Preview: Champions League Last 16 1st Legs (Part 1)
February is a great month for fans of European football as each domestic league begins to take shape with title races forming and the leading continental competitions return. The Champions League is seen by most as the greatest club competition in the world and this year's Last 16 looks especially enticing due to the number of interesting ties that have been drawn.
The eight first leg fixtures are played across a two-week period meaning they are split in half at Superbru to form two four-match rounds. Our 5-a-side game will of course remain daily meaning you will have players from four teams to select from in each round. Below, you can find some info on how each team are looking as they head into their respective ties along with my thoughts on some of the scorelines. Next week's ties will be included in a similar preview next Monday as injury news and indeed form could well change between now and then! Feel free to comment with your own thoughts on these games in the comments.
Here are this week's fixtures (what a lineup!):
Click here to make your Champions League predictor picks
Click here to make your Champions League 5-a-side fantasy picks
Manchester Utd Team News: Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian (knocks) both unavailable.
PSG Team News: Neymar (foot), Meunier (concussion) and Cavani (hip) unavailable. Verratti facing late fitness test to see if he is able to start.
Prediction: Manchester United won't get a better chance to defeat PSG than this. You have to expect the French champions to pick up an away goal, but they'll likely concede more. 2-1
They come up against a Porto side who didn't lose once in the group stages and managed away wins at Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow. Though the Portuguese champions failed miserably in the Last 16 last season as they were beaten 0-5 in a home first leg vs. Liverpool, they'll be optimistic heading into this one and currently sit top of the Primeira Liga - one point ahead of Benfica.
Roma Team News: Ünder (thigh), Perotti (calf), Olsen (calf), Shick (muscle) all doubtful for this game.
Porto Team News: Marega (thigh) and Aboubakar (cruciate ligament) highly doubtful. Jesus Corona is suspended.
Prediction: Roma will be desperate not to concede in this home leg and with Porto's main goal threat (Marega) unavailable, they may just be able to grab that clean sheet. 1-0
Dortmund looked strong as they progressed from the group stage as group winners ahead of Atletico Madrid while Tottenham miraculously qualified having looked dead and buried by Barcelona and Inter. Though Spurs' path to the Last 16 can therefore be considered to have been slightly bumpier, they did defeat BVB twice in last year's competition which demoted Dortmund to the Europa League where they failed to get past the Round of 16. Tottenham went on to be eliminated from a tie they arguably should have won against Juventus. Can they finally perform in a European knockout tie this time around?
Tottenham Team News: Kane, Alli and Davies are all back in training though it's unknown if they are ready to start. Lamela (back) and Dier (illness) missed out at the weekend but it's unknown how short-term those problems are.
Dortmund Team News: Key man Marco Reus (thigh) is a major doubt for this first leg.
Prediction: This looks pretty even and whilst Dortmund should score some away goals to feel confident about progressing, Spurs can keep themselves in this. With Dortmund, bold and high-scoring predictions have been paying off far more than they would for most other clubs this season. 2-2
Ajax Team News: Star midfielder Frenkie De Jong who will join Barcelona in the summer was taken off with a minor injury at the weekend so is a potential doubt for this one.
Real Madrid Team News: Madrid's likely starters all appear to be fit though Isco (who hasn't been starting as often as you'd perhaps expect) has a back problem.
Prediction: As was proven in their unbeaten group stage performances, Ajax are a good side and will cause Real Madrid problems but you'd expect the reigning champions to get through this match following their impressive win in the Madrid derby. 1-2
Finally, don't forget we are also running a Europa League predictor for the first time ever this season. The game begins with the knockout stages so now is the perfect time to join. Though the competition is primarily played on a Thursday night, there is a sneaky Tuesday fixture for the opening round so make sure you get involved sooner rather than later: Click here to join Superbru's Europa League predictor game
The eight first leg fixtures are played across a two-week period meaning they are split in half at Superbru to form two four-match rounds. Our 5-a-side game will of course remain daily meaning you will have players from four teams to select from in each round. Below, you can find some info on how each team are looking as they head into their respective ties along with my thoughts on some of the scorelines. Next week's ties will be included in a similar preview next Monday as injury news and indeed form could well change between now and then! Feel free to comment with your own thoughts on these games in the comments.
