It’s been a long wait since the group stage of the UEFA Champions League ended, but the Round of 16 is finally ready to get started on Tuesday. In a somewhat controversial fashion, the original draw had to be voided. However, the replacement draw has given us some compelling matchups. Let’s take a closer look at each of the Round of 16 pairings before the first leg begins.
Champions League Round of 16 Predictions
PSG vs Real Madrid
With Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe leading the way, PSG has to be looked at as a serious threat to win the Champions League. The likes of Danilo Pereira, Mauro Icardi, and Angel di Maria are no slouches either. Of course, facing Real Madrid in the Round of 16 could derail the Parisians rather quickly. The Spanish giants weren’t convincing during the group stage, although they are at the top of La Liga with Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior scoring goals like crazy. While Benzema has battled an injury, he’s expected back for the first leg, which should make this a fascinating matchup with the winner being among the favorites.
Sporting CP vs Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s team is the betting favorite to win the Champions League right now. It’s the one trophy that Guardiola hasn’t been able to win during his time at Manchester. Since they are starting to pull away in the Premier League, Man City should have no problem making Champions League a priority, putting Sporting in a tough position, as they may not be able to compete with a full-strength City squad.
FC Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
With all due respect, Salzburg fits into the “just happy to be here” category. Getting drawn against the German heavyweights won’t exactly inspire belief that the Austrian side can keep this Cinderella run going. Bayern is eating the rest of the Bundesliga for lunch and it seems unlikely that Salzburg will be able to slow down Robert Lewandowski and company. If Salzburg can’t get a result in the first leg at home, they have no chance of conquering Goliath.
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
This might be the most evenly matched pairing in the Round of 16. While Liverpool will be favored now that Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are back from the Africa Cup of Nations, let’s not forget that Inter Milan has been the class of Serie A for most of the season. The Italian side has the best attack in Italy and the second-best defensive record, so they will create trouble for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Chelsea vs Lille
The reigning French champions have fallen apart this season and fallen to the middle of the Ligue 1 table. They should be more focused on turning things around domestically to get to next year’s Champions League. But they remain just dangerous enough to give Chelsea some trouble. After all, the Blues aren’t exactly clicking on all cylinders right now. If there’s a major upset in the Round of 16, this could be it.
Villarreal vs Juventus
Based on the name alone, Juventus is the favorite in this matchup. But the Italian heavyweights have been on the rise lately. They still play superior defense and have half a dozen players who can find the back of the net, even though they no longer have Cristiano Rolando carrying them offensively. Meanwhile, Villarreal is closer to the middle of the pack than they are to the top of the La Liga table, so perhaps they aren’t a great candidate to take down Juventus.
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
There’s far too much turmoil at Manchester United these days to assume the Red Devils will advance to the quarterfinals. Keep in mind that Diego Simeone and Atletico are no strangers to playing the role of giant killers in this competition. The problem is Atletico didn’t play particularly well in January and didn’t come back from the international break looking much better. Perhaps getting away from La Liga will help. But despite some disappointing results recently, Manchester United still has the personnel of a Champions League contender.
Benfica vs Ajax
This is probably the matchup that nobody is paying attention to in the Round of 16. However, Ajax is once again a dark horse in this competition. The Dutch club was perfect during the group stage with six wins in six matches and will feel as if they can continue to make some noise. On the other hand, Benfica will feel like they caught a break with this draw. After all, they did play a role in knocking Barcelona out during the group stage, so perhaps anything is possible for the Portuguese side.
If you love sports betting subscribe to our Insiders Betting Digest mailing list and receive free betting picks weekly.