Round of 16 Champions League betting preview

The Champions League returned last week with some monumental results which will set up many enticing battles in the second legs.

Atletico Madrid defeated the defending champions Liverpool 1-0, whilst Borussia Dortmund got the better of Paris Saint-Germain, although the French side take a crucial away goal to Paris after their 2-1 loss.

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur have all the work to do in Germany, after Jose Mourinho's men lost 1-0 in north London to RB Leipzig, whilst Atalanta eased past Valencia 4-1 in Italy.

Chelsea's form since we turned into 2020 has been very hit and miss. The Blues have struggled for consistency and went four Premier League games without a win prior to their crucial victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.

Frank Lampard's men have often fallen at the crucial points this season but proved on Saturday they can come up with the goods when it matters the most. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, are still on top of German football, although they have been far from their usual unbeatable form.

This season, the Bundesliga champions have lost four and drawn four in the league and find themselves in an extremely close title race.

However, Bayern have won every game in Europe with ease this campaign and are at 4/5 to beat Chelsea, whilst Frank Lampard's men are 3/1 to win with Sky Bet.

As Chelsea and Bayern clash on Tuesday, we also see Napoli host Barcelona on the same day for what is one of the most intriguing battles of the round.

The Spanish champions have been almost perfect in the Champions League in recent years, until they reach the later rounds. Barcelona have exited from the competition in the past two seasons having led by three goals in the first leg, making this an interesting battle throughout.

This is especially true when you consider the attacking nature of Napoli and how they managed to beat Liverpool at home and draw 1-1 at Anfield in the group stages.

This fixture is hard to call when you throw in Barcelona's recent history and injuries and Napoli's poor form and their goalscoring appeal. As a result, the Italian side are 11/5 to win, whilst Lionel Messi and co. are 23/20 to win with Sky Bet.

We move onto Wednesday's fixtures which sees the most enticing tie of the draw, as Real Madrid host Manchester City. This tie grabs the eye for a variety of reasons, but none more so than the fact we will see two European giants with two of the best teams around clash in a knockout phase.

City come into the game knowing they won't see any European football next year and will soon concede the Premier League title to Liverpool, which will most likely mean all eggs in this Champions League basket. At the same time, Zinedine Zidane is tough to beat in this competition, as he boasts the joint-most Champions League medals as a manager - something he achieved in just three consecutive seasons.

However, this tie sees Pep Guardiola face Madrid once again. The City boss beat Los Blancos six times in El Clasico fixtures, including three wins at the Bernabeu. In fact, the Spaniard has lost just once at the home of Madrid - a 1-0 defeat as Bayern Munich's boss in 2014.

When you consider Guardiola's dominance over Spanish sides and City's desperation to win this title, it is clear to see why they are 11/8 to win at the Bernabeu. The home side, however, are 9/5 to beat the Premier League champions in Spain.

On paper, there is only one winner when Juventus travel to Lyon. The French side are slumped into seventh, seven points off the top three Champions League spots in Ligue 1 and are without match-winners like Memphis Depay. On the other hand, Lyon have been one of the best sides in France since the turn of 2020, losing just twice in all competitions.

Juventus, however, are still top of the tree in Italy and have lost just three games across the board all season. There is then the obvious threat of five-time Champions League winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 23 goals this season and is in stellar form after he equalled the Serie A record for scoring in 11 consecutive games.

In truth, both sides have been in similar form over the past few months, which doesn't make this a walk in the park for Juventus. As a result, Lyon are 16/5 to win, with the Turin side the heavy favourites at 17/20 with Sky Bet.