The race for the Champions League golden boot is intensifying, with several leading contenders vying for the title.

Odds courtesy of Parimatch. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Will Play-off Games Boost Haaland’s Chances?

The Champions League’s new format this season has created an extra round of games before the final stages. The knockout play-off round means that some teams will play two extra games in their attempts to go all the way.

Clearly, none of the teams competing in this round wanted to be at this stage and would rather have been in the last 16. However, it has afforded some players an extra couple of games to boost their goal tally.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG and AC Milan are among the biggest names at this stage, although Real and City were drawn against each other. Many of these stars are also among the anytime scorer favourites for this upcoming round of second-leg games.

Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Ousmane Dembele were all on target in their respective first legs. They are certainly the safest bets in this competition at the moment, and the bookmakers expect them to be among the goals in the second legs.

Haaland, in particular, seems to be a strong contender. His Manchester City team will be pushing incredibly hard. Pep Guardiola’s men are going to the Bernabeu trying to overturn a 3-2 deficit, which hints that they’ll have to push hard and create chances.

Haaland has been one of the most clinical strikers for years in this competition and scored a brace in the first leg. Mbappe also found the net in that game, and with his speed on the counter, he represents great anytime scorer value. However, it’s worth noting he has only netted four goals in the competition this term.

The main player to watch at the moment is Dembele, who has been one of Europe’s biggest prospects in front of goal. The Frenchman had scored in eight successive PSG outings before the weekend and has become an unstoppable force.

What’s even more impressive is that in his last four appearances before the weekend, he found the net at least twice. At the rate he is scoring currently, he is a strong contender for the golden boot at odds of 21.00.

Looking beyond this round, familiar names like Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski will return, both of whom are prolific in this competition. However, there is a possibility that Lewandowski’s Barcelona could face PSG in the next round, which could be a tricky encounter.

Players to Steer Clear of

It’s difficult to pinpoint players who offer poor value to get on the scoresheet, but there are some standout names. AC Milan’s Rafael Leao is typically among the top anytime scorer options, but he tends to be unpredictable in the Champions League.

He netted in three successive league phase games, but since then, he has drawn successive scoring blanks. In the first leg’s 1-0 defeat against Feyenoord, Milan’s key player only mustered one blocked shot, the same as in the previous game.

Christian Pulisic tends to be a better anytime scorer bet for Milan in this competition at the moment, having scored in successive games. Over at Juventus, Randal Kolo Muani is their leading marksman and has only just been added to their Champions League squad.

He has made a great start to his Juve career in Serie A, scoring in three successive games, but he has struggled in the Champions League. He has failed to score in 12 successive Champions League games and is certainly a player to avoid in the anytime scorer market.

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo is often considered one of the more likely scorers by the bookmakers. While four goals in seven games suggest he is a potent threat in this competition, it's worth noting those four came in just two games.

He does have a good historical record against Manchester City, but his side are likely to see less of the ball in the second leg. He may have few chances to make an impact in the crucial second leg.