The first legs of the Champions League play-off round kick off tonight, with Europe’s heavyweights and hopefuls battling for a coveted place in the Round of 16.

As the famous anthem echoes around floodlit, frost-covered stadiums across the continent, I’ll admit my mind drifts slightly – mainly to what I’d do with a monster parlay payout.

A beach house in Miami? A private jet? Then again, the IRS would probably already be drawing up plans for their share.

But for those of us operating in the real world, here’s a far more grounded (and slightly more sensible) parlay for the evening’s action.

Monaco vs PSG – Over 2.5 goals

Paris Saint-Germain have no shortage of firepower. While they’ve shown the occasional wobble in this year’s competition, they remain the holders for a reason.

They put five past Marseille last week and will be looking to carry that attacking momentum into this clash. Monaco are defensively organised, but they know they can’t simply sit back and hope to survive. Taking nothing to Paris would all but end their hopes.

Both teams to ccore has appeal, but with the quality on display, and the likelihood Monaco will have to take a risk, over 2.5 Goals looks the stronger play.

Benfica vs Real Madrid – Over 2.5 goals

The last time these two met in this competition, we were treated to a six-goal thriller.

Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin even grabbed a dramatic 98th-minute goal to seal their progression – pure Champions League chaos.

Real Madrid possesses a frightening array of attacking talent and can overwhelm opponents in bursts. However, they’ve also shown a tendency to switch off defensively and concede sloppy goals.

With so much quality in forward areas and both sides capable of exploiting defensive lapses, backing over 2.5 goals again feels like the smart angle rather than trying to pick a winner in what could be another classic.

Inter Milan to win

Inter Milan come into this tie on a six-game winning streak and were unfortunate not to secure automatic qualification during the league phase.

Bodø/Glimt have been one of the competition’s feel-good stories. They even pulled off a famous home win over Manchester City earlier in the campaign.

But knockout football is a different beast, and Inter’s experience, squad depth, and recent form should prove decisive.

This feels like the spot where the Cinderella run ends.

Newcastle to win

Despite enduring an awful time as of late, Newcastle look like they might have turned a corner slightly, having won two away games in a row, both away from home too.

Yes, one was Tottenham, and the other was a cup game, but they all count, I guess.

Qarabag have picked up some respectable results in this campaign, though they’ve also been on the wrong end of heavy defeats.

Expect them to compete, but over 90 minutes Newcastle should beat Qarabag – even if they make harder work of it than their fans would like.

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