2019 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview

2019 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview

Written by on February 8, 2019

We are at the start of the Round of 16 in the 2018-2019 UEFA Champions League, as the knockout round begins on February 12 and runs to June 1, when the final will take place in Madrid, Spain. The group stage included eight groups, and the winner and runner-up advanced to the knockout rounds. The winners enter the round of 16 as seeded teams, while the runners-up unseeded. In the Round of 16, the two opponents will play two legs, with each team getting a leg at home. We have your UEFA Champions League betting preview for the first leg, with the schedule and our thoughts on some of the matches.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Betting Preview

Schalke 04 vs Manchester City

  • Leg 1: February 20     Leg 2: March 12
This is a very favorable matchup for City, as Schalke UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Manchester City advances

Atletico Madrid vs Juventus

  • Leg 1: February 20     Leg 2: March 12
Juventus won their group, edging out Manchester United, and they come to Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo on their roster. However, at home, Atletico has only given up five goals in nine matches, but they did permit four goals to Borussia Dortmund on the road in group play. Atletico has a stout defense, with Diego Godin and Jan Oblak, but can they score with Juventus? Watch Ronaldo for Juventus and Antoine Griezmann for Atletico. UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Juventus advances

Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain

  • Leg 1: February 12     Leg 2: March 6
PSG scored 17 goals in group play and had almost 50 goals through their first 16 fixtures in Ligue 1, as Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and the rest of their offense score in bunches. Manchester United’s strength is on defense, and we’ll see how well they hold up when they host the first leg. The key players are Neymar and Anthony Martial for Man U. UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain advances

Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund

  • Leg 1: February 13     Leg 2: March 5
The Spurs beat Dortmund in both sides of group play in the 2017 tournament, but Dortmund has improved, leading the Bundesliga by nine points at the time of the Champions League draw. They lost to Juventus in the Round of 16 last year and are looking to push much further this year. However, the Spurs should still have the talent to get through Dortmund if they have the same grit they used to get through group play. UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Tottenham advances

Lyon vs Barcelona

  • Leg 1: February 19     Leg 2: March 13
Lyon has not made it to the knockout round in seven years, but they demonstrated an increase in performance when they beat City on the road. They trailed PSG by 13 points at the draw and have not been particularly consistent. Barcelona, though, has last year’s quarterfinal loss to AS Roma to remember, and that should motivate them to play at a higher level this year. Key players are Messi for Barcelona and Nabil Fekir from Lyon. UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Barcelona advances

Roma vs Porto

  • Leg 1: February 12     Leg 2: March 6
Porto rolled to a win in Group D, failing to collect just two points, and they lead the Portuguese league. Roma made the semis in 2018 but finished as the runner-up in their group; they are a young team also still looking to make waves in Serie A. Roma has more experience at his level of international club play and should be able to hold off Porto. Watch out for Porto’s Moussa Marega and Cengiz Uender for Roma. UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Roma advances

Ajax vs Real Madrid

  • Leg 1: February 13     Leg 2: March 5
Real Madrid has won every knockout tie in Champions League play since the 2015 semifinals. However, they have not played as well since losing Zinedine Zidane, and CKSA Moscow came to Madrid and delivered an upset win ahead of the draw. Real Madrid is the clear favorite here, but Ajax has an attack and midfield that will push them hard. Watch Marco Asensio for Real and Frenkie De Jong for Ajax. UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Real Madrid advances

Liverpool vs Bayern Munich

  • Leg 1: February 19     Leg 2: March 13
Ajax played Bayern Munich to a 3-3 draw in their last group play game, just the most recent team to expose Bayern’s defensive issues. Liverpool’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, lost 20 of 29 matches against Bayern when he managed Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, so he will look for some redemption, and Virgil van Dijk will be suspended for the first leg, at home. Focus on Arjen Robben from Bayern and Mohamed Salah from the Reds. UEFA Champions League Betting Prediction: Liverpool advances