UEFA Champions League: Event Feature

by Bodog Sportsbook | Feb 20 2009

Soccer is the most popular sport in the United States.

It’s a fact – at the grassroots level, that is. Pro soccer is another matter – David Beckham can’t wait to escape Major League Soccer and return to Europe, where he’s currently on loan with AC Milan. And how can you blame him? We all want to perform at the best level we can, and it doesn’t get much better than European club football. Comparing the MLS to Italy’s Serie A is very much like comparing the CFL to the NFL.

Handicappers also gravitate to the best sporting events on the menu – and the UEFA Champions League delivers in spades. The best clubs in Europe have been boiled down to the Top 16; they’ll be in action this Tuesday and Wednesday, with millions of dollars exchanging hands in one of the most active betting markets on Planet Earth. You can get in on this action and make a sharp bet even if you think Juventus is a gum disease.

The Round of 16, officially known as the knockout stage, is a two-game, total-goal series with one game at home and one away. Here’s the schedule for Game 1, aka the first leg. All games start at 2:45 p.m. Eastern; make sure to check out Bodog Sportsbook for the latest odds.

Tuesday

Porto at Atletico Madrid: Atletico is only in sixth place in Spain’s Primera Division; manager Javier Aguirre was sacked earlier this month after a stretch of five losses and two draws. They have a win and a draw since. Porto won the Champions League in 2004 and haven’t lost a game since Dec. 1.

Barcelona at Lyon: Under new manager Josep Guardiola, Barca are a totally remade team from last year and rolling over everyone else in Spain, winning 19 of 23 games with three draws. Lyon, the France’s Ligue 1 champions seven years running, will be a strong test at home.

Roma at Arsenal: The Gunners are in fifth place in the English Premiership, widely considered the best national league in the world. They have five wins and seven draws since losing 2-0 to Porto with a B-level lineup. Roma are in sixth place in Serie A and likely to get rolled at Emirates Stadium.

Manchester United at Internazionale: This is the big one on the Tuesday slate. Man U lead the Premiership, while Inter are on top of Serie A. United won’t have star defender Nemanja Vidic (suspension), although Rio Ferdinand (back) has returned. This looks like a good spot to bet the draw at +220. As a general rule, the draw is a solid value play, since casual bettors prefer to bet their favorite teams to win.

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Wednesday

Panathinaikos at Villarreal: The level of play in Greek soccer is not so good, and Panathinaikos are huge +585 underdogs, but intriguing nonetheless with Henk ten Cate in his first year as manager – he assisted Barca to the Champions League title in 2006. Villareal are fifth in Spain’s Primera Division and vulnerable after finishing a surprising second last season.

Liverpool at Real Madrid: No job is safe – Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster “resigned” in December after he admitted his team couldn’t beat Barcelona. Which was true, but Real have eight straight wins at a combined score of 16-1 since falling 2-0 to Barca. Liverpool are in the same boat as Real, playing second fiddle to Man U in the Premiership, but the Reds have just one loss (and nine draws) in 25 EPL matches.

Bayern Munich at Sporting CP: The draw (+225) looks juicy in this matchup. Bayern are in a bit of a transition under new manager Jürgen Klinsmann, dropping from first to fourth in the so-so Bundesliga. Sporting Lisbon are likewise fourth in Portugal and should be tough at home after rebuffing attempts by English teams to buy midfielder Miguel Veloso.

Juventus at Chelsea: It’s consternation and uproar for Chelsea supporters after manager Luiz Felipe Scolari was sacked last week after less than a year and replaced by Guus Hiddink. The Blues (fourth in the EPL) then nearly lost to Watford in the FA Cup before storming back. Juventus (+350) are second in Serie A and could pounce while Chelsea is in disarray.

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