Betting against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League is a bad idea.
The reigning champion of the European competition has six wins and one loss in its last seven UCL group-stage contests.
Real Madrid cashed on the money line last week despite losing top scorer Karim Benzema and playing in a raucous environment in Scotland against Celtic.
The Spanish giant is back in action on Wednesday against RB Leipzig, who may be seen by some as a live underdog. Leipzig has a strong attack and it used the new manager bump to get past Borussia Dortmund on Saturday.
Leipzig's recent record in the UCL does not help its case on the road at the Santiago Bernabeu. Maybe Leipzig would have a chance if the game was played in Germany, but this is Real Madrid at home in a competition in which it has won more than any other club.
UCL Soccer Selections
Real Madrid (-160) vs. RB Leipzig (3 p.m. ET)
Vinicius Junior To Score (+110)
Do not bet against Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage.
Real Madrid earned five wins in six group-stage contests last season. The lone slip-up was a shock loss to Sheriff Tiraspol, but that was more of a shock upset than a reverse in Madrid's European form. One bad night is allowed as long as you recover from it.
Real Madrid held four clean sheets in group play last season, and while Karim Benzema was the top scorer, the players around him contributed in the goal column as well.
That will be vital to success on Wednesday after Benzema left the Matchday 1 clash with Celtic in the first half with an injury. Real Madrid wore down Celtic and eventually scored three goals on the road.
Los Blancos did not miss a beat over the weekend with a 4-1 win over Mallorca in which four different players found the back of the net, including Vinicius Junior.
The Brazilian attacker comes into Wednesday on a five-game scoring streak in all competitions and with three goals in his last four UCL starts.
RB Leipzig will not be a walkover opponent, but it was knocked around a bit by the European giants last season in the UCL. The German side conceded nine goals in away matches against Manchester City and PSG.
RB Leipzig's form has changed since then and it has been through two different managers in that span, but we are still talking about a team that started the Bundesliga campaign with one win in five matches and lost by three goals to Shakhtar Donetsk last week.
One win at home under a new manager is not enough to convince me that Leipzig will be competitive for all 90 minutes.
Real Madrid carries the advantages in team form, European experience and the best attacker on the field, so it is hard to bet against the Spanish side no matter which way you break down the matchup.
Maccabi Haifa vs. PSG (-1.5; -185) (3 p.m. ET)
PSG is in rip-roaring form to start the season.
The Parisians have eight wins in nine games across all competitions. They have six performances of three or more goals and they have five clean sheets, three of which have come in the last four games.
Maccabi Haifa is a fantastic story, but the Israeli side will not be able to hold off the impending surge out Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi.
PSG jumped on Juventus in the fifth minute on Matchday 1 and Mbappe had a brace by the 22nd minute.
The French champion should win this contest by multiple goals and it may allow Mbappe to get ahead of Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
FC Copenhagen vs. Sevilla (+115) (3 p.m. ET)
Sevilla got worked by Manchester City at home on Matchday 1.
The Spanish side had no defensive answer for Haaland and landed at the bottom of Group G behind FC Copenhagen.
Sevilla's response to that loss is the reason I'm all over them as a road favorite on Wednesday. Sevilla went back into La Liga and gutted out a 3-2 win over Espanyol on the road.
That result showed me that Sevilla still has fight in it, and I think that will be on display once again on Wednesday.
Sevilla has the advantage in quality across every position compared to FC Copenhagen and it could use this match as a statement to Man City and Borussia Dortmund that it will be a hard out in Group G despite what the opening result was.