Champions League R16 betting picks & top odds – March 15-16

This year’s UEFA Champions League is as open as ever. This is the second slate of round-of-16 games, and if recent form is any indicator at all, we should be in for a ton of drama. Just last week, Real Madrid did the impossible and scored three goals to knock off the superteam that is PSG. Whether anything of that magnitude happens in these games remains to be seen, but there should be some awesome matches. Here are the best picks of the four games.

Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid

This is probably the best fixture of this round, and the first leg did not disappoint. After a hard-fought 1-1 draw in Spain, now Manchester United get to head home and work to advance. The Red Devils are coming off an emotional win against Tottenham in the EPL at the weekend and will look to use that momentum in this game. Cristiano Ronaldo had a signature moment in that game and is the type of player who can use that going forward. It will be a tough game, but United have some momentum and their home-field advantage makes them the pick in this game.

Atletico Madrid are no slouches and will always make it a tough tilt. They have no issue sitting back and choosing their time to go forward. Fortunately for United, that plays into their hands. Ralf Rangnick’s men have been pretty miserable defensively this year, so if Atletico sit back, United will be happy to keep hold of the ball as much as possible. It will be hard for Manchester United to break them down, but if they do, they should be able to get one or two more and see this game out.

Juventus vs Villarreal

The first leg of this fixture was a very entertaining 1-1 draw. Both teams had chances to win, but strong goalkeeping at the both ends kept them at a draw. It will be a hard-fought battle and, considering Juventus’ injuries, relatively evenly matched. Villarreal may be outperforming expectations right now, but they have a strong team. Despite Juve’s defensive history, they can be broken down and it makes the over very appealing.

Villarreal have been very stout defensively but haven’t played too many teams on the level of Juventus. The Italian giants have a bunch of players who can pull a rabbit out of their hat and find a goal; Villarreal will have a tough time dealing with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Alvaro Morata. All you need is three goals for this bet to cash, and if one is scored early, the floodgates can open. While both of these teams will start cautiously, they will both go for it and try to advance without extra time. Due to that, the over is a great bet at its current price.