TUESDAY:
MAN CITY V BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Man City have gone out at this stage for the last three seasons and Pep Guardiola will be desperate for his side to avoid another exit at the same stage for a fourth successive year. They didn't turn up against Lyon last season and Pep will want his team to be at from the first whistle in both legs because he'll know about the threat Dortmund pose and he'll want his side to learn from their mistakes in this competition from the past three seasons.
City have no injury concerns going into this game which will please Pep because he'll want all his best players available and especially in the Champions League. This competition is the one that City want to win as they've never won it before and for them to progress to the next round, they'll need their best players on the pitch. If they can keep their best players fit, they have a good chance of going all the way.
The second leg of Dortmund's last 16 tie with Sevilla was Dortmund summed up because they were a threat going forward but shaky defensively. They've been like that all season and it's why they're not in the top four of the Bundesliga. They may have one of the best young talents around in Erling Haaland who scores goals for fun but defensively, they always look like they're going to concede. Mats Hummels is not the player he was five years ago and they have a few in that position who are in their thirties and coming towards the end of their careers.
Dortmund will once again be without Jadon Sancho due to injury which will be a big blow because he's an important player for them and gives them so much going forward. He'll be gutted that he's injured because he would've wanted to play against his former club on his return to the Etihad and show City why they shouldn't have let him go so soon.
I'm going for City to win the first leg because they have more than enough quality going forward to win this game. With Dortmund not being the best defensively, I can see City win this game fairly comfortably because of the quality they have.
PREDICTION: 3-0
REAL MADRID V LIVERPOOL
Real Madrid will be without captain Sergio Ramos for this tie with a calf injury which will please Liverpool fans because of what he did to Mohamed Salah the last time these two sides met in the 2018 final in Kiev. Accidental or not Ramos pulled Salah down and was lucky not to receive a card as it lead to Salah suffering a nasty shoulder injury.
Real put in a good display in the second leg of their last 16 win over Atalanta and they'll be looking to do the same in this one as they look to reach the semi finals. The experienced players stepped up and they will need to again if they're to win this tie against a different Liverpool side. Ramos may be out, but they still have other good experienced players in Benzema, Kroos and Modric who are all still capable of putting in a good performance and stepping up when their team need them to.
Liverpool looked more like themselves against Arsenal on Saturday with Trent Alexander Arnold looking back to his best. He responded well to being dropped from the England squad and will be eager to impress in very game till the end of the season in order to be part of the squad for the Euros in the summer. He created a lot of chances throughout the game including the assist he provided Diogo Jota for his first goal and was looking more like the player we know he is.
The reds to finally have a settled centre back pairing in Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips whose partnership has been crucial in the reds' last three games. They haven't put a foot wrong since playing together and it has helped the team get good results because they've won and kept a clean sheet in every game they've played together. Their partnership has give the reds some much needed solidity at the back and it has allowed Fabinho to return to midfield which has also been vital because it's given the defence some much needed protection.
I'm going for a Liverpool win in the first leg because Real Madrid are without Ramos and I think the pace Liverpool have going forward will cause the Real backline problems. Real will still cause a threat, but I still think Liverpool will go ahead in this tie due to the recent results they've picked up.
PREDICTION: 1-2
WEDNESDAY:
BAYERN MUNICH V PSG
Bayern Munich have been dealt a massive blow going into this one with star striker Robert Lewandowski missing both legs with a knee injury. Bayern's talisman has netted the majority of Bayern's goals this season and his absence is a big loss to them because of the player he is and the amount of goals he scores per season. Without someone of his calibre to lead the line, Bayern could find goals had to come by because they have no one else like him in their squad. They do have players who can score a good amount of goals, but they don't get as many as Lewandowski does.
This will be Bayern's biggest test as holders of this competition because they'll be up against a PSG side who will want revenge on them following the final last season and they'll be a tougher opposition compared to the other teams they have faced this season. With their talisman out for both legs, their task of defending their crown has become more difficult.
PSG will definitely want revenge on Bayern after losing to them in the final last season thanks to former winger Kingsley Coman's wining header. Manager Mauricio Pochettino will also want revenge after his Spurs side lost 7-2 to them in the group stages last season but under a different manager in Niko Kovac. Both players and manager will be up for this one because they'll both want to win after what happened last season.
The Parisians have a good chance of winning the tie itself because unlike Bayern, they have their two main goal threats available in Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. With those two on the pitch you have every chance of winning a game because of the calibre of player they both are. Their pace and runs in behind will cause Bayern all kinds of problems because their central defenders don't have a lot of pace.
I'm going for a draw in this one because I think it will be a close game and I can't see a winner. Bayern may be without Lewandowski, but I think they'll do enough to draw the game. Especially as they're the home team.
PREDICTION: 2-2
PORTO V CHELSEA
Porto are the clear underdogs in this competition because they don't have the quality that the other sides left in the competition have. Their status as underdogs could serve them well in this one because they knocked out Juventus in the last round where not many people gave them a chance and the same will apply in this one against Chelsea.
Their win over Juventus in the last round will give them the confidence to win this game as well as the tie because it proved that they can beat anyone on their day. If they can use their underdogs mentality in this tie like they did in the last 16 against Juventus, they have every chance of causing a shock and reaching the semi finals against either Real Madrid or Liverpool. Lets see if they can use the belief and confidence they gained from the last round win over Juventus.
Thomas Tuchel's unbeaten start as Chelsea manager came to an end as his side were thumped 5-2 by struggling West Brom. The sending off of Thiago Silva may have changed the game but overall Chelsea were poor. They looked sloppy in possession as they gave the ball away countless times and they had no answer to West Brom's high press. Thomas Tuchel will want his players to respond in this one so they can put that result behind them and focus on going ahead in this tie.
Chelsea haven't reached this stage of the Champions League since 2014 where they went on to reach the semi finals losing to eventual finalists Atletico Madrid. They have a good opportunity in this one to reach that stage again because they're up against a team that they are capable of beating and they have a manager who reached the final last season with PSG. They'll be expected to win this one because of the quality they have and the opposition they're facing.
I'm going for a Chelsea win because I think they'll have enough in them to win this game. Porto will make it close, but I think Chelsea will just edge it and go ahead in this tie.
PREDICTION: 1-2
Comments