It’s the beginning of the knockout stage. The headline match is the meeting between Real Madrid, 13-time European champion, and Paris Saint-Germain, a young team that hopes to become the continental champion.
Here’s a look at the match as well as the other first-leg matches in the 16th edition of this week.
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TUESDAY:
PARIS SAINTGERMAIN VS. Real MADRID
Paris Saint-Germain faces a potential rude awakening against Real Madrid, 13-time champion. PSG has had a difficult season against teams who play fast on the counterattack, and Madrid is undoubtedly the best at quick transition play. These attacks are dependent on Karim Benzema, the star forward. His movement, touch, and awareness are crucial. While he is still in Madrid’s squad, Benzema is not expected to play due to a hamstring injury which has kept him out of action since last month. Madrid has not reached the final since 2018, when they won a straight hat-trick of European Cups. Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will now travel to face the team he once coached, with just one win in four matches across all competitions. It will be difficult without Benzema, but there is always a backup option: Gareth Bale, who is perennially out of favor. The forward, once the most expensive player in the world, made his debut on Saturday when he started in the 0-0 draw at Villarreal. PSG may be even more dependent on Kylian Mbappe and Madrid on Benzema. Mbappe’s injury time winner against Rennes on Friday glossed over another grueling performance. Madrid still has the advantage in midfield, even without Benzema with Luka Modric or Casemiro.
SPORTING VS. MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City has drawn a welcome draw and is in excellent form at the knockout stage. The English club will be looking for the Champions League title. City suffered its only defeat in all competitions, a run that lasted 20 games, at Leipzig in the Champions League group stage match. This was little for Pep Guardiola’s team which was already certain of progressing. The red card given to Kyle Walker by Pep Guardiola was more important than the loss. This will mean Guardiola is unable to pick up his first-choice right away for the legs against Sporting as well as the first leg in the quarterfinals if City advances. Joao Cancelo will be covering the left, with Oleksandr Ziinchenko filling in for him. City, last season’s beaten finalist, is a heavy favorite against Portugal, which is making its first appearance in the knockout stages since 2008-09. Bayern Munich defeated Sporting 12-1 in aggregate. Sporting reached the competition’s group stage for the first season since 2017-18. They finished ahead of Borussia Dortmund in order to move on. Two goals down, the Portuguese champions lost their lead to Porto in a 2-2 draw on Friday. They remain six points behind the top.
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WEDNESDAY:
SALZBURG Vs. BAYERN MUNICCH
Bayern Munich’s loss to Bochum, a Bavarian powerhouse, on Saturday was a reminder of the importance of Manuel Neuer as captain. Neuer chose surgery to address a problem with his knee at this stage of the season, assuming he would be fit for the business end of the season, which includes the Champions League semifinals. Bayern lost both of the Bundesliga games against Sven Ulreich, who was a replacement goalkeeper. Although Ulreich, 33, has displayed his skill before, it is clear that Bayern’s defenders are not as secure when Neuer, Germany’s goalkeeper, isn’t there. Rapid Vienna beat Salzburg 2-1 on Friday after Salzburg came back from behind. According to reports, Salzburg’s German forward Karim Aeyemi is a target for Bayern’s Bundesliga rival Borussia Dortmund. However, he will need a yellow card to get to the Munich second leg.
INTER MILAN Vs. LIVERPOOL
Liverpool will return to the San Siro stadium. The six-time European champions will be playing there after being drawn with AC Milan in this year’s group stage. In December, Liverpool defeated Milan 2-1 in Milan to complete a sweep of six victories. This was the first English team to achieve this feat. This boosts Liverpool’s standing as a favorite for the title, which the club last won in 2019, particularly with Mohamed Salah returning to its ranks following the African Cup of Nations. Salah has scored 11 goals in the last 11 Champions League matches and 23 goals in all 27 competitions this season. Inter is also a multiple European champion, the last being in 2010. However, Inter is participating in the 16th edition for the first-time since 2011-12. Italy’s team will be without Nicolo Barella, the suspended midfielder from Italy, as they race for the Serie A title alongside Napoli and Milan.
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Next Week
Next week’s first legs will be played against Lille, Juventus at Villarreal and Manchester United against Atletico Madrid. Benfica hosts Ajax.
