The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 rolls on as Wednesday's, February 24th, clashes pit four teams with very different histories against each other. Borussia Mönchengladbach have a tall order and are considered a long shot by the oddsmakers against red hot Manchester City.

Atalanta on the other hand are a surprise favorite against Real Madrid, although the odds are much closer, Atalanta have the edge given the fact they are playing at home. Still, betting against Real Madrid in the Champions League is a tall order, Los Merengues have won the title a record 13 times!

While picking a straight winner might not be as attractive there are many betting opportunities in the over/under or who scores first that might be much more attractive, especially in the Borussia Mönchengladbach - Man City game. Let’s take a look at the betting options for these matchups.

Borussia Mönchengladbach vs Manchester City Betting Picks

To say Manchester City is not the clear-cut favorite in this match is an understatement, and you don’t need an odds grid to determine that. City has won 18 games in a row in all competitions and sit comfortably atop the EPL standings. Mönchengladbach on the other hand have been irregular in the Bundesliga and sit eighth, three games above .500. According to FanDuel a Foals victory would pay a whopping +900, while a draw pays out +490, and a Man City win -350.

 

Betting against Manchester City in this game would be extremely risky, even playing away from home, recent history has shown that City are a contender for the title, while Gladbach’s history in recent years is much less favorable. The key to this matchup is betting on the over/under for example, this is a game that will surely have more than 2.5 goals, and that wager is paying out +158. A non-risky bet would be to wager that Lars Stindl could score the first goal in the game for the Foals, Stindl has 13 goals this season and is head and shoulders the teams most dangerous goal threat. A Stindl goal is to paying a reasonable +400.

Every pick for a favorable Mönchengladbach result is paying reasonably high, while winning the game outright may be a long shot, if a wager is made that Gladbach could go into halftime with a lead, said position is paying +650. This is really Manchester City’s game to lose, so pay attention and be ready to make bets during the game to get an advantage.

Atalanta vs Real Madrid Betting Picks

FanDuel made things a bit more favorable by making Atalanta the favorite for this match, and it is a perfect opportunity for the bettor to pick a “dark” favorite. At +190 a Real Madrid win will give the bettor $90 on a $100 bet. Chances are the game will have more than 3 goals, Madrid have the firepower to score 3, and Atalanta have scored 11 goals in their last 4 games. At +132, this could be an interesting and profitable pick.

Real Madrid’s Champions League form has been inconsistent, nonetheless they finished first in their group. This is where it starts to count and while the media have labeled this season a down year for Los Merengues, they are second in La Liga three points back of Atletico Madrid and winners of 4 of their last 5. Atalanta don’t look like a favorite in this series as they are fifth in Serie A, 10 points behind Inter. The Gli Orobici score a lot of goals, but will it be enough to stop Real Madrid and their Champions League history?

Karim Benzema would be a solid pick as an anytime goal scorer, he is lethal in front of net and a clutch player for Madrid. At +115, it might not be much, but it could help the bettor walk away with something. Casemiro could be a smart choice at six goals on the year the Brazilian can find the net and at +310 it would be a smart wager.

Game Parlays

An interesting Parlay for these two games would be a Real Madrid win and a Lars Stindl goal. A $50 wager might net the bettor $675 in total. The key is to not get too crazy on Gladbach’s chances, Manchester City are a huge favorite and Atalanta might prove a challenge for Real Madrid, but can they rise to the occasion against such a big opponent. The key will be in the live bets that can be done as the game progresses.

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