Champions League Round Of 16: Preview, Prediction, And Odds
Published February 25, 2020 by Sol FH
The final four matches of the Champions League Round of 16 first leg get started tonight at 20:00 GMT.
We have been waiting for one entire long week since the first four matches of the Champions League Round of 16 were played out. What incredible action it has been thus far. First off, let's take a quick look back at the highlights from last week before getting into tonight and tomorrow's action.
Last Tuesday, we saw Liverpool lose on one of the rare occasions wherein the team played poorly. It was a shame that it came in the round of 16 to Atletico Madrid, but they are now back on track after beating West Ham in league play and should dominate Atletico at Anfield in the second leg.
Dortmund played to victory over PSG in the second match of the night, but it was a hard-earned win and it will be interesting to see if Paris can overcome the goal deficit when they play at home in the second leg.
On Wednesday, last week we saw two upsets. The first, Atalanta dominated Valencia 4-1 at home which should be enough to secure a spot in the next round, but only time will tell. The second, a true upset wherein RB Leipzig beat Tottenham 1-0 away, leaving the Hot Spurs in need of a big victory in the second leg in Germany.
Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich, 20:00 GMT
This will be one of the central matches of the evening as the Blues play host to Bayern. Chelsea beat the Spurs 2-1 in league play, but since they missed out on the top spot in Group H of the Champions League, they will have to face Bayern tonight, and the Bundesliga champions are heavy favorites to win.
At 10bet Sportsbook, Bayern is favored to win at 1.86, while Chelsea is back at 3.60 even though the match is at Stamford Bridge. This is a tough decision but take the Blues to win 3-2.
Napoli vs. Barcelona, 20:00 GMT
Messi is coming off a 4-goal performance against Eibar in La Liga action, continuing the squad's four-game win streak. The former Real Betis coach Quique Setien, who got the call to lead Barca on January 13 following the release of Ernesto Valverde, will be debuting his European career managing an elite-club tonight.
He is ready to show that this team is better than ever, "It is my first Champions League match. It is an emotional game for me, to start my journey in the Champions League in a stadium with so much history and passion. I think it will be an exciting match and I hope it will be remembered because we played well, with character."
At 888 Sport, the odds are a bit closer than the Chelsea/Bayern match, but Barca has the lead at 2.28 and Napoli is behind at 3.25. Expect Barca to put on a clinic and beat Napoli 4-1.
Lyon vs. Juventus, Wednesday Night, 20:00 GMT
Lyon will be hoping that their home-pitch advantage will help them tomorrow night, as they welcome Juventus to the Groupama Stadium.
Les Gones are on an eight-match win streak at home in the Champions League, but they have dropped three out of four on-the-road.
Juventus are neck-and-neck with Lazio in league play and have won three of its last five matches in Serie A action.
Both teams have some positions to fill due to injuries. For Lyon, Youssouf Kone, Memphis Depay, Rafael, Jeff Reine-Adelaide, and Oumar Solet are all out, while Leo Dubois is still not fit to play following his long-term injury.
For Juventus, Miralem Pjanic hasn't been declared fit to play, while Sami Khedira, Merih Demiral, and Douglas Costa are definitely out due to injury.
Juventus is favored to win by 10Bet Sport with competitive odds of 2.00. Lyon, no pushover by any means is just behind at 3.95. Juventus are too strong for Lyon and should be able to get the win at 2-1.
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City, Wednesday Night, 20:00 GMT
Real Madrid hosts Manchester City at Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.
Real have have won the tournament 13 times in their history, a record, and face Manchester City tonight, who has never made it passed the semi-finals of Europe's top tournament.
Zinedine Zidane's squad has suffered a loss to Levante in league play and they are not looking as strong as they did a few weeks ago. Even with the home-stadium advantage, 888Sport likes City to win at 2.35, while Los Blancos are at 2.95. Something about the underdog in this match just makes sense. Take Real to win 3-2.
The odds mentioned here were accurate at the featured bookmakers at the hour and date the article was written, respectively 3 pm UK time, Tuesday February 25th.
