After a two-month hiatus, the UEFA Champions League is ready to begin once again, with the top 16 European clubs now in the knockout stage of the competition. To get you set for the action, here’s everything you need to know for each of the eight Round of 16 first leg games that will take place over the next two weeks.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Champions League Round of 16 Preview
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Paris Saint-Germain (February 18, 2:45 PM ET)
Bayer Leverkusen won’t enter their home leg against Paris Saint-Germain in the best of form. Leverkusen has lost its last two home games – to Kaiserslautern in the German Cup and to Schalke in the Bundesliga. Despite drawing just twice so far this season, Leverkusen is +230 to hold PSG to a tie in Germany.
Meanwhile, French champions PSG are +122 favorites to extend their unbeaten road record in all competitions to eight games. Their last loss away from Paris came in a meaningless game in the group stage at Benfica, when their qualification was secured. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – the competition’s 2nd leading scorer with eight goals – is the primary threat to score a precious away goal.
Manchester City vs. Barcelona (February 18, 2:45 PM ET)
Manchester City prepared for the visit of Barcelona with a 2-0 home win against Chelsea in the FA Cup. Influential midfielder Fernandinho is finally fit to return after injury, but Sergio Aguero (six goals in the Champions League) is set to miss out. City are +159 to continue their home dominance, and have scored over four goals a game against their last four non-Chelsea opponents at home.
Barcelona also had the best tune-up possible after a 6-0 demolition of Rayo Vallecano on the weekend. Lionel Messi seems to be back to top form after potting two goals, and Neymar also chipped in in his return from injury. Barca is +135 to win and take and the advantage back to the Camp Nou.
AC Milan vs. Atletico Madrid (February 19, 2:45 PM ET)
Clarence Seedorf will take charge of his first Champions League game as manager after a 1-0 home win vs. Bologna. Mario Balotelli scored the winning goal that night, and he will be expected to do so again vs Atletico. Despite being the home team, Milan is only a +210 underdog to win.
After three straight defeats, Spanish co-leaders Atletico finally got back to winning with a 3-0 victory over Valladolid. The Madrid club will play in the Round of 16 for the first time, but they are very experienced in European competition, having won the Europa League twice in three years. Atletico is a +115 favorite to emerge from San Siro victorious.
Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich (February 19, 2:45 PM ET)
Arsenal avenged a recent 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool with a 2-1 triumph at the Emirates on Sunday. The Gunners will have a full complement of offensive options to choose from, including Germans Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski. But even with the home support, the English club is still a huge +320 underdog to topple the German giants.
Since their defeat to Manchester City in the last group stage game, Bayern Munich has steamrolled all in its path. The defending champions have won their last nine games (28 goals scored and just 2 goals conceded) in all competitions, and are an overwhelming -147 favorite to take the streak to double-digits. However, the Bavarians will be without key playmaker Franck Ribery for the first leg.
Zenit vs. Borussia Dortmund (February 25, 12:00 PM ET)
Due to the Russian league’s winter break, Zenit will definitely be well-rested for the visit of Dortmund. The Russian club made it through to this round despite winning just one game and having a -4 goal difference in the group stage. Fittingly, they will be +300 underdogs to come away with the victory.
In spite of its many injuries, Dortmund looks primed to make another Champions League run. Last season’s finalists still boast the prolific scoring trio of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mikhitaryan and Robert Lewandowski. The Germans are -135 favorites to win against an over-matched Russian team.
Olympiakos vs. Manchester United (February 25, 2:45 PM ET)
Days after capping off another title-winning season, Olympiakos can devote all its efforts to the English champions. The Greeks will look to Argentine veteran Javier Saviola and Arsenal loanee Joel Campbell to fire home victory, which is currently priced at +222.
Manchester United is struggling in the English Premier League, but it was just one of three unbeaten teams in the group stage of the UCL. The star-studded frontline of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata will spearhead the attack for the Red Devils, who are +105 favorites.
Galatasaray vs. Chelsea (February 26, 2:45 PM ET)
Turkish giants Galatasary may be massive +300 longshots to escape Stamford Bridge with a victory, but they definitely have the personnel to get a precious away goal at the very least. Jose Mourinho’s former wards Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba will give Chelsea fits and could be the difference.
After getting knocked out of the FA Cup, Mourinho will be all the more determined to keep Chelsea in contention for silverware. The London club is -133 to come away with an away win, which is fair considering they’re arguably the best counter-attacking team in the world right now.
Schalke vs. Real Madrid (February 26, 2:45 PM ET)
Schalke will go into their tie with Real Madrid in the midst of their best stretch of the season. The Germans are unbeaten in 2014, winning all four of their Bundesliga games thus far. But without star striker and former Madrid player Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, they are just +520 to win their home leg, by far the biggest underdogs of the Round of 16.
Real Madrid is likewise enjoying a great start to the year. The Spanish giants have won 12 of their 13 games so far in 2014, including the last few La Liga games without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo. That just means the tournament’s leading scorer (nine goals) will be well-rested for their trip to Germany, where Madrid will be -250 favorites to win.
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