Manchester City side.

Elsewhere, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan are also in action, while there is more British interest with Celtic’s home meeting with Die Bayern.

We will have in-depth previews for every Champions League game here, but below I pick out an 23/1 To Qualify accumulator with bet365, where new customers can sign up below to claim £50 in free bets!

Back our 23/1 Champions League To Qualify acca here!

Brest vs PSG – PSG to qualify

PSG and Brest may have finished level on points in the League Phase, but it is hard to look beyond Les Parisiens for this all-French tie. They have won their last three ties with Brest by an aggregate scoreline of 11-4, including a 5-2 win at the start of February.

Luis Enrique’s side have not lost to French opposition since the end of last season, and Brest lost three of their final four games in the League Phase, failing to score in defeats to Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Real Madrid.

Juventus vs PSV – PSV to qualify

These two sides met in the opening round of the League Phase, with Juventus winning that tie 3-1 in Turin. However, the Old Lady’s strong start in the competition gave way to a run of just one win in their final six games, while PSV only got stronger as the season progressed.

The Dutch side won four of their final five League Phase games, while Juve scored just twice in their final four matches and lost their final-week tie at home to Benfica.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid – Real Madrid to qualify

How these two giants of European football ended up in a play-off clash to reach the round of 16 is anybody’s guess, but Los Blancos are experts in the knockout rounds and can take a huge scalp in Manchester City.

Defeats to Lille, AC Milan, and Liverpool put Carlo Ancelotti’s side on the back foot as they hunted a top-eight spot, but they won their final three games and only finished a point off the pace, while Manchester City won only one of their final five and conceded a massive 14 goals in the process.

A recent hammering at the hands of Arsenal shows that, despite their upturn in form, they still have a lot to do against top-tier opposition, and the 15-time winners can continue their search for a 16th title.

Sporting vs Borussia Dortmund – Borussia Dortmund to qualify

A 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk was not enough to push Borussia Dortmund into the top eight in the final round of League Phase games, but they have been handed a tie against a Sporting side who scraped into the play-offs.

The Portuguese outfit started off fantastically under Ruben Amorim, but his departure in November has been followed by a run of just seven wins in 18 games and they took only one point from their final four in the Champions League.

They have improved under Rui Borges after their Joao Pereira’s eight-game spell ended in a sacking, but Dortmund should have enough to progress.

Club Brugge vs Atalanta – Atalanta to qualify

A draw in Barcelona saw Atalanta miss out on automatic progression by an whisker, but their reward for a strong League Phase showing is a tie with 24th-place finishers Club Brugge, who head into this tie with just one win from their last six in all competitions.

Atalanta are in the Serie A title race and have inflicted heavy defeats on Sturm Graz, Young Boys, and Shakhtar Donetsk this season. If they turn on the style like we know they can, they could settle this tie in the first leg on Wednesday.

Monaco vs Benfica – Benfica to qualify

Benfica clinched a 3-2 win in Monte Carlo at the end of November, and that may play on the mind of slight-favourites Monaco when they face an in-form Portuguese outfit.

The Eagles have won their last three games in all competitions, including a 2-0 win away to Juventus in their final League Phase game. They were only narrowly beaten by Barcelona in the game before that, while Monaco lost three of their final four Champions League gamesand conceded nine goals in the process.

Feyenoord vs AC Milan – AC Milan to qualify

Defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen put AC Milan on the back foot early doors in the League Phase, but they have won five of their six Champions League outings since and are justified favourites against Feyenoord.

The underdogs lost 6-1 to Lille in their final League Phase game and conceded 21 goals across their eight games in the competition. They do score frequently, but that may not be enough against a Rossoneri side that have only lost two of their last 15 in all competitions.

Celtic vs Bayern Munich – Bayern Munich to qualify

Celtic may be on cruise control domestically, but they face a mountainous task in Europe as they lock horns with a Bayern Munich side that have won nine of their last ten in all competitions.

Die Bayern lost two of their first three League Phase games, but they won four of their last five and showed their ability in their opener as they demolished Dinamo Zagreb 9-2. Celtic were beaten 7-1 in Dortmund earlier in this competition and their prospects look even bleaker against the Bavarian giants.

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