EUROPE – The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 wraps up next week. With much drama left to unfold, we’ll dive into the action-packed matchups that will decide the first half of the quarter-final grid.
Real Madrid vs. Paris Saint-Germain (March 9th)
The first leg of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain was arguably one of the best games of the season. Real Madrid has enjoyed lots of recent success in the UCL, winning four of the last eight titles. The 13-time UCL champion will look to deliver to its fans the joy of another magical night at a sold-out Santiago Bernabéu.
PSG’s primary goal is to achieve Champions League success this year. Even with their star-studded lineup, their manager Mauricio Pochettino has tried to keep their success in perspective.
“PSG have been waiting to win this tournament for over 50 years. We are the challengers – it’s the opponents who have made a habit of winning the competition,” said Ponchettino.
With the additions of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georgino Wijnaldum, Lionel Messi and former Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, PSG looks to reverse those facts, first by beating the historic Madrid-based club next week in Spain.
With PSG holding a 1-0 advantage, Real Madrid’s deadly duo of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior (32 goals together this season) will hope to create enough danger to spoil the anticipated Parisian party.
Manchester City vs. Sporting CP (March 9th)
With a 5-0 result in the first leg, Manchester City is hoping to cruise to the next round with a home victory. Man City has been arguably the most effective team in front of the goal, averaging 3.3 goals per game in the UCL. The English side looks like a threat, but will need to prove itself against tougher opponents in the next round.
Bernardo Silva, the Lisbon native, commented on the huge win and the feeling coming into the second leg.
“It was a special night for me,” said Silva. “I came to play at my home city, the team winning 0-5, scoring two goals and having a good advantage ahead of the second leg, of course it’s a special night.”
Liverpool vs. Inter Milan (March 8th)
Liverpool would love to relive their 2019 UCL success. To do that, Jurgen Klopp’s side must hang on to their 2-0 lead at home against Inter. Inter’s organized defensive block wasn’t enough to keep Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firminho out, so a more attacking attitude may be needed to get a better result against the Reds.
Luis Díaz, the Colombian winger signed this past January, is already fitting right in to Liverpool’s dressing room. His creative and elusive attack style was on display in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup win last week.
Bayern Munich vs. RB Salzburg (March 8th)
Austrian champions RB Salzburg are enjoying their first taste of top-flight, knockout European football. Bitter as it may be playing against 2020 Champions Bayern Munich, Salzburg was able to hang on to a 1-1 result in the first leg.
The second leg of this David vs. Goliath clash will be held in Munich, where Julian Nagelsmann and company are undefeated in this season’s UCL, putting up the best group stage performance the tournament has ever seen. Although unlikely, Salzburg does have the capacity to make Bayern’s defense uncomfortable. However, with only one goal separating the two sides, it would be unfair to count RB Salzburg out.
