TUESDAY
CHELSEA V ATLETICO MADRID
No one really gave Chelsea a chance when the draw was announced back in December and you could probably see why. But now they have a better chance because of their recent form in the league and the calibre of manager they now have. The blues haven't lost a game since Thomas Tuchel took over and they're looking more solid at the back than they were at times under Frank Lampard. They were not at their best during their 1-1 draw at Southampton on Saturday with some sloppy play in the final third and the Southampton goal not being well defended. Callum Hudson Odoi made a difference when he came on but was surprisingly taken off later in the second half. Tuchel brought Hudson Odoi off because he wasn't happy with his work off the ball and his attitude on the pitch. This shows that he wants more from Hudson Odoi and the player himself has to work hard in training to put himself back in the picture as well as put in good performances on the pitch both on the ball and off the ball. It will be interesting to see if he makes an appearance in this one.
Despite dropping from points in recent weeks, Atletico Madrid remain top of La Liga but only three points clear of rivals Real Madrid. They were quite far ahead of everyone else one or two months ago but Real's recent form has got Atletico looking over their shoulders slightly. They should go on to win it because they're a team who are very solid defensively and have players up top who can score goals. Luis Suarez has scored 16 times since arriving from Barcelona in the summer and is the joint top goal scorer in the league with Lionel Messi. Marcos Llorente has scored 8 and is top of the assists chart with 7 plus they also have Joao Felix who is an exciting young talent and is looking more like the player Atletico bought from Benfica in 2019. It's quite incredible that Diego Simeone is still in charge because you would think that a number of clubs would've been after him due to the job he's done since he's been at the club. He's been at Atletico for nearly 10 years and has established them as a Champions League club and the biggest challengers to Barca and Real. He could break their dominance this season if he gets his hands on a second La Liga title.
I'm going for an Atletico win the first leg because they're really solid defensively and I think Chelsea will struggle to break them down. With the players they have at both ends of the pitch, they'll have enough to take a lead into the second leg at the Wanda Metrpolitano.
PREDICTION: 0-2
LAZIO V BAYERN MUNICH
Lazio aren't having the same this season they had last year but a still in the race for a top four finish in Serie A. They were battling it out near the top for most of last season until a poor run of form towards the end saw them out of the title race. Ciro Immobile who won the European Golden Shoe last season is still delivering the goods in terms of scoring goals despite not getting as many as he did last season. He netted 36 last season and has 14 this season with Romelu Lukaku and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of him in the charts. The Italian striker is Lazio's main man and they'll need him firing in this one if they're to stand a chance of reaching the Quarter finals for the first time since 2000. They got out of an easy group where they finished 2nd behind Borussia Dortmund and this tie against Bayern will be their biggest test without a doubt in this competition.
Since winning the Club World Cup a couple of weeks ago, Bayern's results in the Bundesliga haven't been great with a draw against Arminia Bielefeld and a defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in their games since their success in Qatar. Hansi Flick will want his side to bounce back in this one because the players have high standards and will want a return to winning ways soon. Bayern will arguably be the favourites for this competition because they're the holders and have a stronger team than the other big teams in the competition. They can be vulnerable defensively but going forward they're full of goals with with Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry on the wings and talisman Robert Lewandowski leading the attack with Thomas Muller behind him in the no.10 role. With an attack like that, Bayern are a match for anyone in Europe which they showed on their way to victory last season.
I'm going for a Bayern win in the first leg because they have more quality than Lazio and are arguably the best attacking side in Europe. With Lewandowski leading the line, they should be too strong for Lazio.
PREDICTION: 1-3
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURE:
LEEDS V SOUTHAMPTON
Leeds were a bit unlucky in their defeat to Wolves on Friday night with Illan Meslier scoring an unfortunate own goal and Patrick Bamford having a goal ruled for offside by VAR. Meslier's own goal came from Adama Traore's shot which came off the woodwork and deflected off of Meslier's back into the net. Bamford's ruled out goal was disallowed by the tightest of margins like most goals ruled out by VAR. It was a great strike from Bamford, but it was unfortunately ruled out. Leeds will once again be without midfielder Kalvin Phillips who is still out with a calf injury. He's arguably Leeds' most important player because he's key to the way they play and without him they're not the same team. They came close to getting a point against Wolves in their last game, but Phillips was still a miss because they didn't have someone who can control the game from midfield like he does.
