Wednesday's Champions League matchday seven predictions: Turin trip to end in misery for Mourinho

Where to watch Wednesday's Champions League matches

Qarabag vs Eintracht Frankfurt
TNT Sports 9, 5.45pm

Galatasaray vs Atletico Madrid
TNT Sports 10, 5.45pm

Juventus vs Benfica
TNT Sports 5, 8pm

Slavia Prague vs Barcelona
TNT Sports 6, 8pm

Bayern Munich vs Union Saint-Gilloise
TNT Sports 7, 8pm

Atalanta vs Athletic Bilbao
TNT Sports 8, 8pm

Best bets

Baris Yilmaz to assist a goal vs Atletico Madrid
1pt 17-2 Coral, Ladbrokes

Juventus to win & under 3.5 goals
2pts 6-4 BoyleSports, Betfair, Paddy Power

Atalanta to win & under 3.5 goals
2pts 8-5 BoyleSports

Champions League matchday sevens predictions

Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle continue their league-phase campaigns on Wednesday, and there are six other exciting Champions League fixtures to get stuck into. 

Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are among the European royalty in action, although the fixture of the day comes from Turin, where in-form Juventus take on Jose Mourinho's Benfica. 

Qarabag vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Although they start the round on only seven points, Qarabag have enjoyed a rare Champions League campaign to remember, featuring a 3-2 win over Benfica and 2-2 draw against Chelsea which will live long in the memory for fans of the Azerbaijani side. 

A spot in the top 24 is still achievable but they are likely to need a positive result against Eintracht Frankfurt given they have a trip to Anfield up next. 

Frankfurt are the stronger side but they are inconsistent, still searching for a first win of 2026, and haven't tasted success in the Champions League since September. 

Galatasaray vs Atletico Madrid

Gone are the days when Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid were Europe's hardest team to break down - the Spanish giants have conceded 12 goals and failed to keep a clean sheet in their opening six Champions League games of the campaign. 

And, again uncharacteristically of a Simeone side, no team had conceded more set-piece goals than their six before this round of Champions League matches. 

Even if a win evades them, it would be a major surprise if hosts Galatasaray failed to score in Istanbul and it is a big surprise to see Baris Yilmaz, their chief creator, both from set-pieces and open-play, at such a big price to provide an assist. 

Yilmaz has registered seven assists in 16 league matches this term and has a great opportunity to provide a first in Europe, especially with star striker Victor Osimhen back from the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Juventus vs Benfica

Jose Mourinho is unbeaten in the Primeira Liga since returning to Benfica but he has had far less joy in Europe, losing three of his five matches in the Champions League. 

In contrast, Luciano Spalletti has not lost any of his three Champions League matches since being appointed Juventus manager in November, losing just two of his 16 games in total, and his attacking methods should outdo Mourinho's defend-first approach. 

Juve are yet to lose at home this season and have won five of their last six at the Allianz Stadium, so another Turin triumph looks to be on the horizon. 

Slavia Prague vs Barcelona

With no wins and just two goals scored in six games, Slavia Prague look out of their depth in the Champions League, and things are unlikely to get any better when free-scoring Barcelona come to town. 

Barca suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad on Sunday but Hansi Flick's side racked up 3.6 expected goals (xG) in that loss and had won their previous 11 matches, so they can be expected to bounce back at Slavia, who were beaten 3-0 by out-of-form Tottenham in their last Champions League outing. 

Bayern Munich vs Union Saint-Gilloise

Union Saint-Gilloise's maiden Champions League campaign hasn't quite gone to plan and given the firepower of Bayern Munich, it is a worry that they have conceded at least three goals in each of their four league-phase losses. 

Vincent Kompany's ruthless Bavarians opened 2026 with a stunning 8-1 demolition of Wolfsburg, followed by a 3-1 win over Cologne and 5-1 thrashing of RB Leipzig, so it would be no surprise to see Bayern rack up the goals against USG. 

Atalanta vs Athletic Bilbao

Atalanta have been the Champions League's surprise packages and their excellent start should continue against Athletic Bilbao. 

The departure of legendary manager Gian Piero Gasperini could have left the boys from Bergamo in the mire but Raffaele Palladino has done brilliantly since taking over, and away wins at Marseille and Frankfurt plus at home to Chelsea in their last three Champions League games highlight the progress made under the Italian. 

Atalanta have been particularly excellent at home, losing just two of their 15 matches at the New Balance Arena, and they can be expected to see off travel-sick Bilbao, who have won only two of their 13 away games against top-flight opposition this term. 

La Dea had a gung-ho reputation under Gasperini but that has not carried over into the Palladino era, so take under 3.5 goals, which has landed in their last eight matches, alongside a home win. 

Read more on the Champions League:

Champions League accumulator: Joe Casey has a 6-1 acca for matchday seven 

Marseille vs Liverpool: Get 50-1 on a goal to be scored with Betfair 

Dan Childs fancies Middlesbrough to see off Stoke in the Championship 

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Important information: This article may contain links to offers or promotions that were available at the time of publication. These offers may have since expired or changed.

Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.