The 2021 CONCACAF Champions League gets put into high gear as the Round of 16 kicks off on Tuesday April 6th with two big matches for two MLS sides. C.D. Marathon - Portland Timbers and Alajuelense - Atlanta United are the marquee matches as three games kick off the annual continental tournament in the CONCACAF region.

For MLS it is yet another attempt to capture the CONCACAF Champions League after various failed attempts by LAFC, Real Salt Lake, and CF Montreal. The Portland Timbers and Atlanta United are both in the middle of preseason, as the MLS will kick off on April 16th.

Looking to use this advantage in their favor Honduran side C.D. Marathon and Costa Rican team Alajuelense want to make short work of their MLS counterparts. The oddsmakers at FanDuel have put out some very interesting odds and we have you covered on the best betting options for these matches.

C.D. Marathon - Portland Timbers

C.D. Marathon will look to have a better start to the CCL as they sit last in Group A of the Honduran Clausura, while the Timbers are in the middle of preseason and will travel with the usual suspects of Diego Valeri, Diego Chara, and Sebastian Blanco. Marathon are the favorites at +145, while the Timbers are paying out +155. Marathon’s poor league form have made this match much more even, but with this being the Timbers first true competitive match of the season it looks like a tossup.

CCL games are wild, at first glance this looks like a tight match up, but MLS sides have historically given goals away early in these matches and games usually end by blow outs. Betting that the match finishes over 2.5 goals looks reasonable, and at -122 it could be a safe bet. A half time result where Marathon is in the lead could be wise as well, at +200 and considering it is the Timbers first match of the season the bettor could find some early winnings.

Alajuelense - Atlanta United

Alajuelense - Atlanta United tells another story, the Costa Rican side is runaway leaders in the Costa Rican league having played 16 games, while the 5 stripes are playing their first competitive match of the season. Gabriel Heinze made a lot of additions this offseason and it looks like a tall order to think the MLS side will beat the league leaders of Costa Rica in preseason form.

At +175 making Alajuelense the underdogs look like a steal. This match could shock many and betting that it will end over 3.5 goals might be feasible, and at +235 it could be a good risky bet. A halftime score where the Costa Rican side is in the lead is paying out a healthy of +230.

Parlays

At interesting parlay for these two games would be a Alajuelense win and a Portland Timbers - Marathon draw. At $100, the bettor stands to win $835 in earnings. The key to these games is the fact that both Portland and Atlanta are in midseason form.