Soccer Betting: Champions League Last 16

In the round of 16, group winners were drawn against group runners-up. Teams who had previously met during the group stage couldn’t be drawn against each other and clubs from the same association were also kept apart. The first leg of the last 16 will be played in mid February and the second leg will be played in March. Here are the draws…

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Barcelona

The reigning champions head into the last 16 as competition favourites at 13/8 in the soccer odds. They finished seven points clear of fellow Spanish big guns AC Milan to top their group, scoring a whopping 20 goals along the way (more than any other team). Lionel Messi is joint top scorer in the competition with six goals and is also favourite to win the tournament’s golden boot at 8/11. Leverkusen were not even group favourites, but the Bundesliga runners-up qualified ahead of Valencia. Still they are real long shots at 300/1 to lift the trophy and 25/1 to beat Barca.

Lyon vs. Apoel Nicosia 

APOEL are the first ever side from Cyprus to reach the Champions League last 16. They progressed through three qualifying rounds to make the group stage and turned several heads when they finished at the top of Group G ahead of Zenit St Petersburg, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk. At present they are way out at 250/1 to win the Champions league and 12/1 to progress past Lyon. They might be worth a cheeky little bet as they conceded just six goals in six group matches. The Cypriot champions will find it tough going against the experience of Lyon, who find themselves in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the ninth successive season. They booked their place in the last 16 by defeating Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 away from home on the final group matchday to overcome what looked like an impossible goal difference. The French side are 80/1 to lift the trophy, but just 5/2 to make the semis and 11/1 to reach the final.

Zenit St Petersburg vs. Benfica 

Benfica have already gone one better than last season by progressing beyond the group stage, but don’t get overly excited their group was not exactly the biggest challenge. Still Jorge Jesus’ men showed some balls against Manchester United and will not bow out gently against Zenit. Luciano Spalletti's Zenit had to work harder in a tougher group to progress to the last 16. They are currently odds-on favourites to retain their RPL title, and are happily ahead of rivals CSKA Moscow in the league. It maybe their debut in the knockout stages, but with they are worth a little soccer betting action at 40/1 to reach the final, as football does throw up surprises (but I wouldn’t go as far as backing them to win it even at 125/1). They are at 9/1 to make it to the semis and their top goal scorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov is at 100/1 to be the tournament’s top scorer.

AC Milan vs. Arsenal

Arsenal’s 8-2 humiliation at the hands of Manchester United now seems like some horrid dream and the Gunners can look down on their tormentors from the lofty heights of Champions league football (if not from a superior league position). Arsene Wenger’s team overcame a tricky qualification clash with Udinese and their 3-1 defeat to Olympiakos in the group stages final game was of little import as they had already qualified as Group F winners. They now  look an in form as any side and can boast a victory and draw apiece over Marseille and Borussia Dortmund. They are at 20/1 to win the Champions league in 2012. Ahead of them lie AC Milan, whose Group H campaign went pretty much as expected; second best to Barcelona, but still managed to progress with two rounds to spare after taking four points off both Viktoria Plzen and BATE Borisov. Milan are not as strong as they were when they last lifted the trophy, in 2007 and are at 22/1 to do it again. Don’t forget Arsenal knocked AC Milan out of the Champions League in 2008, following up a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium with a superb 2-0 win in Italy (which was the Italians' first ever home defeat to an English club). I’m backing Arsenal in this clash as no Italian side has ever beaten Arsenal in a knockout situation.

CSKA Moscow vs. Real Madrid 

There’s a clear favourite in Real Madrid in this pairing but CSKA Moscow coach Leonid Slutsky was filled with excitement after watching his side draw Real Madrid. "We are set to face a top club and I am looking forward to another meeting with Jose Mourinho. I believe we can rival Real Madrid," Slutsky said. "We are in for exciting and prestigious matches, both for the club and the players." Still the Russians are 20/1 to make the semis. Special Jose Mourinho's special side are the only team left in the competition with a 100% record and look to be in great shape to snatch the Champions League trophy off rivals Barcelona after they breezed through their group. They are 5/2 to win their record 10th European cup. The Russians can count themselves lucky (in the way that Manchester City can’t) as they qualified with such a low point total, in fact only Lyon qualified with as few points. Still their striker Seydou Doumbia is second only to Mario Gomez and Lionel Messi in the Champions League scoring charts, netting five goals in as many appearances. He’s now at 25/1 to win the golden boot.

Napoli vs. Chelsea  

Chelsea now seem to have re-found their form in the Premier League and qualified comfortably from Group E with a 3-0 win over Valencia, and must be considered one of the main challengers to the tournament at 10/1. Their owner Roman Abramovich craves the Champions League above all other prizes, it won’t be easy but hardly it’s impossible. It has been a stunning Champions League debut from Napoli, who progressed at the expense of Manchester City. But they are long shots to challenge for the trophy at 40/1. However Chelsea have won just one of their last five matches against Italian opposition and just one out of the seven games they have played away in Italy. Chelsea’s stuttering defence could be more vulnerable to the counter-attacking menace of Walter Mazzarri’s side. Napoli are 5/1 to make the semis.

FC Basel vs. Bayern Munich 

Having survived and won the 'Group of Death' with a match to spare, Bayern can take plenty of confidence into the knock-out rounds. They bested the likes of Manchester City, Napoli and Villarreal, and are now mentioned alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid as genuine contenders. They are now third favourites at 9/2 to lift the Champions League trophy. Basel are the surprise package of this year’s Champions League as they reached the last-16 stage for only the second time in their history. It was made even more impressive as it was under the stewardship of caretaker boss Heiko Vogel (who has now been given a permanent deal). If you’re unsure of the threat they pose just (try and) ask Alex Ferguson, but they are still at 400/1 to win this competition.

Marseille vs. Inter Milan

Finally Milan, who won the competition in 2010 when they beat Bayern Munich 2-0, face French side Marseille and have the experience in Europe that should see them progress. Marsaille needed a stunning comeback in the last five minutes against Borussia Dortmund to see a 3-2 victory and book a place in the knockout stages. One game does not a favourite make and they are 150/1 to win the Champions League. I doubt they’ll trouble Inter Milan as the Italians won’t take them for granted, especially after last season's quarter-final honking by supposed underdogs Schalke. Milan are 22/1 to lift the trophy and are 11/5 to reach the semis.

If that doesn’t excite you, check your pulse you might be dead.