Bodog Beat

The UEFA Champions League is the best international top-tier club event on the sports calendar. (Wikimedia Images)

This year's competition is down to the first knockout stage of 16 teams; betting on these games is big business.

UEFA odds are already up for next month's first leg in this two-game, total-goal elimination round. Some matches figure to be very close – like the titanic battle between Manchester United (+185) and Inter Milan (+140) at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The draw is priced at +220; this is the default value play in soccer, with an excellent chance of cashing in when there is no clear-cut favorite.

Three other matches fall into this category: Lyon-Barcelona, Real Madrid-Liverpool, and Sporting Lisbon-Bayern Munich. The home favorites in the other four games deserve extra handicapping attention, but keep the draw in mind, as well.