| UEFA Champions League Knockout Round Betting Odds |
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| Written by Scott Burgess | |||||||
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Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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 The UEFA Champions League returns to action, Wednesday Feb 25, with the first leg of the Knockout Round of 16. There are 16 teams left in completion, with eight clubs playing Tuesday and the remaining eight playing Wednesday. Scheduled for Wednesdays matchups are Chelsea vs Juventus, Villareal vs Panathinaikos, Sporting vs Bayern and Real Madrid vs Liverpool. Get your UEFA Champions League Knockout Round Betting Odds in now at BetUS.comJuventus (+375) at Chelsea (-125) Nicolas Anelka has scored 21 goals for Chelsea this season but it is the form of fellow striker Didier Drogba which could have the bigger influence on their Champions League campaign. Drogba's rejuvenation and the upbeat feel around Stamford Bridge has come just in time. Newly added Coach Guus Hiddink paired Drogba and Anelka as dual strikers in last Saturday's game against Aston Villa and was rewarded with an energetic display from both men, another goal for Anelka and a Premier League victory. Chelsea finished second in Group A with a 3W-2D-1L record where they outscored their opponents 12-6. They are in third place in the EPL Standings with a 15W-7D-4L record. In their last ten games Chelsea is 4W-4D-2L where they outscored their opponents 10-9. Their top scores are Nicolas Anelka (15), Frank Lampard (9) and Salomon Kalou (5). Juventus finished on top of Group H with a 3W-3D-0L record where they outscored their opponents 7-3. In Series A they sit in second place with a 15W-5D-5L record. In their last ten games they are 6W-2D-2L where they’ve outscored their opponents 18-11. Their top scorers are Carvalho Amauri (12), Alessandro Del Piero (7) and Vincenzo Iaquinta (4). Alessandro Del Piero will come back into the starting lineup having been rested for Saturday's 2-0 Serie A win at Palermo and will probably be partnered by Amauri. The tall Brazilian came off the bench to set up the second goal for David Trezeguet, who is likely to be a substitute against Chelsea having just returned from five months out with a knee problem. Former Chelsea man Tiago could keep his place in midfield and defensive midfielder Mohamed Sissoko should be buoyed by his stunning opener in the win over Palermo. Liverpool (+275) at Real Madrid (+105) Real Madrid are in perfect shape to deal a blow to compatriot Rafael Benitez's Liverpool side in the Champions League. Real Madrid is on a run of nine Primera Liga wins in a row while Liverpool's domestic title challenge faded further on Sunday with another disappointing draw. Real sit in second place in Primera Liga with a 17W-2D-5L record. They finished in second place in Group H with a 3W-3D-0L record where they outscored their opponents 7-3. Arjen Robben, the Dutch winger, knows all about Liverpool from his three-year stint with Chelsea FC. Twice Robben faced the Reds in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and twice he tasted defeat. He’s fresh off an injury where his team went 2-0 without him. They scored ten goals in the last two games without him and there's a lot of quality and confidence. Liverpool finished in first place in Group D with a 4W-2D-0L record where they outscored their opponents 11-5. They struggle in the EPL Standings sitting in second place with a 15W-10D-1L record; they aren’t getting the wins they desperately need. In their last ten games they are 4W-6D-0L where they’ve outscored their opponents 19-9. Liverpool's 1-1 result against Manchester City on Sunday, their sixth draw at Anfield in the league this season, left them seven points adrift of leaders Manchester United. They were given a lift on Monday when Benitez named captain Steven Gerrard in his squad for Wednesday's match after he missed almost three weeks with a hamstring injury. Benitez said Gerrard had not trained at full capacity and the midfielder seems likely to face a late fitness test. "He was okay in training this morning," the manager said on the club's website. "It was a special training session so we were not testing him one hundred percent, but he trained okay so we will see." Ramos said he was sure Gerrard would play. "Right from when the injury happened and they said he would be out for three weeks I interpreted it as a strategy to make us feel more confident," he told Marca. "But at no time did I think he wouldn't play." Bayern Munich (+155) at Sporting (+175) It’s easy to discount Bayern Munich’s chances for a deep run in the Knockout Round of the Champions League. Bayern Munich got off to a rough start where they only won two out of their first seven Bundesliga matches, and were humiliated by Werder Bremen losing 5-2. Bayern finished in first place in Group F with a 4W-2D-0L record where they outscored their opponents 12-4. In the Bundesliga they are in fifth place with a 10W-6D-5L record. In their last ten games they are 5W-1D-3L where they’ve outscored their opponents 19-12. Sporting finished in second place in Group C with a 4W-1D-1L record where they’ve outscored their opponents 18-8. Their domestic form has been erratic this season, they’re currently in second place in the Portuguese Standings with a 19W-11D-4L record. Panathinakos (+450) at Villareal (-155) UEFA Champions League Knockout Round Betting Odds When: Wed, Feb 25, 2009 2:45 PM ET Line: BetUS.com Point-Spreads.com UEFA Champions League Knockout Round Betting Odds Be sure to get your UEFA Champions League Knockout Round Betting Odds in now at BetUS.com 10% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!                        |
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