Champions League predictions, odds: Experts pick Chelsea vs. Lille, Juventus favored over Villarreal

Four teams punched their tickets to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals last week, another two did so on Tuesday and two more will do the same on Wednesday as round of 16 second leg action returns. Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City are all through to the next round, with more to join them in the coming days as giants look to avoid upsets and underdogs aim to crash the party.  Chelsea and Juventus will look to get the job done at home on Wednesday and make it one step closer to the final. 

Here’s our predictions for each match and more:

Wednesday’s broadcast schedule

• UEFA Champions League Today, 3 p.m. ET, Paramount+
• Juventus vs. Villarreal, 4 p.m. ET, Paramount+
• Lille vs. Chelsea, 4 p.m. ET, Paramount+
• UEFA Champions League Post-Match Show, 6 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network and Paramount+

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Juventus vs. Villarreal

Date: Wednesday, March 16 | Time: 4 p.m. ET | Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Juventus -102 ; Draw +235; Villarreal +300 (via Caesars Sportsbook)  

One matchup to watch: Álvaro Morata vs. Raúl Albiol. While the focus was centered on the duel between Pau Torres and Dušan Vlahović in the first leg, the two to watch in the second leg will be Álvaro Morata and Raúl Albiol. As we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks, Morata’s teammates hinge on his movements on the pitch and that will hold true for this match. –Francesco Porzio

Most likely to have a clean sheet: Wojciech Szczęsny. The Juventus goalkeeper is coming off a huge penalty save against Sampdoria to keep his club in the Serie A mix. He’s likely to be the one who won’t concede goals considering how well he’s been in the recent games. –Francesco Porzio

Man of the Match pick: Dušan Vlahović. I’ll go with the Serb because he’s built to play these kinds of games and he already scored in the first leg, 30 seconds into his Champions League’s debut. –Francesco Porzio

Match prediction: Juventus 1, Villarreal 0. I’m sure that Unai Emery’s side won’t be an easy opponent for the Bianconeri, who are the favorites and should establish themselves as much on the pitch. –Francesco Porzio 

Lille vs. Chelsea

Date: Wednesday, March 16 | Time: 4 p.m. ET | Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Lille +320; Draw +260; Chelsea -114 (via Caesars Sportsbook)  

One matchup to watch: Thiago Silva vs. Jonathan David. Renato Sanches missing this one for Lille is a blow so perhaps the most interesting matchup will be how Thiago Silva handles Jonathan David. LOSC’s most likely route to goal will be through the Canadian while Chelsea know that they do not need to score to advance. –Jonathan Johnson

Most likely to score a goal: Kai Havertz. I think that both sides will score and would put my money on David hitting the net, but I also think that Thomas Tuchel’s men will win this one and I can see Kai Havertz getting in on the scoring for the Blues. –Jonathan Johnson

Man of the Match pick: N’Golo Kanté. He was excellent in the opening leg and will be key to Chelsea’s hopes in this season’s edition so expect another masterclass from the France international on home soil. –Jonathan Johnson

Match prediction: Lille 1, Chelsea 2. LOSC should put up a fight at home, but qualifying for Europe through Ligue 1 is their undoubted priority now. Anything they can get here is a bonus and the defending champions should ultimately have too much for them. –Jonathan Johnson