Southampton put an end to their losing run at the weekend by picking up an important point against Chelsea on Saturday. It was a good point for them because they lost six games in a row going into that game and getting a draw to end that run of losses is a good start to a return to form. They were reasonably solid at the back which they needed to be in order to avoid a seventh straight defeat and they took the best chance they had when Takumi Minamino ran onto Nathan Redmond's pass to slot the ball home. They'll want to pick up another good result in this one so they can continue their revival from their bad run of form and get themselves back into the top half of the table which is where they deserve to be. They still have important players out injured, but a draw in their last game is a good start to putting things right in the league.
I'm going for a Southampton win because I think their pressing game will make it difficult for Leeds. With the whites without Kalvin Phillips and their record without him, the Saints' pressing game should win them the game.
PREDICTION: 1-2
WEDNESDAY:
ATALANTA V REAL MADRID
Atalanta are a team who should be taken seriously in this competition because they made the Quarter finals last season when nobody expected them to and they got out of a group containing Liverpool and Ajax this season where again nobody expected them to. They may be the smallest team left in the competition, but they're still a decent match for anyone which they have proved since making their debut in the Champions League last season. They were minutes away from knocking out PSG last season until the French Champions scored twice in injury time to win the tie and progress to the semi finals. This might be their biggest test since entering the competition because they're up against one of the biggest clubs in Europe who have won this competition more times than anyone else. Real are not the same as they once were, but they still have some world class players in their team who can cause Atalanta some damage.
Real Madrid have been knocked out at this stage for the last two seasons and manager Zinedine Zidane will not want that to happen again in this one. Real are not the same team they were a few seasons ago because they haven't replaced Cristiano Ronaldo since he left for Juventus. Karim Benzema has stepped up in being the main goal threat but other than that no one else is contributing as much. Eden Hazard has struggled with injuries since he's been at the club and the younger players are yet to deliver on a consistent basis. They also have a number of players who are edging towards the end of their careers in Luka Modric (35), Sergio Ramos (34), Toni Kroos (31), Marcelo (32) and Karim Benzema (33). It's good that they're all still around but Real don't have any long term replacements for them which is something they need to address if they're to return to the top of European football again. They are in the middle of a rebuilding project, but they still need to recruit long term replacements for the old guard.
I'm going for a Real Madrid win in the first leg because they have more experience in this competition and they also have more quality than Atalanta. They may not be the same team they once were, but they still have players who can win you football matches.
PREDICTION: 1-2
BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH V MAN CITY
Borussia Monchengladbach managed to get themselves out of a tough group containing Real Madrid and Inter Milan which is pretty impressive because of the quality of opposition they had to face. As a result of that they booked themselves a tough tie against high flying Man City who are on fire at the moment. After beating both Real Madrid and Inter Milan in the group stages, they'll feel that they can get something against Man City because they've already tasted victory against one of the competition giants in Real Madrid. They may not be having the best of seasons in the Bundesliga, but in Europe they're causing some surprises which they'll be looking to continue in this one by beating City. Monchengladbach are 8th in the Bundesliga and 9 points outside the Champions League places which is disappointing considering where they finished last season. They're without a win in five games in the league and this could be a welcome distraction if they could pull off a shock result in this first leg.
How do you stop Man City at the moment? They're on a good run of form and they can't stop winning having won 18 games in a row in all competitions. They put in another dominant display in their win over Arsenal on Sunday by keeping possession of the ball and not giving Arsenal a sniff. They barely let Arsenal have possession and they caused them problems whenever they went near their goal. Especially on the right hand side with Riyad Mahrez giving Kieran Tierney a tough time throughout the contest. With the Premier League title pretty much in the bag, City would love to win the Champions League along with it because its the competition they want to win. They've been knocked out at the Quarter final stage for the last three seasons and that is something Pep Guardiola will want to put right if his side are to go all the way. But they have to get this tie out of the way first.
I'm going for a City win in the first leg because they have more quality and a stronger squad. Monchengladbach may have already caused some upsets in Europe this season but with City in the form they're in, they'll be too strong for the German side.
PREDICTION: 0-3
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