Champions League Betting – FC Schalke 04 vs. Real Madrid

FC Schalke 04 (+700) vs. Real Madrid (-275) (Draw +400)

Real Madrid will land in Germany to face FC Schalke 04 tomorrow (February 18) in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Kick-off will be at 2:45 p.m. Eastern at Gelsenkirchen Stadium.

In the moneyline, Los Blancos are the favorites to win, listed at -275 in the odds despite having to travel. Schalke is +700 and the draw is +400.  In the handicap, the Real is -1.

Real Madrid were a perfect 6-0 in the Group Stage, posted an impressive +14 goal difference, and won three games by at least two goals. In contrast, Schalke finished the round robin portion 2-2-2, had a -5 goal difference, and lost two meetings by two goals.

Real Madrid are also the defending champions and, as a result, have a nine-game winning streak on the go in the Champions League. Their last setback was against Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of last year’s quarterfinals.

Unfortunately for Schalke, this matchup is a repeat of last year’s Round of 16, in which the Spaniards embarrassed the Germans 9-2 on aggregate. While there has been some turnover on both rosters, don’t expect a different outcome this time around.

Bet Real Madrid both in the moneyline and the handicap.

(Photo credit: El Coleccionista de Instant (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode]. Photo may appear cropped.)