Champions League round of 16 betting preview, 1st leg

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The Champions League has proved profitable for us so far, and we stayed scorching hot in the Premier League over the weekend.

Now, in what is one of the most anticipated weeks of the club calendar thus far given the quality of matches, let’s keep the momentum going.

Bayern Munich (-120) at Chelsea (+275), Draw (+300)

Chelsea picked up a crucial win Saturday over Tottenham to improve their top-four chances. Tuesday provides a massive step up in quality though, and I think the reputation of the Premier League – which is in the midst of a down year – is baked into this line. The Blues have made good progress under Frank Lampard, but they’re not ready to contend with a club like Bayern Munich just yet, especially on the back end.

Chelsea’s leaky defense is going to have a miserable time up against Bayern’s attack, which scored 24 goals in six group matches, including 10 in two games against Spurs. Die Roten are in top form and should simply have too much for the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

Pick: Bayern Munich (-120)

Barcelona (+120) at Napoli (+210), Draw (+250)

Napoli remain one of the more underappreciated squads on the continent and have a real chance to make a statement. The Partenopei have lost just once from 12 Champions League matches over the last two campaigns – a narrow 1-0 defeat at Anfield last season in a match where they deserved at least a point. They drew at Anfield in November and beat Liverpool in September at Stadio San Paolo, where they will be playing Tuesday night.

Barcelona’s road results have underwhelmed of late, and they were hardly convincing outside of Camp Nou during the group stage. Additionally, the Blaugrana have just one win from their last eight Champions League knockout matches away from home (two draws, five defeats). Their name power has a significant influence on this line, but Napoli are legitimate Champions League contenders this season and deserve much more respect.

Pick: Draw (+250)

Juventus (-120) at Lyon (+320), Draw (+260)

As much as I struggle to see Barcelona leaving the San Paolo with a win, the same is true of Juventus at Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday. The Bianconeri were nearly perfect in the group stage – Hector Herrera’s equalizer at the Wanda Metropolitano being all that denied them a 6-0-0 record – but a trip to Lyon poses a tough task for Maurizio Sarri’s side.

Lyon are unbeaten in their last eight Champions League home matches, including impressive draws against Barcelona and Manchester City last season. The atmosphere in Lyon will be typically intimidating and should provide Rudi Garcia’s side with an enormous advantage. A 1-1 draw is enough to leave Juventus feeling comfortable heading back to Turin for the second leg, and it’s a result that Les Gones will likely settle for as well.

Pick: Draw (+260)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.