The UEFA Champions League has reached its round of 16 stage, and as we head closer and closer to the May 31st Budapest finale, some teams are in better shape than others. Current Premier League leaders Arsenal have been positioned as the team to beat, despite not lifting the famous big-eared trophy before. Manager Mikel Arteta has built a squad that is afraid of nobody and jam-packed with the physical attributes that won’t be over-roared no matter where they visit: the Bernabeu, Camp Nou, Allianz Arena, or anywhere else.
Arsenal have already beaten Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan in the competition, and it’s those performances – coupled with their exploits domestically – that have prompted the bookies to sit up and take note. The latest online sports betting at Bovada odds currently list the North London side as the mightily short 23/10 favorite to leave the Hungarian capital with a maiden UCL crown, with Bayern Munich (6/1) and Barcelona (13/2) considered their nearest rivals.
But while the Gunners are currently thriving, a number of the teams through to the last 16 are in far worse shape. Here are two teams that punters should avoid as the 2025/26 Champions League campaign reaches its apex.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid are the record 15-time Champions League winners, but their 2025/26 season has been an unmitigated disaster. The club’s iconic La Decima-winning central midfielder Xabi Alonso returned last summer as manager, but his tenure was over after just six months, ended by yet another El Clásico defeat to rivals Barcelona, this time in the Spanish Super Cup final. One of his former teammates, Alvaro Arbeloa, was the man tasked with replacing the outgoing gaffer, but he hasn’t fared much better.
Los Blancos were stunned by second-tier Albacete in Arbeloa’s first game in charge, as well as slumping to a 3-1 defeat to Benfica in the Champions League. They would rebound by beating the Portuguese outfit across two legs in the UCL knockout round playoffs, but injuries have since taken their toll, and the famously stacked Spanish giants are looking unusually thin in terms of star quality.
Both Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are injured with no return dates set. Rodrygo is confirmed to be out for the rest of the season, while Brazilian defender Eder Militao and Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos are both out for the next month at least. Add to that the fact that Raul Asencio and Eduardo Camavinga are both set for stints on the sideline, and it’s clear to see that Los Blancos are suddenly under-equipped to compete for both the Champions League and against Barcelona in La Liga.
Arbeloa’s side is still considered a 10/1 shot to leave Budapest with the trophy in May, but we wouldn’t be touching them with a ten-foot barge pole. They have a two-legged clash with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City looming on the horizon, and that could well end with Los Blancos’ elimination. If it does, it will mark the earliest Real has exited the Champions League in six years.
Looking rough for Real Madrid right now 🫣
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) March 4, 2026
Tottenham Hotspur
While Real Madrid may well be in the midst of a calamity for their lofty standards, Tottenham Hotspur are mired in a genuine crisis. 12 months ago, Ange Postecoglou was leading the club to its first piece of silverware in 17 years as they won the Europa League with a 1-0 triumph against Manchester United in Bilbao. The Australian boss was duly sacked for his efforts, and now, Spurs are just one point off the relegation zone in the Premier League, with the recent 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace plunging the club even deeper into the mire.
That Europa League success secured the North London outfit a spot in this season’s Champions League, despite a 17th-place finish domestically. And if you had just watched them in Europe this season, you’d be completely unaware that this was a club on the brink of disaster. Spurs won five of their eight UCL league phase games, including winning all four of their home games without conceding a single goal.
That saw them secure a spot in the top eight in the standings and a direct route to the round of 16. Now, they have been drawn opposite Atletico Madrid, a clash that Spurs supporters genuinely think their side can win, despite their domestic woes. But despite that optimism, we’re here to remind you that you cannot trust this football club with your hard-earned money.
Barring their two UCL league phase wins over German outfits Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt, Spurs haven’t won a single game since the turn of the year. In the Premier League, they have lost their five on the spin, headlined by a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby. And now they’re genuinely given a chance of beating Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid? Give us a break.
El Cholo’s men just thumped Barcelona 4-0 to punch their tickets to the Copa Del Rey final. They have already beaten Real Madrid this season, and they will surely dispatch Spurs as well. Bettors, avoid Tottenham like the plague, even if they somehow make their way through to the quarterfinals.
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