Champions League round of 16 preview: Analysing each tie
Champions League round of 16 preview, football

Champions League round of 16 preview: Analysing each tie

The knockout stages are about to get under way and we’ve got a great Champions League round of 16 preview, with eight group winners pitted against eight runners-up.

We have analysed every team left in Europe’s elite club competition to predict how each tie might unfold.

AC Milan vs Tottenham

Milan and Tottenham meet in the Champions League for the first time since 2011, when a Peter Crouch goal decided the tie in favour of Harry Redknapp’s men.

Antonio Conte’s side will be aware of the threat posed by former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, with the 36-year-old having netted four goals and provided two assists in the group phase.

Both teams have generally excelled at preventing opponents getting close to their goal, so we could see plenty of long shots across the two legs.

PSG vs Bayern Munich

Two of the tournament favourites face off in a repeat of the 2020 final, which Bayern won courtesy of a Kingsley Coman goal.

Bayern never trailed at any point during the group stage, winning six games from six, while PSG were only behind briefly in a 3-1 win away victory at Maccabi Haifa.

This could be a high-scoring encounter, with PSG and Bayern ranking as two of the three most accurate finishers in the competition based on percentage of shots on target.

Club Brugge vs Benfica

Club Brugge are contesting a Champions League knockout tie for the first time, while Benfica made the quarter-finals as recently as last season.

The inexperienced Belgian side could struggle to penetrate their Portuguese opponents’ stubborn defence. None of the remaining 16 teams took fewer shots than Club Brugge during the group stage, while only four allowed fewer than Benfica.

Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea

Dortmund and Chelsea have never met in Europe despite their rich histories in continental competition.

The Blues are something of an unknown quantity following their January spending spree, with their joint-top scorer from the group stage – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – missing from Graham Potter’s 25-man squad.

Potter will hope that the Champions League can help his team rediscover some form. Chelsea played almost twice as many passes into the area as Dortmund during the group phase, while also allowing the second-lowest total in return.

Liverpool vs Real Madrid

Arguably the pick of the ties in our Champions League round of 16 preview, these two giants have won 20 European Cup and Champions League titles between them.

Liverpool will hope to put their Premier League troubles behind them, having qualified with an impressive 15 points from a possible 18, with Mohamed Salah tied with Kylian Mbappe as the tournament’s top scorer so far on seven goals.

The meeting of last season’s finalists could be decided in the air, with the Reds having won the most aerial duels in the group stage and Real Madrid the second fewest.

Eintracht Frankfurt vs Napoli

This will be Frankfurt’s first ever appearance in the Champions League knockout stages, while Napoli have never progressed beyond the round of 16.

Napoli are flying in Serie A and could overpower their Bundesliga opponents, having top-scored in the group stage with 20 goals.

RB Leipzig vs Man City

Leipzig are no strangers to Premier League opposition, having met four English clubs in the Champions League since 2019-20, including City in last season’s group stage.

City might be expected to dominate possession, but Leipzig could test Pep Guardiola’s men, having made the most passes into the penalty area among teams left in the competition.

Inter Milan vs Porto

Inter and Porto have not met in Europe’s premier competition since 2005-06, with both clubs having won their most recent Champions League title under the guidance of Jose Mourinho

This tie is likely to be hard-fought – both sides are in the bottom five for passes completed and the top five for aerial duels contested.

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