Champions League Betting: Best Bets and Player Props for Wednesday 10/2/24

With a new format for the group stage, the UEFA Champions League is off and running for the 2024-25 campaign.

When looking at the Champions League soccer odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, which bets make the most sense for Wednesday's matches?

Champions League Betting Picks and Prop Bets

Bayern Munich at Aston Villa (3 p.m. ET)

Aston Villa Over 0.5 First-Half Goals (+112)

Bayern Munich might be the best team in Europe, but they'll be walking into a crazy atmosphere on Wednesday night at Villa Park.

This is Villa's first home match in the Champions League since the competition was rebranded in 1992. This match would be a huge deal for Villa regardless of who they played; the fact that they're playing a European giant like Bayern makes it that much bigger.

This match reminds me a lot of Newcastle United's first home UCL clash last season versus PSG. The situation was very similar -- a team that isn't usually in the UCL gets a huge home date against one of the world's best teams -- and Newcastle trounced PSG that day by a 4-1 score, riding the wave of a raucous home crowd to a pair of first-half goals. PSG looked shellshocked for large parts of that game.

While this will be the biggest match some Villa players have ever played in, the team has some guys who have played in massive finals with their national teams, including goalie Emiliano Martinez and striker Ollie Watkins. The situation shouldn't be too big for them. They also have a manager, Unai Emery, who has been as successful in Europe as any manager in recent history.

Also, this isn't all about narratives -- Villa have been a really good side now for the past year-plus, and they've shown the ability to beat top-notch foes. They bested Arsenal twice last season and took down Manchester City once.

We don't need Villa to win this game or to do anything crazy. We need just one first-half goal. With a lively crowd behind them, Villa can get a goal in the first 45 minutes.

Juventus at RB Leipzig (3 p.m. ET)

RB Leipzig Moneyline (+135)

RB Leipzig started their UCL campaign with a 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid. They'll be desperate to bounce back Wednesday, and they can get all three points in their home matchup against Juventus.

Despite the loss in Madrid, Leipzig has started this season really well, picking up a headline win over Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga play. The Atleti loss is Leipzig's lone defeat this season, and they rank 10th in points per domestic-league match across Europe's big five leagues. They've been good.

Juve have been stout, as well, as they're unbeaten on the season, and they opened UCL play with a nice 3-1 win at PSV Eindhoven. However, Juventus hasn't beaten a really good side thus far. They've played both Roma and Napoli in Serie A but drew both matchups -- 0-0 at that.

Leipzig look like the better side, are at home and really need a win to avoid a bad UCL start. I'm happy to take them at +135.

Bologna at Liverpool (3 p.m. ET)

Luis Diaz to Score or Assist (-120)

Liverpool should overwhelm Bologna. The Reds are -600 to win Wednesday's match at Anfield, and Liverpool have been excellent so far under manager Arne Slot, sitting first in the EPL in both points and expected goal (xG) differential, per FBRef's xG model.

Outside of a home loss to Nottingham Forest, Liverpool have won every match they've played, including a convincing 3-1 away win at AC Milan in Round 1 of the UCL, a match where Liverpool won the xG battle 3.1-0.6.

For Bologna, the only comparable match they've had to this one so far this year is an away trip to Napoli, and Bologna lost that fixture, 3-0.

Liverpool are -115 to go over 2.5 goals, and Diaz should be a central figure in their attack.

The Colombian winger has five goals and one assist in six starts across all competitions. He's been a constant threat, and in a match where Liverpool should create a lot of chances, he's got a good shot to contribute to a goal.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.