Scott Thornton’s Champions League Player Props: Four Best Bets

Scott Thornton brings you a player prop bet for each of the Champions League quarter-finals. bet365’s ‘sub on, play on’ means that three of these bets will run until the final whistle, regardless of substitutions, adding further value.

On Tuesday night, Bayern host Inter for the first time since 2022 and Real Madrid, the kings of Europe, head to the Emirates to take on Arsenal. Wednesday night’s matches see Barcelona take on Dortmund. PSG are also aiming to build on their impressive win over Liverpool by putting another English opponent to the sword. 

• Arsenal vs Real Madrid: Over 0.5 Fouls For David Alaba
• Bayern Munich vs Inter: Over 43.5 Passes For Konrad Laimer
• Barcelona vs Dortmund: Over 0.5 Fouls For Alex Balde
• PSG vs Aston Villa: Over 1.5 Shots For Ousmane Dembele

Acca odds: 12.09

Arsenal vs Real Madrid: Alaba Against Saka?

Europe, Champions League, Tuesday, 8th April, 20:00 (UK)

Arsenal were beaten by Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League last season. Mikel Arteta’s side will need to be at the very top of their game if they are to avoid suffering the same fate once again. This competition is their last hope of securing silverware after falling 11 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League.  

Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat against Valencia at the weekend. They now face an uphill battle to retain their La Liga crown, but the Champions League is the king of the Spanish capital. Carlo Ancelotti has already won this trophy three times with Los Blancos. He would love to add another to his collection. 

David Alaba has predominantly been used as a centre-back during his time at Real Madrid but he is widely expected to start as a left-back here. This would put him directly up against Saka, which makes him a prime candidate to make fouls.

Saka has been fouled an average of 1.9 times per game in the Premier League this season. The winger is also forcing an average of 1.4 fouls per game in the Champions League. He is Arsenal’s most potent attacker and they will be keen to give him the ball at every opportunity here. 

• Selection: Over 0.5 Fouls For David Alaba (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.83
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Bayern Munich vs Inter: Passive Inter Should See Pass Numbers Climb

Europe, Champions League, Tuesday, 8th April, 20:00 (UK)

Bayern Munich are six points clear in the Bundesliga and look set to win the title from Bayer Leverkusen. However, European success is top of the agenda in Bavaria. They conquered Leverkusen in the last round but haven’t got their hands on this famous trophy since 2020. 

Inter were the last Italian team to win the Champions League. They won the trophy under Jose Mourinho as part of the treble in 2010. The Nerazzurri are chasing a treble once against with Simone Inzaghi at the helm. 

Vincent Kompany has plenty of absentees to contend with so Konrad Laimer is expected to start. Whether he features at right-back or in midfield, he is in a good position to make passes. However, he is predicted to start at right-back. He is averaging 50.2 passes per 90 minutes in the Champions League this season. Laimer has 52 passes or more in three matches he has played the full 90 minutes.

Inzaghi’s men will likely sit off and allow Bayern to have the ball here. They know they cannot afford to give Kompany’s attack space to run into so the defence should rack up passes.  Givaro Read, the starting right-back for Feyenoord in Inter’s last Champions League game made 57 passes.

• Selection: Over 43.5 Passes For Konrad Laimer (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.83
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Barcelona vs Dortmund: Balde’s Climbing Foul Count

Europe, Champions League, Wednesday, 9th April, 20:00 (UK)

Barcelona have been the most formidable attacking team in the Champions League. They have scored an average of 3.2 goals per game thanks to Hansi Flick’s high-risk, high-reward approach. Can it bring the trophy back to Camp Nou for the first time since Lionel Messi played for the club?

Dortmund reached the final last season but things haven’t gone according to plan since then. Nuri Sahin, the manager who led the team into the current campaign, has been sacked. Niko Kovac has since come in but with the team languishing in 8th place in the Bundesliga, it could be too late to snatch a top-four finish. 

Alex Balde is known for his attacking contributions from right-back but he is also heavily involved defensively. His pace means he often has to rush back to quash opposition counter-attacks. As a result, Balde has made at least one foul in five of his last six competitive matches. 

Karim Adeyemi is expected to be directly up against Balde. He has forced an average of 0.9 fouls per 90 minutes in the Champions League this season. Whoever starts on the right of Dortmund’s attack will act as a pacey outlet for the counter, so Balde should have his hands full. 

• Selection: Over 0.5 Fouls For Alex Balde (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 2.10
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

PSG vs Aston Villa: Dembele is the Danger

Europe, Champions League, Wednesday, 9th April, 20:00 (UK)

PSG have gone from strength to strength under Luis Enrique. The summer loss of Kylian Mbappe hasn’t hindered the team’s development. The likes of Ousmane Dembele and Bardley Barcola have stepped up without Kylian at the club. Les Parisiens looked deadly as they beat Liverpool in the last round and are BETSiE’s favourites to win the tournament ahead of the quarter-finals.

Aston Villa coasted past Club Brugge in the last round. They have already beaten Bayern Munich in this year’s Champions League but need to beat another European heavyweight here. This tie means more to Unai Emery, who previously managed PSG.

Ousmane Dembele has established himself as one of the best players in world football in recent months. He has scored seven goals in this competition and looked lethal against Liverpool in the last round. Dembele had two shots on target against Slot’s side at the Parc des Princes, He managed three shots on target in the second leg at Anfield.

Like Liverpool, Villa will be under the cosh here. The Reds, who are top of the Premier League, allowed PSG to have 27 attempts, 10 of which were on target. Dembele has eight of those attempts. His willingness to shoot makes him a threat here. 

• Selection: Over 1.5 Shots on Target For Ousmane Dembele (TRACKED BET)
• Best Odds: 1.72
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 8/10

Champions League Props Acca Tips Odds via bet365 as at 10:30, April 8th, 2025. Odds may now differ.

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