Real Madrid vs Marseille: Champions League betting tips, odds and predictions

• Real Madrid are expected to beat Marseille, with cards and goals in focus.

• Benjamin Pavard could pick up a yellow card, with fellow Frenchman Kylian Mbappé tipped to score.

• It won't be all Real Madrid though, with Marseille hitman Amine Gouiri predicted to land a shot on target.

Real Madrid, one of the Champions League favourites, begin their campaign with what looks like a favourable home tie against Marseille at the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday evening.

Madrid under new manager Xabi Alonso have made a strong start to the season, while Marseille have shown flashes but will be viewed as underdogs in this fixture.

Ahead of what should be an entertaining opener, here are the latest odds, tips and predictions for your Bet Builder.

Real Madrid have won all of their opening La Liga games thus far this season. Meanwhile, Marseille have had a mixed record in Ligue 1, with two wins and two losses in their first four.

Given Madrid’s strength at home, their attacking options, and the pressure Marseille will face, backing a home win seems sensible.

Pavard is a new signing for Marseille, having joined on loan from Inter Milan with an option to buy.

As a defender adjusting to the intensity of having to play in a back-four and to a new club, he may find himself in situations of pressure, tackling, and possibly committing fouls.

Marseille’s defence will likely need to be physical. While direct card stats for Pavard this season are limited, the back that he'll be playing centre-back, despite having spent the majority of his time in recent years as a right-back or in a back-three, suggests he's one to watch in this betting market.

Mbappé has had a blazing start to La Liga, scoring four goals in his first four matches. He also scored in the most recent match against Real Sociedad, even with Real Madrid down to 10 men for much of the game.

His form and scoring momentum make him a strong candidate to find the net in this one.

Amine Gouiri has taken a small number of shots so far in Ligue 1 this season, but impressively, when he does shoot, his accuracy has been good: in two matches he has already registered two shots on target.

Even though he has yet to score this campaign, his shot‐on‐target rate suggests he is creating chances and should manage at least one on target against Real Madrid.

You can bet on each of these individually, or combine them into a four‐fold accumulator which could offer a good return.

Check out our Champions League accumulator tips, which backs wins for Liverpool and Manchester City but defeats for Chelsea and Newcastle.

With Bet Builder+, you can combine your football bets with a host of other sports bets.

Check out our Champions League draw article for Liverpool and the other favourites' fixtures in the league phase, as well as the games to watch out for.

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.