Champions League Betting: Best Bets and Player Props for Wednesday 1/29/25

The opening round of the UEFA Champions League is wrapping up as Wednesday is Matchday 8, the final day of the league phase.

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

Wednesday's Champions League Betting Picks and Prop Bets

Club Brugge at Manchester City (3 p.m. ET)

Same Game Parlay: Man City First-Half Moneyline + Man City Over 4.5 Corners (-133)

This is the most important game of Manchester City's season thus far, and I expect them to come out firing, putting me on this two-leg Same Game Parlay.

City are 25th in the Champions League table, two points out of the top 24, meaning they're currently not qualifying for the playoff round. If City beat Club Brugge Wednesday, they advance to the playoff round. Anything less than a win means they're out, which would be a shocking outcome for a City team that entered the competition as the betting favorite to win it all.

After a rough spell, City are slowly turning the corner, especially in attack. Over their last five matches in either the UCL or Premier League, City have tallied 2.2, 1.7, 3.0, 2.2 and 1.9 expected goals (xG), per FBRef's xG model. They've netted 19 goals in that five-game span.

Given all that's on the line for City and that they've seen an uptick in form lately, I like them to come out and win the first half, something they're listed at -210 to do.

As for the second leg, City are -950 to go over 4.5 corners. They've had at least five corners in seven of their last eight matches across all competitions, and with City likely to have their foot on the gas for much of this match, they should be able to clear this bar fairly easily.

Celtic at Aston Villa (3 p.m. ET)

Ollie Watkins Anytime Goalscorer (+105)

Villa are another side with a lot to play for as they sit in ninth, currently missing out on automatic qualification for the next round due to goal difference. Not only will Villa be doing everything possible to get a win over Celtic, they'll want to win by as much as possible to boost their goal difference.

Celtic have done well for themselves this UCL campaign and sit 18th in the table. They've got some quality results, too, including a 3-1 home win over RB Leipzig and a 0-0 away draw at Atalanta. They're no pushover.

With that said, Celtic was on the receiving end of a 7-1 beatdown at Dortmund in the second matchweek of the UCL, and in the aforementioned 0-0 tie at Atalanta, Celtic were very fortunate to get a point as they conceded 2.4 xG while creating just 0.3. They also suffered a 3-0 defeat at Rangers in domestic league play earlier this month.

In short, Villa should be able to create chances, and with Unai Emery's side needing to score and score often, I like Watkins to get a goal.

Watkins is having another stellar season, recording 10 goals and 5 assists through 19 EPL starts in addition to two assists over six UCL starts. He's placed a shot on target in each of his past five games and is Villa's penalty taker.

There's a lot to like about him at these +105 odds.

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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.