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The Champions League round of 16 draw was completed Monday and left us with some tasty ties to look forward to in February.

It also offered a slightly clearer picture of the paths to the final on May 30 while helping us easier identify value – or lack thereof – in the futures market.

Best bets

Barcelona (5-1)

This year is the Barcelona revenge tour. The Blaugrana were left stunned by Liverpool’s historic comeback at Anfield last season, which sent them packing in the semifinals. They went out this summer and added Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann to a side already capable of winning it all, and the return so far has been impressive.

They handled both Borussia Dortmund and Inter in the group stage, issuing a clear statement of intent to the rest of Europe. There’s not a weakness to be found in their squad, and, provided manager Ernesto Valverde doesn’t hold them back, there’s no reason why Barcelona shouldn’t be favorites to lift the trophy in Istanbul. They provide excellent value at 5-1.

PSG (7-1)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but this could be the year for Paris Saint-Germain. There is an inherently different feel about Les Parisiens this season, though. Mauro Icardi offers a different dynamic in attack and has developed an excellent partnership with Kylian Mbappe. In addition to arguably the world’s best attack, the French outfit possesses a healthy blend of skill and tenacity in midfield and is incredibly deep at the back.

PSG have been eliminated in the round of 16 in each of the last three seasons but will be overwhelming favorites against a Dortmund side that lacks the “wow” factor. Provided PSG can finally get over the hump this season, there’s no doubt this squad is capable of winning it all.

Juventus (12-1)

Juventus must be coming out of the last-16 draw as the happiest of all remaining clubs, having been paired against a Lyon side that will be without Memphis Depay for the remainder of the season. The Bianconeri should cruise into the quarters, and the sky is the limit from there.

They claimed 16 of a possible 18 points in the group stage and are battle-tested in European football. With an incredibly deep crop of midfielders, an embarrassment of riches in attack, and experience in spades, Juventus have everything it takes to win the competition.

Value plays

Napoli (100-1)

In a competition typically dominated by the European giants, it’s often hard to find value too far down the board, but Napoli are certainly an exception. The Partenopei were one of just six clubs to remain unbeaten throughout the group stage, claiming four points from two matches against the reigning champions. Napoli have proven they the talent in all three phases of the pitch to compete with the best in the world, but drawing Barcelona is seriously unlucky. If they can get past the Blaugrana, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility, then they can beat anyone. At that point, you’d be lucky to get them at anything longer than 20-1.

Clubs to avoid

Manchester City (7-2)

Manchester City breezed through the group stage but the red carpet was rolled out for Pep Guardiola’s side, which was largely untested. The Citizens’ form over the past three months is hardly inspiring, and they’ve looked pedestrian far too often. They feel of inevitability from last season is gone, with a number of clubs producing a blueprint for slowing City’s vaunted attack. This price is simply way too short considering their form and the depth and quality of the field.

Liverpool (9-2)

Having never won the title in the Premier League era, Liverpool’s focus this season is unquestionably on being crowned champions of England. The Reds won the Champions League last year in theatrical fashion, but with their hopes resting on the domestic front, they should be avoided at such a short price. A draw with Atletico Madrid in the last 16 is hardly a welcome sight either, as anything but their best could send them to an early exit.

Bayern Munich (7-1)

At the start of the season, I referred to it as one of transition for Bayern after so many of the old guard departed the club during the summer. Thus far, their results have validated those sentiments. Die Roten sit fifth in the Bundesliga, far from their typically dominant selves. They still have a ton of talent, and much of their success this season will hinge on Philippe Coutinho staying in form, but otherwise, a lot of the new faces haven’t integrated as well as the club hoped. It’s been a bit of a disappointing season from the likes of Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman, and Leon Goretzka as well. On their day, there’s no team that Bayern can’t beat, but they’ve lacked the consistency needed to be taken seriously as contenders, especially at these odds.

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.

The decade is over. Here, theScore runs through the best XI of the 2010s and even provides a second lineup to cover those inconvenient Europa League dates.

The lineup

Numerous formations were en vogue over the course of the decade. Many managers were fond of the 4-2-3-1 and Antonio Conte enjoyed great success on a back-three foundation. But the 4-3-3, largely popularized by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, remains a go-to setup for many trophy-hoarding bosses.

