The Champions League campaign returns later tonight for the third matchday of the 2025-26 League Phase.
Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester City are all in action this evening, while Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea play tomorrow. We will also be treated to a standout tie in Real Madrid vs Juventus, which is a repeat of the 2017 final.
What a few days of European football we have in store, and here is our latest batch of football betting tips focused on the Champions League, part of the way in which we help you craft your midweek bet.
And our latest Champions League Offer will see you credited with a £5 Free Bet when you place a qualifying £10 pre-match Bet Builder on the match of your choice.
*All odds are subject to change
Arsenal vs Atletico Madrid: Anytime goalscorer – Mikel Merino @ 3.25
Tonight’s game at the Emirates feels tailor-made for Merino. The Spaniard should feel at home playing against La Liga opposition, while his physicality and line-breaking runs from deep can help unlock Diego Simeone’s stubborn Atletico defence. Merino famously scored in this competition vs Real Madrid last season, and has seven goals in his last 12 appearances for club and country. Furthermore, with Kai Havertz still injured, Merino is the first-choice to fill the void up front if Viktor Gyokeres is either rested or struggling, which only makes the odds here stand out even more!
Newcastle vs Benfica: Total goals – Under 2.5 @ 2.05
Newcastle are looking to make it two consecutive wins in the Champions League after beating Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 on Matchday 2. The Magpies lost 2-1 at home to Barcelona in their campaign opener, but should fancy their chances at St James’ Park vs Benfica – even with Jose Mourinho in the hot-seat! However, we fancy this to be a low-scoring match, especially with the addition of Mourinho’s pragmatism. Benfica’s last three matches all featured under 2.5 goals, a run which started with the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. And two of Newcastle’s last three Premier League home matches saw fewer than three goals netted, so you can see why this selection has caught our eye.
Villarreal vs Manchester City: First goalscorer – Erling Haaland @ 4.00
Another blog, another Haaland tip. We are trying not to sound like a broken record, but betting on the Norwegian to score in a match just looks like a banker right now. However, we are going a bit more rogue by opting for the ‘first goalscorer’ market, although recent form suggests this is well worth pursuing – and boosting your potential winnings as a result. Haaland opened the scoring in each of his last three appearances for City, including the 2-2 draw at AS Monaco on Matchday 2. Villarreal also conceded first in both of their Champions League matches this term vs Tottenham (1-0) and Juventus (2-2).
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Liverpool: Eintracht Frankfurt total goals – Over 1.5 @ 2.52
Liverpool’s struggles of late have been well-documented, with Arne Slot’s defence resembling a disjointed unit. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are nowhere near last season’s levels, Milos Kerkez looks lost at left-back and Jermine Frimpong cannot get a game at right-back. It is all a bit of a mess really, which is far from ideal when preparing for a match against a team who find the back of the net regularly. Eintracht scored 17 goals in their previous six matches across all competitions, despite winning only two of them (5-1 vs Galatasaray, 4-6 vs Borussia Monchengladbach). This game could finish as anything and predicting the overall outcome is very tough indeed. But we feel confident Liverpool will concede at least twice, as they did in three of the last four contests.
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