UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Highlights from Wednesday Here are the highlights from the first leg of the Round of 16 matches that unfolded on Wednesday.. The Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League continued on Wednesday with two cracking matches. Watch the highlights from those games: 1) Liverpool 0-0 Bayern Munich: Liverpool failed to stamp their authority on a battling Bayern Munich as a 0-0 first-leg draw at Anfield left their Champions League last-16 tie in the balance. The Premier League side produced the more promising attacking moments against a circumspect opponent but are likely to need an away goal when the teams reconvene at Allianz Arena on March 13. Hakim Ziyech thought he had secured a deserved draw for the home side at Johan Cruijff ArenA, but Marco Asensio struck late on to put Madrid in control of the tie. 2) Lyon 0-0 Barcelona: Barcelona slumped to a fourth draw in five matches across all competitions as they were held to a 0-0 stalemate away to Lyon in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash. Ernesto Valverde's men were far from their intense best and were particularly wasteful in front of goal, as Lionel Messi struggled to produce the kind of match-winning display many have come to expect every time he takes to the pitch.<doc-sep>UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Highlights from Thursday Here are the highlights from the first leg of the Round of 16 matches that unfolded on Thursday.. The Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League continued on Thursday with two cracking matches. Watch the highlights from those games: 1) Ajax 1-2 Real Madrid: Real Madrid snatched a 2-1 win over Ajax in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, as VAR made a controversial first appearance in the competition. Having had a Nicolas Tagliafico goal disallowed in the first half after a review, Ajax found themselves behind through Karim Benzema's 60th goal in the tournament. Hakim Ziyech thought he had secured a deserved draw for the home side at Johan Cruijff ArenA, but Marco Asensio struck late on to put Madrid in control of the tie. 2) Tottenham 3-0 Borussia Dortmund: Tottenham took a huge step towards the Champions League quarter-finals as goals from Son Heung-min, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente sealed a 3-0 first-leg win over Borussia Dortmund. Son converted Spurs' first shot on target at Wembley on Wednesday as the Bundesliga leaders were made to rue a string of first-half misses.<doc-sep>Another incredible week of Champions League Round of 16 action has arrived with two juicy encounters on Tuesday afternoon: Bayern Munich at Liverpool and Barcelona at Lyon. Liverpool have the slight edge over Bayern and are listed at -120 to advance. Barcelona are heavy -800 favorites in their match-up against Lyon. Below I’ve previewed each game and looked at the betting market to see if there’s any value to be had (2018-19 Champions League Season Record: 11-14-1 , -1.43 units). Barcelona at Lyon (Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET on B/R Live and Unimas) Moneylines: Barcelona -135, Lyon +350, Draw +300 Total: 3 (o-125) This is the first meeting between Barcelona and Lyon in 10 years, and the French side will look for their first win in seven tries between the clubs. This match-up also marks the first meeting of undefeated UCL teams in the knockout stage since the 2007-08 semifinal (Barcelona vs. Manchester United). Barcelona recently received a bit of good news with the return of center-back Samuel Umtiti (knee), but he may not start, and fellow defender Thomas Vermaelen (muscle) has already been ruled out. They’re also missing midfielder Arthur (hamstring), midfielder Rafinha (knee) and goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen (calf) due to injuries. Lyon are dealing with some key injuries, too, and will be hurt most by the suspension of attacking-minded Nabil Fekir. Odds have been available for exactly two months but the line really started shifting when Leo Messi was met with a slight injury concern in early February. The Barcelona moneyline crashed down from -170 to -140, which was mostly caused by the market adjusting to the unknown circumstances. Since then, the line has continued to trickle down into the -120/-125 range. It’s important to be aware of these situations because odds don’t strictly move based on bettors placing wagers. Messi is obviously one of the most influential athletes to a betting line, and sportsbooks need to act swiftly. One thing I’ve been surprised about is the lack of buy-back on Barcelona. The public betting percentages have been very balanced across the board, but I expected to see action on Barcelona at such a discounted price. Perhaps we will see money eventually come in before kickoff, but it hasn’t happened yet. Lyon earned two fantastic results against Manchester City in the group stage and recently handed PSG their first loss of the Ligue 1 season, so the confidence should be there against another top side like Barcelona. Playing the first leg at home should also take some pressure off unless an early goal swings the momentum. While some are saying that Barcelona haven’t performed particularly well lately, the narrow results could be misleading. Their xG (expected goals) against Valladolid was 3.2 compared to just 0.3 for the visitors, yet they only won 1-0 and missed a PK. Barcelona should be able to generate scoring chances with a well-rested attacking