On Monday, UEFA drew opponents for the 16 teams left in the Champions League and there were fist pumps and exasperated sighs throughout the continent. Teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid were celebrating draws that should help them get to the Champions League Quarterfinals, while Bayern Munich and Juventus could not have been happy with drawing tough opponents despite winning their groups. Let’s look at some of the matches.
The Champions League will be back in action in mid-February. BookMaker is the place to bet on the Champions League, and they will have odds on the second leg of these Round of 16 ties shortly after the first leg finishes.
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Betting at BookMaker.eu
Paris Saint-Germain -450
Manchester United +322
PSG were already breathing a sigh of relief after winning the Group of Death, and they further avoided disaster with this draw. The French super club are big favorites to beat a Manchester United team currently in disarray. The Red Devils don’t have a manager after sacking Jose Mourinho, and that will make their task here even more difficult. PSG have spent big in order to finally win the Champions League, and they should make it to the Quarterfinals again.
FC Porto -125
AS Roma -105
Winning Group D gave Porto a favorable draw in their uphill battle in the Champions League. That group was considered wide open before the start of the competition, and the Portuguese club took full advantage in order to get a nice draw with Roma. Roma will love this draw too though after finishing second in their group. This is a toss-up, but I like Porto’s chances.
Borussia Dortmund -120
Tottenham Hotspur -110
This could be the most fun tie of the bunch. Borussia Dortmund have been great and are leading the Bundesliga near the halfway mark of the season. They are playing very good football in all competitions, but many will like Tottenham’s chances. Spurs have been in good form, and they were given a second chance in the knockout rounds. My fear is that Mauricio Pochettino will be on another team before this tie kicks off though, so I like Dortmund.
Real Madrid -450
Ajax +322
The club that has owned this competition has not had the best season, but Real Madrid will be happy with this draw. Real Madrid have always seemed to perform well in international play, and they are big favorites to advance here. However, Ajax proved themselves a worthy foe with their results against Bayern Munich in the Group Stage and will be feisty.
Liverpool -125
Bayern Munich -105
This is one of the worst possible draws for Bayern Munich. Liverpool finished runner-up in the Champions League last year, and they seem to be hitting their stride at this point in the season. Mo Salah is looking fantastic once more, and the Reds are showing they can defend too. Bayern have had a tough time against good teams all year, so they could be staring down an early exit.
Barcelona -1000
Olympique Lyon +600
The Blaugrana have not had as much European success as rivals Real Madrid, but they are looking to cash in this time. They have a very favorable draw considering the style we have seen from Lyon, and it’s going to be hard for Lyon to get past an opponent as formidable as Barcelona.
Manchester City -1600
Schalke 04 +800
The rich get richer. Manchester City were stunned by Liverpool in the Quarterfinals of the Champions League last year, but they should have a much easier time getting past Schalke. Schalke are in 14th in the Bundesliga, and they qualified by grabbing the second spot in the weakest group of the competition, Group D.
Juventus -210
Atletico Madrid +165
No tie will be more anticipated than this one. Juventus spent more money than any other club this offseason in order to be competitive in the Champions League, and now it’s time for that talent to show its worth. This is a brutal draw for Atletico Madrid, but their inability to win games cost them and this is the result. Diego Costa will miss the first leg for Atletico and will be in a rush to be ready for the second leg.
UEFA Champions League Odds
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