Champions League Betting Preview: Round of 16, Feb. 17-18

The Champions League is finally back. The round of 16 gets underway on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a number of tournament favorites looking to get a good result on the road in the first leg of their respective ties.

Excitement for these matches has grown since the draw was made back in December, and now bettors have a chance to make good on their predictions.

Here's a betting overview for this week's matches:

Paris Saint-Germain v. Chelsea

Odds:

Analysis: The free-spending French side come into the contest after a disastrous Ligue 1 outing on Saturday that saw Marquinhos, Serge Aurier, Lucas Moura, Yohan Cabaye and Blaise Matuidi all suffer injuries against Caen. Manager Laurent Blanc confirmed that the latter is the only one with a chance to feature against Chelsea, and while there are ready-made replacements for most of those men, the loss of Lucas could prove very costly for a team that lacks other creative wingers of his ilk.

If Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta are not troubled defensively and have freedom to roam forward, PSG is in big trouble. Oh, and Diego Costa will return to the pitch and get the chance to work against David Luiz.

Prediction: Chelsea 2, PSG 1

The Play: Over 2.5 at 9/2 (BetVictor)

Shakhtar Donetsk v. Bayern Munich

Odds:

Analysis: After an extended siesta that saw Bayern Munich come out of the winter break sleepwalking, the German machine has revved back up and is finely tuned once again. They come into the contest on the back of an 8-0 league win over Hamburg, and while Shakhtar have conceded just one goal in their last four league matches, they haven't seen anything even remotely similar to Pep Guardiola's group of devastating attackers.

The Donbass Arena has become something of a fortress for the Ukrainian side in the Champions League, but not even that - nor the goal scoring exploits of Luiz Adriano - will slow down Bayern today.

Prediction: Bayern Munich 2, Shakhtar Donetsk 0

The Play: Under 2.5 at 23/20 (BetVictor)

FC Schalke 04 v. Real Madrid

Odds:

Analysis: Cristiano Ronaldo, and Real Madrid as a whole, has struggled since the turn of the calendar. The Portuguese phenom is now scoreless in his last three matches - an unusually long dry spell for him this season. Schalke should be the perfect remedy, as only three teams conceded more goals than the German club in the group stages (14). This may not be a repeat of the 6-1 drubbing from last season's Champions League tie, but Los Blancos will find the net.

That said, Real Madrid have looked suspect at the back since the loss of stalwart Sergio Ramos to a torn hamstring earlier this month, and the returning Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - who will be back from suspension - will find some openings for the German side. Any potential Schalke goal will be nothing more than window dressing, but 1 > 0, right?

Prediction: Real Madrid 3, FC Schalke 1

The Play: Real Madrid to win and Over 2.5 at 11/10 (BetVictor)

FC Basel v. FC Porto

Odds:

Analysis: No side in the round of 16 lost more matches during the group stage than Basel (3), and while topping Liverpool was a nice feather in the cap, the Swiss club had the benefit of playing the Reds at a time when their attack was decidedly impotent.

With Porto boasting Colombian stud Jackson Martinez, who found the net 5 times in the group stage - to go along with 16 league goals this season - Basel will find it difficult to replicate their home wins against Bayern Munich and Chelsea from recent seasons.

Prediction: FC Porto 1, Basel 0

The Play: FC Porto to win at 13/10 (William Hill)

Odds courtesy bet365, BetVictor, William Hill.