The second night of Champions League action this week to kickstart the round of 16 takes place on Wednesday. Two leading contenders to win the European honor this term are in action, as Bayern Munich travel to Austria to face RB Salzburg, while Liverpool travel to the San Siro for the second time in the competition to take on Inter Milan.
Inter Milan vs Liverpool Preview, Odds & Pick
| Inter Milan | +240 |
| Draw | +260 |
| Liverpool | +110 |
Liverpool are already third favorites in the betting to win the Champions League this season, and it would be hard to argue against their +500 odds given the way that they sailed through the group stages. The Reds won all six group stage games that they played, which is even more impressive considering that they were drawn against AC Milan and Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool have won their last two away games in Italy in the Champions League, beating Atalanta last season and AC Milan earlier in this year’s competition. This is the first meeting between the sides since the 2007-08 season, where Liverpool progressed in the round of 16. Inter won the first meeting in the 1964-65 season on their way to winning the competition.
Inter Milan have met English opposition at this stage of the competition on three previous occasions. They were beaten by Liverpool in the 2007-08 season, before losing to Manchester United the following year. Their one success against an English side came against Chelsea in the 2009-10 season. Inter come into the tie in good home form, having won their last two in the Champions League at the San Siro.
The betting would suggest that this is the trickiest Champions League first leg to work out this week. However, if Liverpool are at their peak, we struggle to see past them.
Pick: Liverpool @ +110
RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich Preview, Odds & Pick
| RB Salzburg | +525 |
| Draw | +450 |
| Bayern Munich | -250 |
My pre-tournament pick to win the Champions League should face few issues in safely making it through to the next round of the competition. Bayern Munich should have far too much over two legs to see off Austrian outfit RB Salzburg, as they ended the group stages with a perfect record of six wins from six games.
Bayern have come up against Austrian opposition on three previous occasions, and on each showdown, they have safely progressed. The German giants previously last won their first seven games of a Champions League campaign in the 2019-20 season, making them the third team to achieve that feat.
Salzburg have never previously reached this stage of the competition. They came up against the Bavarian giants last season, losing 6-2 at the Allianz Arena and 3-1 in Austria. Their record against German opposition is also weak, as they have picked up just one win in six fixtures. However, that victory did come at home against Wolfsburg earlier in the group stages.
But, we struggle to see past Bayern taking a dominant advantage in this first leg. And the handicap market could be the place to find the best value.
Pick: Bayern Munich (-1) @ -110