GK- Manuel Neuer

Schalke, Bayern Munich

Neuer was a seminal figure in football’s reinvention of the goalkeeper. He’s been surpassed by ball-playing shot-stoppers such as Alisson and Ederson over the past couple of years, but he was undoubtedly the most complete netminder between 2010 and 2019. His anticipation was neatly complemented by the ball control he polished under Guardiola at Bayern Munich.

RB – Dani Alves

Barcelona, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Sao Paulo

A couple of months after his 36th birthday, Alves didn’t have a club. The end of his career seemed close following his release from Paris Saint-Germain. But the veteran was phenomenal as Brazil captured the 2019 Copa America crown, winning the tournament’s best player award in the process. One of the finest right-backs in the sport’s history has still got it.

CB – Gerard Pique

Barcelona

Pique’s awareness, strength and ease in possession set him apart from his peers. Over the decade, the proud Catalonian corralled seven of his eight La Liga titles and two of his three Champions League crowns, despite rarely having a settled or natural central defensive partner at Barcelona. For Spain, he collected a winners medal at both the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

CB – Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid

The most carded player in La Liga history also happens to be one of Europe’s most crucial footballers, scoring for Real Madrid in six finals across his career and notching 43 goals in Spain’s top flight since the start of the decade. Oh, and we should probably mention Ramos is an imperious and influential presence in the backline, and his country’s captain.

LB – Marcelo

Real Madrid

There was a reluctance to field Marcelo. Bosses like Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho would leave him out of matches, not trusting the Brazilian’s anarchic streak. But eventually, his work down the flank as both an attacker – his runs and technique are phenomenal – and defender – he routinely saves Real Madrid with last-ditch tackles – made him irreplaceable.

DM – Sergio Busquets

Barcelona

Anchoring the midfield is Busquets, a player who’s lost a few steps in recent years but is still leaned on to be the nucleus of Barcelona. He’s different from the elite defensive midfielders that came before him due to his tendency to take risks and instigate attacks by swiftly lifting the tempo. His composed yet gallant work often relieves pressure for his teammates.

CM – Andres Iniesta

Barcelona, Vissel Kobe

Iniesta left Barcelona in 2018 to play in Japan, but he did enough in the preceding years to affirm his status as the decade’s greatest midfielder, and perhaps the greatest ever. His understanding of time is impeccable – he’s a master of la pausa, when a player pauses in possession to briefly assess his options – and he’s blessed with unfathomable intelligence.

CM – David Silva

Valencia, Manchester City

Other Premier League stars have shone brighter than Silva here and there, but the Manchester City midfielder was English football’s most consistent player in the 2010s. He’s widely regarded as the best player in his club’s history, as his bewitching use of the ball and underrated industriousness have been central to City’s rich domestic success over the past 10 years.

FW – Lionel Messi

Barcelona

Does this need any justification? He’s the most natural footballer we’ve ever seen, has sparkled in various attacking roles, and seems to break records with each passing week. Barcelona seemed to be in disarray for large chunks of last term, but Messi almost single-handedly won another La Liga title for the club. He won his sixth Ballon d’Or award (a record, of course) in December.

FW – Robert Lewandowski

Lech Poznan, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich

He’s got good feet for a big lad. In an era when gangly frontmen were largely sacrificed as teams opted for lone strikers or three-pronged attacks, Lewandowski stood above everybody else. The Pole has taken just nine-and-a-half seasons to move into third in the Bundesliga’s all-time goals list and isn’t slowing down. This term, he’s netted 19 times in 17 league outings.

FW – Cristiano Ronaldo

Real Madrid, Juventus

Like with Messi’s inclusion, this requires very little explanation. The best can reinvent themselves to add longevity to their careers or adapt to tactical shifts in the game, and Ronaldo, in his transition from explosive winger to irrepressible frontman, did it better than anybody else. He won four Champions Leagues, three league titles and, of course, Euro 2016 in the 2010s.

The reserves

Three No. 10s that aren’t No. 10s plugged into a 4-4-2.

The assembly of this throwback shape was relatively straight-forward. Jan Oblak and David De Gea were the strongest candidates to usurp Gianluigi Buffon, while Toni Kroos’ endurance was enough to pip the half-decade dominance of fellow midfielders Yaya Toure, Xavi, and N’Golo Kante. Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez easily kept Neymar at bay.