Brugge vs Atletico Madrid Playoff Picks & Odds to Advance

• Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid meet for an intriguing Champions League playoff match-up
• The first tie takes place at 3.00 pm ET on Wednesday, with the return leg the following Tuesday 
• Check out the ‘To Advance’ market and my pick for the tie

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Atletico Madrid remains one of the most perplexing outfits in European Football. Perennially knocking on the door and showing flashes of brilliance, they appear to live up to that stereotype yet again this season. 

Standings in their way for progression to the Last 16 is Brugge, who currently sit third in the Belgian Pro League. Just three points separated the two sides in the group stage in what is shaping up to be an interesting playoff tie. 

Below, you can check out the Brugge v Atletico Madrid odds to advance, plus my predictions to win the two-leg playoff tie.

Brugge vs Atletico Madrid Odds to Advance (Playoff Round)

The Atletico Madrid/Brugge odds to qualify heavily favor the Spanish side, but you can get a much better price depending where you look. Atletico is as short as -550 at bet365 and as long as -450 at Caesars. Brugge is just +260 at BetMGM and as long as +360 at DraftKings.

Odds as of 12:57 pm ET, February 17th. Sign-up for the top US online casinos.

Brugge vs Atletico Madrid Pick to Qualify: Atletico (-450 at Caesars)

Atletico Madrid might not have the same talented squad it did in the 2010s, but Diego Simeone sure does know how to do one-offs. With a talented Barcelona team vying for a treble, their Copa del Rey hopes were dashed emphatically last week after a 4-0 trashing at the hands of Atletico. A rip-roaring first half saw the hosts lead 4-0 at the break, and their ability to kill a game off remains one of the biggest assets. Bookmakers don’t seem to have them as major Champions League contenders, but write them off at your own peril. 

Star-Studded Forward Line

Antoine Griezmann may not be the same player he was 10 years ago, but he is a guy that you want starting up front in knockout European Football. His recent role as a deep-lying midfielder for France shows just how highly rated his footballing smarts are. Throw in the fact that you have a fellow World Cup winner in Julian Alvarez to partner him, and that is a nightmare duo for Brugge to keep quiet.  Even if they are not the most prolific this season, expect the pair to dictate proceedings. 

Brugge the Opposite to Atletico Madrid

Taking a quick look at goals scored and against in the Champions League group stage, Brugge are the inverse of Atletico Madrid. The Belgian outfit scored 15 times and conceded 17, while Atletico scored 17 and conceded 15. From this stage on, expect both sides to try to tighten up their defence and not give away cheap goals; conceding two goals a game is not going to cut it. But with the stats in Atletico Madrid’s favour, it is hard not to back them. 

No Prolificacy for Brugge 

Although Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez may not be scoring at a rate expected of them, they have both earned credit in the bank, and the Argentine has scored four times in the competition. Brugge does not have any player who has hit the net three times, and that is a worry when travelling to Madrid, knowing that Diego Simeone will make a point of not allowing too many chances. 

Brugge have looked good in Europe, especially their recent 4-1 away win to Kairat and 3-0 home win to Marseille. But their season has been patchy at best. They recently lost to title rivals Union Saint-Gilloise, needed to overcome Zulte Waregem in a seven-goal thriller and were dumped out of the Belgian Cup last month, as well as having back-to-back games with red cards and defeats. Discipline issues and patchy form appear to be a lot to overcome, especially against a side that thrives in chaos. 

It may not be the most compelling or best put together Atletico Madrid team we have seen, but between Brugge’s inconsistencies and Atletico’s all-around quality and track record in this competition, it is hard to see the Belgians produce a shock at this stage of the competition over two legs. 

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