Bet On The UEFA Champions League Return – Betting Odds, Picks & Top Matchups

The UEFA Champions League returns this week, trying to pick it up where it left off.

European soccer has been back in action for the past two months and teams should be in good form to finish the season.

When COVID-19 hit the sports world, the Champions League was in the middle of the Round of 16 matchups. The tournament will re-start precisely with the second leg of the unfinished matchups. 

Let’s take a quick look at how things stand now in betting markets.

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Real Madrid	vs.	Manchester City
+316 (Draw +313)	Moneyline	-149 (Draw +313)
+1 (-144)	Spread	-1 (+110)
O 3.5 (-104)	Total	U 3.5 (-128)
Bet On Real Madrid vs. Manchester City Game At MyBookie.ag

City and Madrid faced each other back in February. It’s been a while. The Citizens took the first leg with a 2-1 result on the road. They have a significant advantage in the series.

Then, the Coronavirus stoppage happened, and when both teams came back to action, Real Madrid roared back into action with impressive form in the Spanish League.

The Merengues won 10 of the last 11 games in La Liga to earn the domestic trophy. The game they didn’t win was against Leganes, but they had secured the title when they drew 2-2 on the road.

Perhaps no other team in Europe had a more impressive return to soccer than Real Madrid over the last two months.

Man City wasn’t as perfect, although their form was not too bad either. City won nine of their last 12 outings, but a few losses during that span left many doubts. The elimination against Arsenal in the FA Cup, in particular, was hard to swallow.

City is the favorite to win and advance to the quarterfinals. A win in the second leg has a -149 price at MyBookie. But Real Madrid won’t go out without a fight.

The Merengues need a victory by a two-goal margin to win the series. Their recent form and the need for a good result will make this game very entertaining. Madrid +1 in the spread is the best play.

Madrid vs. Manchester City Game Information

• Date: Friday, August 7, 2020
• Game Time: 3:00 PM ET

Olympique Lyonnais vs. Juventus

Olympique Lyonnais	vs.	Juventus
+582 (Draw +338)	Moneyline	-238 (Draw +338)
+1 (+112)	Spread	-1 (-149)
O 2.5 (-108)	Total	U 2.5 (-121)
Bet On Olympique Lyonnais vs. Juventus Game At MyBookie.ag

Lyon won the first game of the series 1-0. The result forces Juventus to win the second leg matchup by a two-goal margin.

Juventus has been playing lousy soccer since the return from the COVID-stoppage. Sure, they won the Serie A, but it was because they had a massive lead in the standings. Their recent form has been less than ideal, losing three of their last four games.

The good thing for Juventus is they have Cristiano Ronaldo on their side. CR7 usually takes over these types of games.

Lyon knows the 1-0 result from the first leg won’t be enough. They need to score on the road. I’m expecting both teams to gives us a frenzy of attacking soccer. 

Olympique Lyonnais vs. Juventus Game Informatio

• Date: Friday, August 7, 2020
• Game Time: 3:00 PM ET

Napoli vs. FC Barcelona

Napoli	vs.	FC Barcelona
+374 (Draw +301)	Moneyline	-163 (Draw +301)
+1 (-133)	Spread	-1 (+100)
O 3 (-106)	Total	U 3 (-125)
Bet On Napoli vs. FC Barcelona Game At MyBookie.ag

Just like Juventus, FC Barcelona has been in poor form since the re-start of the European Leagues. Barca even had an advantage in the standings when La Liga resumed, but their apathetic behavior allowed Real Madrid to win the trophy.

Napoli hasn’t been great either. They finished the Serie A in the 7th position. Next season they will be out of Europe if they don’t win the Champions League. Let’s be real, that’s not happening.

Neither of these teams is in the best shape, but FC Barcelona has better players and will put enough pressure at home to win and advance.

Napoli vs. FC Barcelona Game Information

• Date: Saturday, August 8, 2020
• Game Time: 3:00 PM ET

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Chelsea	vs.	Bayern Munich
+579 (Draw +409)	Moneyline	-277 (Draw +409)
+1.5 (-121)	Spread	-1.5 (-108)
O 3.5 (-126)	Total	U 3.5 (-105)
Bet On Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich Game At MyBookie.ag

The Germans have a huge advantage in the series after winning 3-0 in London back in February. Bayern Munich hasn’t played a meaningful game since July 4th, when they beat Bayer Leverkusen at the DFB-Pokal Cup final.

Chelsea recently lost the FA Cup final to Arsenal last week. The defeat showed the Blues are a weird team to figure out. They can beat Man City as they did after the stoppage return but lose to a bad Arsenal side.

Because Chelsea needs goals to make the series enjoyable, and Bayern Munich is an attacking team at the core, I expect several goals.

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

• Date: Saturday, August 8, 2020
• Game Time: 3:00 PM ET

Bet: Over 3.5 goals (-126).

Betting The Champions League Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Final

UEFA decided to play the Champions League quarterfinals, semifinals, and final as a single-leg format due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe,

• Quarterfinals – August 12 to 15, 2020
• Semifinals – August 18-19, 2020
• Final – August 23, 2020.

The venues will be Estádio da Luz and Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal.

The brackets are set up: