
The Champions League returns with all eight last 16 ties playing their first legs across Tuesday, 10 March and Wednesday, 11 March.
Last month’s play-offs delivered on both entertainment and notable results. Juventus and Galatasaray produced one of the most thrilling ties, with the Turkish side eventually coming through. The biggest surprise, though, came from Bodo/Glimt, who won both home and away against Inter to secure their place in the next round.
The Norwegian side now face Sporting, which offers a genuine chance for an unexpected quarter-finalist.
Several other ties involve the usual suspects. Real Madrid meet Manchester City, while Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea, showing how soon the leading clubs can collide once the knockout stage begins.
Champions League tipster Ben Smith has put together a five-leg accumulator for this round on Betway, focusing on what he sees as value in the current Champions League odds.
While Istanbul was the setting for arguably Liverpool’s greatest night, their meetings with Galatasaray in the Turkish capital have been far less productive.
The Reds have failed to win on any of their three visits to Turkey’s most successful club in European competition. Their most recent trip came earlier this season, when an early Victor Osimhen penalty settled the match. Liverpool dominated possession that night but rarely looked like breaking through.
That has been a recurring problem for Arne Slot’s side in all competitions. They have often struggled against teams that sit deep, which makes it difficult to recover once they fall behind.
Their latest Premier League outing at Wolves followed a similar pattern, ending in a stoppage-time defeat. They also looked flat at Nottingham Forest on their previous away trip, although they did find a late winner there.
With Liverpool not always convincing, the double chance on Galatasaray or the draw stands out. Slot may also be content to keep the tie level heading into the second leg at Anfield the following week.
Given Tottenham’s depleted squad and poor league form, they have done well to reach this stage of the Champions League, but this could be where the run ends.
Atletico Madrid may be capable of putting the tie out of reach in the first leg. This is no longer the cautious Diego Simeone side associated with earlier success. Matches at the Metropolitano Stadium have often been open, with goals at both ends becoming a regular feature.
Atletico closed February with three high-scoring home wins: 4-1 against Club Brugge, 4-2 against Espanyol and 4-0 against Barcelona. Results like those show how ruthless they can be in front of their own supporters.
That is not to say Spurs cannot create chances themselves, as Atletico can leave space at times. Still, at the available prices, Atletico Madrid on the -1 handicap looks the most sensible angle for this first leg.
Arsenal’s style of play is well-suited to European away tests and, with the Gunners winning all four of their away matches in the league phase, this is another assignment they can enter with confidence.
They will know that any sort of result here puts them in a good position ahead of the return leg, so getting drawn into an open game is unlikely to suit their approach. That is not what their success has been built on, particularly in Europe this season.
Arsenal have been difficult to break down in this competition and have conceded only once so far, which highlights how controlled their performances have been.
Chelsea’s away matches in the Champions League have rarely been tight this season. While they may prefer to keep a lid on things in France, that is easier said than done.
There are still questions around Chelsea defensively and, having conceded two or more goals in all of their league phase matches, keeping the European champions quiet will be a difficult task.
Paris Saint-Germain have also been involved in plenty of high-scoring games at home. Eleven of their last 13 matches in Paris across all competitions have gone over 2.5 goals.
With that in mind, combining over 2.5 goals with a PSG double chance looks sensible.
Matches between Real Madrid and Manchester City have regularly produced goals, with both teams scoring in 10 of their last 11 meetings in the Champions League.
That record does not guarantee the same outcome here, but it does underline how these fixtures tend to unfold. When the sides met again just two months ago, chances came at both ends and neither team looked like they wanted to sit back for long periods.
With the quality available in attack on both sides, it is difficult to picture this becoming a tight or cautious contest.
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