UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg preview

The UEFA Champions League continues this week with eight round of 16 first-leg fixtures taking place in the early hours of Wednesday and Thursday.

The Round of 16 ties will be held over two legs, with the winners progressing through to the quarter-finals of the competition.

Some big teams were eliminated in the previous round and the same will happen again at this stage, as some of Europe’s best go head-to-head, including a Madrid derby between holders Real and local rivals Atletico.

Let’s take a look ahead to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, and the pick of the fixtures.

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid

It does not get much bigger than a Madrid derby in the round of 16.

These two teams have met in two previous UEFA Champions League Finals, with Real winning both, so Atletico will be desperate to turn the tables.

Both meetings in La Liga this season have finished 1-1, so a tight battle is expected over the two legs.

Atleti have already beaten Paris Saint-Germain and Bayer Leverkusen in the League Phase this campaign, so Real will not scare them, especially as Los Rojiblancos moved above their city rivals in the domestic league at the weekend.

Real are 1.90 to win the first leg, with Atletico priced at 4.00, while the draw is a 3.60 shot, with Real heading into the game on the back of a 2-1 league defeat at Real Betis, while Atleti have lost just once since the end of October.

Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen

Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen are also set to battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals.

Reigning Bundesliga champions Leverkusen head into the game with plenty of confidence as they are unbeaten in the last six games against Bayern.

Their last meeting in the Bundesliga, less than a month ago, finished goalless with Bayern not having a single shot on target.

Bayern striker Harry Kane will hope to put that right in this latest clash, having scored seven goals in the UEFA Champions League already this season.

The England captain is priced at 2.20 to score at anytime against Leverkusen, having netted just one goal in four previous appearances against Die Schwarzroten.

Paris Saint-Germain v Liverpool

The UEFA Champions League will lose another one of the top sides in the competition at this stage and it is sure to be an epic battle.

PSG have already beaten Manchester City 4-2, while they completed a 10-0 aggregate win over Ligue 1 rivals Brest in the previous round.

Liverpool have been outstanding in the UEFA Champions League so far this season, winning seven and losing just one game in the league phase as they topped the standings.

As long as they can keep in touch with PSG in the first leg, the Reds will be confident of completing the job back at Anfield.

PSG are 2.40 to win the first leg, Liverpool are 2.75 and the draw is priced at 3.60.

Benfica v Barcelona

Benfica and Barcelona have already met in the league phase and they provided an absolute goal-fest.

Barca edged a nine-goal thriller 5-4 in Lisbon, with Raphinha grabbing a late winner as the visitors recovered for a 4-2 deficit and there are likely to be fireworks again here.

Striker Robert Lewandowski scored two goals in that comeback win and has netted in each of his last five games against the Lisbon Eagles.

The veteran Poland international is 2.10 to score at anytime on Thursday morning.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.