Why You Should Back the Usual Suspects to Score in the Champions League

The Champions League showcases Europe’s elite players but the most recent round of fixtures showed that the continent’s best defenders are having a hard time containing the most lethal attackers. 

Scott Thornton analyses what makes the most prolific forwards so lethal ahead of the second legs to find the value with the bookmakers. All five of these players delivered by finding the net in the first leg.

Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Champions League Marksmen

Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe has long been established as one of world football’s finest players but could this be the year he finally gets his hands on the Champions League? Kylian made the move from PSG to Real Madrid in the summer and seems to have found his feet in the Spanish capital.  

Mbappe scored 10 goals in 13 matches in 2025 ahead of Real Madrid’s trip to Osasuna at the weekend. He has amassed a total of four goals in the Champions League thus far but will likely add to that tally if Los Blancos are to make it to the latter stages. The Frenchman scored in the first leg against Manchester City. His pace and expertly timed runs should cause problems for Pep Guardiola’s shaky defensive line once again. 

Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland netted twice against Real Madrid last week but his team still succumbed to defeat. Carlo Ancelotti’s defence is down to barebones and Haaland’s physical capabilities proved a handful. 

Haaland isn’t having the best season of his career but he remains prolific. He has netted eight goals in the Champions League and 19 in the Premier League ahead of the game against Newcastle. Over the past 12 months, Erling has a non-penalty xG of 0.72 per 90 minutes played, meaning he ranks in the top 1% compared with all other forwards across Europe’s top five leagues. The Norwegian will have to put on a show if his team are to have any chance of upsetting the odds and securing victory and the Santiago Bernabeu.

Harry Kane

Harry Kane made the switch to Germany in pursuit of silverware. He is still waiting for that elusive first trophy but this looks set to be the season that Harry achieves that aim. The England captain has proven himself as one of the best finishers in the game and continues to reach that level at Bayern Munich. 

Kane has seven goals in the Champions League this season, meaning he is three goals behind in the race for the Golden Boot. He netted 36 goals in the Bundesliga last season and looks set to be the top scorer once again after scoring 21 goals in 19 appearances this term with Leverkusen to come at the weekend. Harry ranks in the top 8% for non-penalty goals, non-penalty xG, shots and assists compared with forwards across Europe’s top five leagues, highlighting his importance to this Bayern attack. Kane scored against Celtic but squandered another big chance to find the net. He will look to fill his boots when the teams meet at the Allianz Arena.

Serhou Guirassy

Serhou Guirassy was the surprise package in the Bundesliga last season. He scored 28 goals for Stuttgart, which was enough to earn him a move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer. He hasn’t been quite as effective in the German top flight this time around but he has no such trouble in Europe.

Guirassy is the top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals in nine matches. His ratio of 1.38 goals per 90 minutes played in the competition is superior to any other attacker’s. Serhou scored and assisted as Dortmund coasted past Sporting CP in Lisbon. The striker will be keen to add to his tally in the home leg. 

Ousmane Dembele

Ousmane Dembele is the only player that isn’t considered an out-and-out centre forward on this list but his importance to PSG in the goalscoring department cannot be overstated. The Parisians were left with a gaping hole in their attack when Kylian Mbappe departed but Dembele stepping up has gone a long way towards filling that void. 

Dembele has scored six goals in seven Champions League matches this season. He was dropped for PSG’s game against Arsenal in the league phase after an altercation with Luis Enrique but has since made amends. The Frenchman is in remarkable scoring form. He has scored 18 goals in his last 11 games, failing to score in just one of those matches. Brest had no answer for Dembele in the first leg. He had seven shots and netted two goals. Ousmane will likely prove a thorn in their side once again when the teams meet at the Parc des Princes. 

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