Champions League Last 16: First Leg Betting Tips
The Champions League has reached the last-16 stage with four first legs taking place on Tuesday and the other four set for the following day.
After a revamped League Phase threw up plenty of surprises, the continent’s top teams are now all vying for a quarter-final place as they prepare for the familiar set-up of two-legged knockout football.
The tie of the round sees Madrid rivals Real and Atletico go head-to-head, table-toppers Liverpool face a tough test against French giants Paris Saint-Germain and there’s an all German showdown between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
There’s plenty of Premier League interest with Aston Villa taking on Club Brugge and Arsenal going up against PSV Eindhoven, while last season’s beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund and traditional Euro heavyweights Inter Milan and Barcelona are both also in the mix.
We've picked out our favourite four bets for the last-16 first legs, which can be combined in a four-way accumulator that pays out at 24/1 if successful.
Tip 1 – Aston Villa to Win @ 13/10
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa: Tuesday 17:45
Aston Villa will be eyeing the last eight after being paired with Club Brugge in the round of 16.
Unai Emery’s men lost 1-0 away against the Belgian champions in the league stage but that result needs to be explained as the hosts only came out on top due to a comical error from Villa defender Tyrone Mings, who picked the ball up in the area when unaware it was in play to give Club Brugge a penalty - which they duly dispatched.
Villa finished eighth in the table, compared to Club Brugge sneaking into the play-offs in 24th, and even though Nicky Hayen‘s side did well to beat Atalanta 5-2 over two legs to set up another clash with Villa, the Premier League side’s superior squad should tell in Bruges.
Tip 2 – PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal - Draw @ 12/5
PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal: Tuesday 20:00
PSV Eindhoven will sense they have a chance against toothless Arsenal when they host the Gunners on Tuesday.
Rood-witten have only lost two games at home in all competitions this season and enjoyed impressive victories at the Philips Stadion in the league phase over Girona and table-toppers Liverpool, while they held Sporting CP to a draw.
Peter Bosz’s men then overcame Juventus in the play-offs, winning 3-1 at home to progress, and they will be a stern test on their own patch against an Arsenal side without injured forwards Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz.
A draw is not a bad result for the Gunners at all and one Arteta would be happy with ahead of the second leg at the Emirates and this looks set to be a closely-fought first clash on Tuesday.
Tip 3 – Bayern Munich to beat Bayer Leverkusen @ 8/11
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen: Wednesday 20:00
Bayern have opened up an eight-point lead over Bundesliga rivals Leverkusen at the top of the table domestically and the Bavarian giants should edge their all-German last-16 tie in Europe too.
The familiar foes come into the first leg in similar form, with three wins and two draws in their last five outings in all competitions, and Leverkusen do have a fantastic recent record against Bayern to give them confidence.
Xabi Alonso’s men are unbeaten in the last six meetings, winning three, but Bayern, who just about saw off Celtic in the play-offs, may have enough Champions League know-how to secure what could be a vital first-leg lead at home.
Tip 4 – Barcelona to beat Benfica @ 3/4
Benfica vs Barcelona: Wednesday 20:00
Barcelona are enjoying a great season so far as they finished second in the league phase and are currently top of La Liga in Spain.
The Catalan giants were handed an agreeable last-16 draw against Portuguese side Benfica, who only won half of their first-stage games to finish down in 16th place before they just about got past Monaco in the play-off round.
Barca are on a superb 15-game unbeaten run in all competitions, winning 12 of them, ahead of this first leg in Lisbon and they will be confident of claiming an away victory against opponents who have only won once at home in the Champions League this season.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation.