Liverpool need a miracle to overturn a 5-2 first-leg deficit against Real Madrid but could salvage some pride with a win in Spain. The Whites don’t need to do anything silly if falling behind and may have one eye on Sunday’s El Clasico clash with La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Napoli are in pole position to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time after beating Eintracht 2-0 in Frankfurt. The German outfit will also be without star striker Randal Kolo Muani in the second leg due to suspension and we’re not expecting any drama in Italy.
Manchester United have plenty of room to play with when taking a 4-1 Europa League lead to Real Betis and may be worth opposing on the night. Betis held their own in the first half at Old Trafford and will want to give their supporters something to cheer about in the second leg.
Man City will be a little wary of RB Leipzig but should be strong enough to book a place in the last eight of the Champions League. The Blues have been tested a couple of times in Germany, but prevailed 6-3 when these teams met at Etihad Stadium during last season’s group stage.
Inter Milan will take a 1-0 lead to Porto following a hard-fought first leg of this finely-balanced Champions League tie at the San Siro. The Dragons can take heart from having knocked out Roma and Juventus at this stage in recent years, but we feel the Nerazzurri have the nous to qualify.
PSG are up against it when travelling to Bayern Munich in the Champions League after going down 1-0 in the first leg in France. However, they looked a different team once Kylian Mbappe came off the bench that night and we reckon this tie is far from over.
Tottenham will be hoping to make home advantage count when trying to turn things around against AC Milan in the Champions League. The Rossoneri were the better team in a 1-0 win at the San Siro but Stefano Pioli’s have been known to suffer from travel sickness.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League clash but will have taken plenty of positives from that game. The Blues created a number of good chances at Signal Iduna Park and had eight attempts on target, compared to just two for their hosts.
Benfica look in total control of their Champions League tie with Club Brugge after returning from the first leg in Belgium with a 2-0 lead. The Eagles have a great home record this term and can now afford to take their time and play percentage football at Estadio da Luz.
Manchester United and Barcelona served up a classic 2-2 draw at Camp Nou in the Europa League and more of the same is expected in the second leg. Barca enjoyed 61 per cent of the possession in Spain, but each team had 18 attempts on goal in an entertaining end-to-end encounter.
Union Berlin were much the better side in last week’s Europa League clash with Ajax in Amsterdam and are fancied to finish the job off in Germany. Although the scores finished level following a goalless stalemate at Johan Cruyff Arena, Geronimo Rulli was by far the busier keeper.
Sevilla have secured a record six Europa League triumphs and made a statement of intent when crushing PSV 3-0 in Spain. The Dutch outfit will look to salvage some pride from the second leg in Eindhoven, but beating Los Rojiblancos in their current mood will be tough.
Real Madrid are confidently expected to give Europe a 10th straight success in the FIFA Club World Cup by brushing aside Al Hilal. The Saudi Arabian underdogs upset Flamengo in the semi-finals and do not lack attacking options, but the Whites should prove a class apart.
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.