Here are this week's fixtures (what a lineup!):
Click here to make your Champions League predictor picks
Click here to make your Champions League 5-a-side fantasy picks
Manchester United vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Arguably the game that is most eagerly anticipated in this Last 16 draw. It's actually crazy to think how much everyone's opinion on this tie has changed since it was first announced back in December. Rather than expecting a PSG side led by Mbappe and Neymar to destroy Jose Mourinho's lacklustre Manchester United, we now see a tie that is perhaps most likely to be won by the Red Devils who haven't lost once since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as their caretaker manager. Of course, it helps that Neymar, Meunier and Cavani are all unlikely to feature at Old Trafford.Manchester Utd Team News: Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian (knocks) both unavailable.
PSG Team News: Neymar (foot), Meunier (concussion) and Cavani (hip) unavailable. Verratti facing late fitness test to see if he is able to start.
Prediction: Manchester United won't get a better chance to defeat PSG than this. You have to expect the French champions to pick up an away goal, but they'll likely concede more. 2-1
Roma vs. Porto
An equally intriguing fixture despite the slightly lower status of the teams involved. Roma proved their ability to perform at this level in last season's competition as they eliminated Barcelona in the quarter-finals before giving Liverpool a scare in the semi's. One thing we learned during that run is that the Italian side were very reliant on heavy victories at home as they failed to perform well on the road. Roma will be looking to provide some much needed optimism for their fans in the UCL this season having struggled in Serie A but do have a slightly worrying injury list (as do their opponents).They come up against a Porto side who didn't lose once in the group stages and managed away wins at Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow. Though the Portuguese champions failed miserably in the Last 16 last season as they were beaten 0-5 in a home first leg vs. Liverpool, they'll be optimistic heading into this one and currently sit top of the Primeira Liga - one point ahead of Benfica.
Roma Team News: Ünder (thigh), Perotti (calf), Olsen (calf), Shick (muscle) all doubtful for this game.
Porto Team News: Marega (thigh) and Aboubakar (cruciate ligament) highly doubtful. Jesus Corona is suspended.
Prediction: Roma will be desperate not to concede in this home leg and with Porto's main goal threat (Marega) unavailable, they may just be able to grab that clean sheet. 1-0
Tottenham vs. Dortmund
Another cracker of a tie. Dortmund sit 5 points clear of Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga despite drawing their last two games and have been scoring goals at will. Tottenham will also consider themselves in a good place as they head into this match though, having won four on the bounce in the Premier League despite the absence of Dele Alli and Harry Kane.Dortmund looked strong as they progressed from the group stage as group winners ahead of Atletico Madrid while Tottenham miraculously qualified having looked dead and buried by Barcelona and Inter. Though Spurs' path to the Last 16 can therefore be considered to have been slightly bumpier, they did defeat BVB twice in last year's competition which demoted Dortmund to the Europa League where they failed to get past the Round of 16. Tottenham went on to be eliminated from a tie they arguably should have won against Juventus. Can they finally perform in a European knockout tie this time around?
Tottenham Team News: Kane, Alli and Davies are all back in training though it's unknown if they are ready to start. Lamela (back) and Dier (illness) missed out at the weekend but it's unknown how short-term those problems are.
Dortmund Team News: Key man Marco Reus (thigh) is a major doubt for this first leg.
Prediction: This looks pretty even and whilst Dortmund should score some away goals to feel confident about progressing, Spurs can keep themselves in this. With Dortmund, bold and high-scoring predictions have been paying off far more than they would for most other clubs this season. 2-2
Ajax vs. Real Madrid
Two European giants face off as Ajax finally find themselves back in the Champions League knockout stages where they take on the team that has dominated this competition for the last three years. Currently second in the Eredivisie behind PSV, Ajax are certainly the underdogs here given Real Madrid's recent form though the Spanish giants do look for more beatable this season than they have done for a long while.Ajax Team News: Star midfielder Frenkie De Jong who will join Barcelona in the summer was taken off with a minor injury at the weekend so is a potential doubt for this one.
Real Madrid Team News: Madrid's likely starters all appear to be fit though Isco (who hasn't been starting as often as you'd perhaps expect) has a back problem.
Prediction: As was proven in their unbeaten group stage performances, Ajax are a good side and will cause Real Madrid problems but you'd expect the reigning champions to get through this match following their impressive win in the Madrid derby. 1-2
Finally, don't forget we are also running a Europa League predictor for the first time ever this season. The game begins with the knockout stages so now is the perfect time to join. Though the competition is primarily played on a Thursday night, there is a sneaky Tuesday fixture for the opening round so make sure you get involved sooner rather than later: Click here to join Superbru's Europa League predictor game
