The stage is set for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg fixtures.
The second leg matches, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, are expected to be decisive encounters as only eight teams will advance to the quarter final stage of the competition.
The first leg fixtures were played last week on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Sixteen teams remain in the Champions League round of 16 stage: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Atalanta, Sporting CP, Tottenham, Paris Saint Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City and Bodo/Glimt.
Below are the fixtures for the Champions League round of 16 second leg matches.
Tuesday
Sporting CP vs Bodo/Glimt
The match will take place at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon at 6:45 pm. Bodo/Glimt secured a 3-0 victory in the first leg in Norway last week. Sporting will need a strong performance at home to overturn the deficit.
Chelsea vs PSG
The match will be played at Stamford Bridge at 9 pm. Chelsea lost 5-2 to PSG in the first leg in Paris last week. The Premier League side will need to score at least four goals without conceding to advance to the next stage.
Man City vs Real Madrid
The encounter will be held at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. Pep Guardiola’s team lost the first leg 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last week. Manchester City will need an outstanding performance and at least a four goal victory to progress.
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen
The match will take place at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany in the first leg. The encounter appears evenly balanced, though Mikel Arteta’s side has a slight advantage playing at home.
Wednesday
Barcelona vs Newcastle
The match will be played at Camp Nou. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park last week. Like the Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen tie, the contest appears evenly matched, but Barcelona will benefit from home support.
Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid
The Champions League clash will take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Tottenham lost the first leg 5-2 in Spain. The Premier League side will hope to rely on their home supporters and produce a strong performance against Diego Simeone’s team to stand a chance of reaching the quarter finals.
Liverpool vs Galatasaray
This fixture remains open. Liverpool lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the first leg in Turkey. The Reds will host the Turkish champions at Anfield and will aim to capitalize on home support with a strong performance.
Bayern Munich vs Atalanta
This tie appears almost settled after Bayern Munich defeated Atalanta 6-1 in Italy in the first leg last week. The Serie A side will need a remarkable turnaround and multiple goals to overcome the Bundesliga champions at the Allianz Arena.
Speaking about the Champions League Round of 16 second leg matches, Emmanuel Brown, a former coach at TTC Football Academy, shared his thoughts on the upcoming games.
“It’s now getting more interesting at this stage of the competition.
“The second leg is the last chance for every team to try and give their all to progress to the next stage of the competition.
“Those teams that lost the first legs will be under more pressure compared to the teams that won their first legs. Because you know you will get knocked out if you fail to win the second leg, and it’s obviously like your last chance.
“I was impressed by several first leg matches, especially Bodo/Glimt’s victory over Sporting. The Norwegian side is definitely a dark horse to watch in this year’s Champions League; they are well organized and function as a cohesive unit,” he said.
When asked to identify eight teams that could reach the quarter finals, Brown responded:
“From the first leg results, it seems some teams already have one foot in the last eight.
“Bodo/Glimt, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG, and Atletico Madrid, which all won their first legs, seem favourite to progress.
“I also see Arsenal progressing because they will be playing at home, as well as Barcelona.
“The match between Liverpool and Galatasaray is tough to call. Galatasaray won narrowly 1-0 in Turkey, but Liverpool is a different challenge at Anfield.
“I hope Galatasaray qualifies because of Victor Osimhen. I want to watch that man go far in this competition, but my head is telling me Liverpool could win. However, I believe it is a 50-50 chance,” he said.
