Top Picks for Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Check out our top picks for Wednesday, April 16, 2025! We have some interesting betting predictions for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, and Brazilian Serie A.

Inter vs. Bayern Pick: Both Teams to Score

Bayern Munich is a soccer machine, but it’s missing some of its parts. This team’s key playmaker Jamal Musiala is out with an injury and so is the team captain, goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer. Further, defenders Dayot Upamecano, Hiroki Ito, and Alphonso Davies are injured as well.

This explains why Bayern Munich conceded a total of 5 goals in the 3 games played in April. This team still looks dangerous offensively, which is no surprise given that there’s Harry Kane in the attacking department.

The Englishman, however, didn’t score in Bayern’s last two games, which includes the first leg with Inter Milan, which the Germans lost 2:1 at home.

Now, they need to try and beat Inter Milan in Italy, but it won’t be easy as Nerazzurri as fantastic on home turf. They won each of their last nine games played at San Siro. However, they conceded a goal in each of the last four games in all competitions. Plus, these guys haven’t played against such an elite opponent in a while.

That said, we think Bayern will score in Italy, but we also think Inter will find the net. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if the second leg finished with the same result as the first one, but in Bayern’s favor this time around.

Real Madrid vs. Arsenal Pick: Real Madrid 2+

Real Madrid are 3:0 down against Arsenal, who got such a large advantage thanks to Declan Rice who scored two goals from free kicks. The third goal was the work of Mikel Merino.

Both of these guys are midfielders, but with most of Arsenal’s strikers being injured, Merino is playing the central forward role. Speaking of injuries, apart from missing two strikers – Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, this team will also miss defenders Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel, and Takehiro Tomiyasu.

When it comes to Real Madrid’s absentees, Los Blancos will be without Eduardo Camavinga, which can be a serious problem as the defensive midfielder has been on of their key men in the center of the field.

As a result, Carlo Ancelotti is expected to go with a midfield trio made up of Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, and Aurelien Tchouameni. These guys will lead a real battle with Arsenal’s midfield, but we think they’ll create enough scoring chances for the forwards. Last time, they made 9 goal attempts; they should do something similar this time around as well.

But it’s up to their forwards to score. Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe, and Rodrygo didn’t find the net in the first leg, but in the second leg, they should be able to do it. First of all, they play at home, and on their turf, Los Blancos have scored in every single game since October 2024.

Secondly, Real Madrid have no other option but to go all-in on the offense and try to score at least three goals. Will they pull it off? We’re not 100% sure, but we think they can find the net (at least) twice.

Newcastle vs. Crystal Palace Pick: Newcastle

Crystal Palace is one of the teams whose performances are very hard to predict. Sometimes they struggle against horrible opponents (e.g., 1:1 with Southampton on April 2), sometimes they beat formidable rivals (e.g., a 2:1 win over Brighton on April 5).

But Newcastle are much easier to figure out. These guys tend to win every time they’re seen as favorites. At least that’s been the case in the last couple of months.

The Magpies won 7 of their last 9 Premier League games, while losing two – against Manchester City and Liverpool – both on the road and in both of those, they were underdogs, +650 and +250, respectively.

Now, they’re seen as favorites, which is no surprise as they’re on a 5-win run in all competitions. Thanks to their good form, they’re now in the No. 4 position in the EPL standings. If they beat Newcastle on April 16, they will leapfrog Nottingham and get to the No. 3 position.

Given that they have some tough matches ahead in the Prem, getting all 3 points against Crystal Palace is a must. They’re a much better team than the Eagles, but they’ll be without their coach Eddie Howe, who’s recovering from pneumonia.

This is why we don’t expect a big win, but we do expect them to get the job done.

Botafogo RJ vs. Sao Paulo Pick: Botafogo RJ

Botafogo RJ is the defending Brazilian Serie A champion, but this team hasn’t started the title defense in the top gear. These guys are 1-1-1 in 2025, which isn’t great.

To be fair to them, they did play against Brazil’s most expensive club, Palmeiras, in the first round. It was an away game for them, so the fact that it finished in a 0:0 draw is actually a good achievement for Botafogo RJ.

In the second round, they defeated Juventude 2:0, which was kind of expected. Not only are they a way better team, but the game was also played on their turf.

Then, in the third round, they lost 1:0 to Bragantino, a mediocre side that finished just a few spots above the relegation zone last season. The only justification for this loss is that it was played on Bragantino’s turf in Sao Paulo.

Now, Botafogo are coming back to Rio De Janeiro to try and get back onto the winning track. Their opponent is Sao Paulo FC, a team with three draws in the 2025 Serie A.

Botafogo’s players are much better than those playing for Sao Paulo FC, although this team does have a couple of big names on the roster. This includes former Chelsea playmaker Oscar and ex-Tottenham forward Lucas Moura.

The bad news for Sao Paulo FC fans is that they’re both injured. And so is this team’s most expensive player, defensive midfielder, Pablo Maia.