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Champions League Matchday 3 Best Bets: Matchups, Odds, Picks, Predictions

Emanuel Rosu

Last Updated: October 3, 2022 9:45 AM EDT • 2 min 59 sec read.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi celebrates with teammate Neymar during the French championship Ligue 1 football match between PSG and Nice on October 1, 2022 at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi celebrates with teammate Neymar during the French championship Ligue 1 football match between PSG and Nice on October 1, 2022 at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France. Photo by Jean Catuffe/DPPI via AFP

The Champions League resumes with fantastic games in store for bettors and soccer fans alike. Here are our top picks for Champions League Matchday 3.

Inter Milan vs. FC Barcelona, Chelsea vs. AC Milan, Benfica vs. Paris Saint-Germain, and Napoli vs. Ajax will see pulses racing in Europe’s premium club competition.

Here are our best bets ahead of the European soccer weekend (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Champions League Matchday 3 Best Matches and Odds 

(odds via FanDuel)

  • Inter Milan (+320) vs. FC Barcelona (-130)
  • Chelsea (-150) vs. AC Milan (+410)
  • Benfica (+320) vs. Paris Saint-Germain (-140)
  • Sevilla (+190) vs. Borussia Dortmund (+140)

Champions League Matchday 3 Best Bets

  • Moneyline: Atletico Madrid vs. Club Brugge (+100 via FanDuel) ★★★
  • Spread: Juventus -2.5 vs Maccabi Haifa (+195 via DraftKings) ★★★
  • Total: Bayern Munich vs. Viktoria Plzen Under 3.5 (+144 via DraftKings) ★★★★
  • Upset: Benfica not to lose vs. Paris Saint-Germain (+110 via DraftKings) ★★★
  • Prop bet: Halftime or Full-time Napoli (+100 via DraftKings) ★★★
  • Parlay: Napoli win vs. Ajax and Over 2.5 (+300 via DraftKings) ★★★

Champions League Matchday 3 Picks

Moneyline: Atletico Madrid (+100) ★★★

Atletico Madrid bounced back from consecutive defeats against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League (0-2) and Real Madrid in La Liga (1-2), and won a big match in Sevilla (2-0) last weekend in the Spanish top flight.

Brugge are the surprise leaders of Group B, winning all the six points available thus far in the Champions League. The Belgian side beat Leverkusen 1-0 in their opening match, then shocked Porto at home 4-0 to consolidate their status. Still, their less than impressive outing against Standard Liege in the Belgian top-flight questions their winning identity. Brugge were outclassed and beaten 3-0.

Atletico Madrid, third place in Group B, can’t afford another slip if they are to impose their authority moving forward. Fuelled by their return to form against Sevilla in the domestic league, Atletico should impose their authority when they meet Brugge on Tuesday.

Spread: Juventus -2.5 (+195) ★★★

Juventus beat Bologna 3-0 at the weekend and silenced some of their critics. The boost of morale should serve as inspiration when Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa come to town. Maccabi conceded five goals in two games and sit bottom in Group H of the Champions League. Juventus have lost to both Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica thus far in the group and can’t allow themselves another below-par performance if they are to stand a chance of qualifying into the knock-out round. Juventus also need a statement win against the group’s minnows to regain authority before the decisive return legs against PSG and Benfica.

Check out the latest comprehensive and most trusted Sportsbook Reviews by SBR.   

Total: Bayern Munich vs. Viktoria Plzen Under 3.5 (+144) ★★★★

Their opening round trashing at Camp Nou against Barcelona didn’t ruin Viktoria Plzen’s morale. They top the title race in the Czech League and treat each Champions League outing as an opportunity to hit the European jackpot. Bayern are aware that the match against Plzen is not the main focus of the group, so manager Julian Nagelsmann is expected to integrate players who haven't had much game time this season. Even though Bayern remain strong favorites to win, it’s worth going for a decent goal margin for this match.

Upset: Upset: Benfica not to lose vs. Paris Saint-Germain (+110) ★★★

Benfica are at home, in form and hungry, whereas PSG, the Group H favorites, are not forced to win this. A draw could benefit both teams, with Juventus six points behind. Benfica are flying at home, topping the Portuguese league after seven wins and a draw in eight matches. PSG are doing well too under new head coach Christophe Galtier, but they haven’t been tested in tough battles since the start of the season. Still among the top Champions League favorites, PSG value the partnership between Messi, Mbappe and Neymar, but Benfica might pose them threats they haven’t faced until now.

Prop bet: Halftime or Full-time Napoli (+100) ★★★

Parlay: Napoli win vs. Ajax and Over 2.5 (+300) ★★★

Napoli are surprisingly top of the Serie A table after eight rounds, and their European form has been equally impressive. Spalletti’s men have smashed Liverpool 4-1 and Glasgow Rangers 3-0, so they will be hoping for more of the same when they face Ajax on Tuesday.

The reigning Dutch champions only won a point from their two previous Eredivisie matches, a worrying detail when they look at Napoli’s form. The Italians are expected to continue their run and make Ajax suffer in a match that should see goals aplenty from both sides.

Where to Bet on Champions League Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

SEE ALSO: All picks, odds, and sports betting news. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com’s community forums and betting tools.

Champions League odds and best bets from 10/3/2022 at 12 p.m. ET.

Written By:
Emanuel Rosu
Emanuel Rosu has freelanced as a soccer specialist for the BBC, The Guardian, FourFourTwo, Goal, and the New York Times. He's part of the "Ballon d'Or" jury, representing Romania in the vote that rewards the best soccer player in the world each year. He is based in Bucharest, Romania.