This week marks the start of the Round of 16 in the European club competitions, kicking off the knockout phase of these tournaments. The 16 best teams from the group stage will compete in this round for a spot in the quarter-finals. In this article, we look ahead to the Round of 16.
Champions League
Club Brugge will face Aston Villa on Tuesday evening. The Bruges side can already look back on a very successful European campaign, but with this opponent, there might be even more to gain. Blauw-Zwart has already managed to beat The Villans before, and considering their recent result against Atalanta, another upset by Club Brugge is not impossible. However, they will need to perform better than they have in the Jupiler Pro League, where they have failed to win their last three matches.
Later that evening, a city derby will take place in Spain between Real and Atlético Madrid. The city rivals have, of course, faced each other multiple times in the domestic league, but they have also met frequently in European competitions. This year, their matches ended in draws, but this time, after two legs, only one team can advance.
The two Dutch teams in the Champions League find themselves in a similar situation: PSV faces Arsenal today, while Feyenoord takes on Inter Milan tomorrow. Tough opponents, but there may be opportunities for the Dutch sides. These are bound to be exciting and interesting matches, with both teams looking to attack.
We will also witness an exciting German showdown. On Wednesday, March 5, Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen will battle for a place in the next round. In the Bundesliga, the Rekordmeister still holds a lead over Leverkusen, which should serve as extra motivation for the latter.
On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain will take on Liverpool. The Parisians are in top form and pose a serious threat to the English league leaders. On Saturday, PSG secured a 4-1 victory over Lille, and their domestic title race is all but decided. Confidence is certainly high for PSG, but we must not forget how dominant Liverpool has been this season. We are looking forward to this clash!
Europa League
For the teams in the Europa League, the first knockout round takes place on Thursday. The evening kicks off with Real Sociedad facing Manchester United. The Spanish side is always strong at home, but Manchester United has more experience on the European stage and plenty of reasons to push for a good result. Their domestic campaign has been underwhelming, so success must be found elsewhere.
Also on Thursday evening, AZ will host Tottenham Hotspur. AZ surprised many by eliminating Galatasaray in the play-off round, and now they face an even tougher opponent from London. Earlier this season, these two teams met in the group stage, where AZ narrowly lost. The question is whether the Alkmaar side can turn that result around this time.
That same evening, Ajax will take on Eintracht Frankfurt. The third-placed team in the Bundesliga has rebuilt itself into a strong contender in recent years through smart player acquisitions. However, their recent form has been shaky—they have won just one of their last six matches and suffered heavy defeats to Leverkusen and Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Ajax is in excellent form, having secured some impressive victories since the winter break.
In Italy, AS Roma will host Athletic Bilbao on Thursday evening. These two teams are familiar opponents at this level, having already faced each other on the first matchday of this tournament. That game at the Stadio Olimpico ended in a draw, with Roma letting the win slip away late in the match.
Conference League
The first knockout round of the Conference League also takes place on Thursday. Fiorentina will travel to Greece to face Panathinaikos—a team you may remember from last year’s Conference League semi-final, where they eliminated Club Brugge. Both teams are performing well in their domestic leagues, so this match should be well worth watching.
At the same time, the match between Copenhagen and Chelsea will kick off. The Blues face a tough challenge in the Danish capital, as they are dealing with multiple injuries. Meanwhile, Copenhagen is on a strong run and has every reason to be optimistic about their European campaign.
And let’s not forget the Belgian representatives: Cercle Brugge will face Jagiellonia Bialystok, the team currently in third place in the Polish league. Cercle Brugge secured a direct ticket to this round through the League Phase, while Jagiellonia had to eliminate Serbian side Backa Topola in the play-off round. The Polish team is not a major powerhouse, so Cercle Brugge can certainly dream of extending their European adventure.
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