Champions League Best Bets & Picks for October 21st: Odds, Parlays, and Top Player Props

After three weeks away, Champions League Matchweek 3 has finally arrived, and nine glorious matches decorate the slate on Tuesday, October 21st. Barcelona will look to bounce back from their loss last time out against defending champions PSG as they help kick off the early window at home against Olympiacos.

Update: Check out our Champions League Best Bets and Picks for Wednesday October 22nd.

Later on, several English Premier League sides find themselves in the headliners, as Arsenal host Atlético Madrid, Newcastle host Benfica, and Manchester City play away to Villarreal. Other notable fixtures include PSV-Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen-PSG.

Amidst the storylines, Azerbaijani champions Qarabağ are a huge surprise at the top of the table, having come through the second qualifying round and started their campaign with wins over Benfica and Copenhagen. Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and last year's finalists PSG and Inter Milan make up the rest of the clubs on six points.

Of course, Liverpool getting upset by Galatasaray dominated the headlines, but Ajax starting off their 2025-26 Champions League campaign with defeats against Inter Milan and Marseille has raised some eyebrows.

So what will happen in Champions League matchweek 3? Well, we've done all the research for you and will provide you with our Champions League best bets for today, which include goalscorer parlays, upsets, and player props. Get out your favorite betting apps because today is going to be a busy one!

Taking the Favorites - Parlay

📊 Parlay Odds: +939 (via Caesars Sportsbook) ⭐

• Leg 1: Barcelona ML
• Leg 2: Newcastle ML
• Leg 3: Borussia Dortmund ML
• Leg 4: Inter Milan ML
• Leg 5: PSG ML

While many of these games seem like a forgone conclusion on paper, predicting five wins, no matter what the odds are, is a bit of a tough ask.

So far in this year's Champions League, there have only been eight draws through the first 36 matches, though the level of parity is much higher over the last few years than in the past.

We have no doubts about Barcelona breezing past Olympiacos and expect Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund to take care of Union Saint-Gilloise and Copenhagen, respectively, on the road. This leaves Newcastle hosting Benfica and PSG playing away to Bayer Leverkusen to get this five-team parlay done.

Benfica have been in very poor form both domestically and in the Champions League, losing to Qarabağ and stumbling through Liga Portugal this season. While Benfica haven't had many good results, they have only lost twice in all competitions. Unfortunately for them, both of those defeats have come in Europe's premier competition. While Newcastle hasn't done themselves many favors this year, they look to be a much stronger side, even if Sandro Tonali isn't fit to play.

PSG will be out there with a point to prove against Leverkusen, dropping points to Lille and Strasbourg after a spectacular 2-1 win in Barcelona. We think that the reigning four-time Ligue 1 champions are putting a lot more emphasis on the Champions League and will bring a much better showcase to Germany. Ousmane Dembélé and Marquinhos are back in the side, which should provide the visitors with a significant boost.

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Where Are the Goals? - Team Prop Parlay

📊 Parlay Odds: +753 via FanDuel) ⭐

• Leg 1: Barcelona - Olympiacos Both Teams to Score: No
• Leg 2: Union St. Gilloise - Inter Milan Under 2.5 Goals
• Leg 3: Villarreal - Manchester City Under 2.5 Goals

The obvious plus-money leg on this one is betting a Manchester City match to run under 2.5 goals. With the superstar scoring power of Erling Haaland, it's little wonder why you may have doubts when looking at this one. You may be surprised to learn that six of City's 11 matches have featured only two goals or less this season.

Villarreal, generally an attacking side themselves, will have to play much more defensively, which could cause this match to turn into a midfield battle. City will also be without Rodri, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Abdukodir Khusanov as well, which could cause some lapses in the midfield.

At over seven-to-one odds, this three-leg parlay is just too good to pass up.

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Champions League Best Bets and Player Props

📊 Parlay Odds: +736 via Caesars Sportsbook) ⭐

• Leg 1: Marcus Rashford Anytime Goalscorer
• Leg 2: Dortmund ML
• Leg 3: Barcelona ML
• Leg 4: Erling Haaland Anytime Goalscorer
• Leg 5: Manchester City ML

It's hard not to take Marcus Rashford to score when we expect Barcelona to pile up the goals against Olympiacos today. It's also difficult not to believe Haaland will help Manchester City get the job done against Villarreal. Pair those results together with Borussia Dortmund traveling to a struggling Copenhagen outfit and you've got a juicy parlay that could spin your bankroll up.

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