core, and a high over/under of 3 goals suggests the same. The first leg on the road won’t be easy by any means, but the value is currently there on Barcelona to win at -140 or better. Bayern Munich at Liverpool (Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET on TNT) Moneylines: Bayern +240, Liverpool +115, Draw +270 Total: 3 (u-120) There’s a lot to unpack in this game, too, with Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Dejan Lovren both missing training on Monday. They’ll already be without Virgil van Dijk as the leader of the defensive line due to suspension, and their depth will be key in winning the first leg at home. Bayern Munich striker Thomas Muller is suspended and will miss out along with the injured Corentin Tolisso and Arjen Robben. The status of Kingsley Coman is also in limbo although he’s trending in a positive direction. Sportsbooks around the market have seen balanced action on both Liverpool (56%, +115) and Bayern Munich (32%, +260), and as usual the draw hasn’t garnered much attention. It also has the longest odds at +270, but bettors are banking on a winner. My attention has focused on the over (3) for several reasons. Bayern Munich were pitching some shutouts back in December but each of their last six matches has seen 4+ goals scored. They’re hard to trust defensively which should bode well for a powerful Liverpool attack, and offensively, Bayern will benefit by not having to face Virgil van Dijk. When taking all of that into account, I figured to see 70-80% of public bettors on the over, but that’s not the case. At the time of publication, 53% of over/under tickets has come in on the under (3). I’ll be in the minority and rooting for goals, and would consider a small wager on the exact outcome of 2-2 at +1200 odds. Value Bets<doc-sep>The Champions League Round of 16 continues on Wednesday morning with another batch of first leg clashes. Last week saw the likes of PSG, Roma, Spurs and Real Madrid get out to a lead in their respective ties, and now eight more sides have the opportunity to put one foot in the quarter-finals. Here’s everything you need to know. HOW DOES IT WORK Whoever scores more goals between the two sides over their two fixtures (with the second played three weeks after the first) will go through to the Quarter Finals. But don’t forget about the home and away goals rule. If the tie is level on aggregate goals after the two games, then whichever team has scored more goals away from their home ground will advance. However, if both teams have scored the same amount of home and away goals, then extra time will be played at the conclusion of the second match. If no goals are scored in the extra 30 minutes, then the tie is decided on penalties. UEFA is reportedly pondering scrapping the rule, but it’s still in effect for this season’s competition. LIVERPOOL VS BAYERN Anfield, Wednesday 20 February, kick-off 7am AEDT Bayern Munich travel to Liverpool for Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 first leg with defender Jerome Boateng a surprising absentee. Boateng is ill while Franck Ribery has been given leave after the birth of his fifth child. “Jerome misses out with stomach flu, but Franck Ribery will travel later today after becoming a father late last night,” coach Niko Kovac said. Another French winger, Kingsley Coman, was on Monday’s flight after an injury scare on Friday against Augsburg. Coman, who scored twice and set up the winner in the game, hurt his ankle but remained a chance of playing at Anfield. “It has improved a bit but we have to wait longer,” said Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. “We still have 36 hours until the game and a lot can happen. It is positive but we cannot say for sure (if he will play).” Liverpool take on Bayern in the Champions League Source: FOX SPORTS Reds coach Juergen Klopp is certainly familiar with Bayern Munich. The meeting of European heavyweights is a reunion of sorts for Klopp, who had squared off with Bayern 29 times while manager at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund. “We obviously know more about German football than about any other league, that’s true, but that doesn’t make a big, massive difference. “In the end, the boys have to decide it on the pitch. Let’s give it a try.” Klopp has faced Bayern more than any other club during his coaching career and he has had his moments despite more losses than wins. He guided Dortmund to Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, beating the Bavarians five-straight times during that run, culminating in a 5-2 German Cup final thrashing. Bayern, taking some revenge with 2013 Champions League final victory, have won the past six German titles. “They were six times in a row champions of Germany, which is not easy, and they were one of the teams in the last 10 years who were pretty much all the time in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, final of the Champions League,” Klopp said. “That says everything about their quality.” Liverpool should be well rested as they didn’t play at the weekend having been knocked out of the FA Cup. The Reds spent last week in Spain for a warm-weather training camp. “Let’s play football. It will be really good,” Klopp said. The return leg is on March 13 in Munich. LYON VS BARCELONA Groupama Stadium, Wednesday 20 February, kick-off 7am AEDT The ghost of Rome still haunts Lionel Messi and Barcelona as they find themselves in Lyon for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday. The Spanish champions won the domestic double last season in Ernesto Valverde’s first campaign as coach at the Camp Nou, but that achievement was marred by the nature of their exit from Europe. After beating Roma 4-1 at home in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, they collapsed in the return in Italy, going out on away goals after a humiliating 3-0 defeat. This season they have been driven by a desire to put that behind them and end Real Madrid’s recent dominance in the competition that has yielded three successive titles. Impressive in the group stage, now they arrive at Lyon’s 59,000-seat Groupama Stadium seeking a first away win in the knockout phase in six attempts since a 2-0 victory at Arsenal in February 2016. Lyon take on Barcelona in the Champions League Source: FOX SPORTS “That shows that it is a hard competition, but challenges are there to be overcome,” said Valverde on Monday as he recalled last year’s exit. “When we came into that match, I remember everyone telling us they were the best opponents for us, that they were the weakest side, but that did not help us. “We need to come into these games not with our guard down but with our guard up.” Seven points clear at the top of La Liga, Barcelona are the favourites to beat a Lyon side appearing at this stage of the competition for the first time in seven years. However, their recent performances have been patchy, with three straight draws preceding Saturday’s laboured 1-0 win over Valladolid, in which Messi scored one penalty and had another saved. ATLETICO MADRID VS JUVENTUS Wanda Metropolitano, Thursday 21 February, kick-off 7am AEDT Massimiliano Allegri told Juventus not to be afraid of Atletico Madrid but for one of these teams their worst fears in this season’s Champions League are about to become a reality. Crashing out in the last 16 would be unthinkable for two clubs that were among the favourites when the draw for the knock-out stages was made in December. “Those that have ambition are not afraid,” Allegri said, after his side were drawn to play Atletico, with the first leg on Wednesday at the Wanda Metropolitano. “It’s like a final, we cannot put a foot wrong,” Atletico boss Diego Simeone said.<doc-sep>
The Champions League round of 16 is halfway over as all remaining teams played over the last two weeks. The eight matches brought us 18 goals and just the second ever quarterfinal day where both games were scoreless. Out of the eight ties, there are clear favorites to move on in five of them after some strong first-leg displays. Here are the scores and what we learned: Scores Roma 2, Porto 1 PSG 2, Manchester United 0 Tottenham 3, Borussia Dortmund 0 Real Madrid 2, Ajax 1 Barcelona 0, Lyon 0 Liverpool 0, Bayern Munich 0 Atletico Madrid 2, Juventus 0 Manchester City 3, Schalke 2 Don't mess with Spain Champions League glory and Spain have been synonymous for a long time, especially with Real Madrid's 13 titles (including the last three). Since the 2010-11 final, half of the 16 teams to make the final have been Spanish teams, and a team from Spain has won the last five. And it looks like we may have three Spanish teams in the quarterfinals. Real Madrid is in great shape after beating Ajax on the road, Atletico Madrid looks like a good bet to pull the upset on Juventus and Barcelona is expected to beat Lyon at home and advance. It looks like once again we'll have Spanish teams making deep runs in the cup, with even more incentive as Madrid hosts the final at Atletico's Wanda Metrpolitano. Stars missing? No problem Teams without some of their most important players avoided disaster. PSG was without Neymar and Edinson Cavani but managed to dominate Manchester United on the road to put a foot into the quarterfinals. Liverpool didn't have star defender Virgil van Dijk but were able to keep Bayern out at Anfield. Tottenham looked like it had little chances of doing much against Dortmund with Dele Alli and Harry Kane out, and they got a 3-0 win. It just goes to show that teams can weather the storm without their most important players for a round and keep the dream alive. Five clear favorites, three ties up in the air PSG, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Manchester City all have fantastic chances of moving on thanks to their first-leg results, but the other ties are much more up in the air. Let's start with Roma and Porto, where Adrian Lopez's late goal gave the Portuguese club a vital away goal. With Iker Casillas in goal and his experience in the competition, Porto has a strong shot of turning this around, especially with how inconsistent Roma has been in attack. For Barcelona, nobody expects them to draw with goals or lose at home, but they've done it before this season in league play. Though with their backs against the wall, like against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey, they've done well to respond. If Lyon scores in the first half, it wouldn't be wise to count out Barca, because with Lionel Messi, this team can win any game (just ask PSG). And the big one is Liverpool and Bayern. It's a slight edge for Bayern because of that road draw at Anfield, but the fact that Liverpool didn't concede has to have them feeling OK. Liverpool failed to score in the first leg, and it was the first time they failed to score in a match since early November. So Jurgen Klopp will likely feel good about his team going to Munich and getting a goal to put the pressure on the hosts. You can see all the remaining Champions League games on fuboTV (Try for free).