Preview: Champions League Last 16 1st Legs (Part 2)

The opening quarter of Champions League Last 16 action was certainly interesting last week as PSG, Tottenham and Real Madrid all took control of their ties while Roma vs. Porto remains very evenly balanced.

Whilst it is perhaps unlikely that there will be another win that matches Tottenham's 3-0 scoreline over Dortmund in terms of margin, Manchester City's trip to Schalke looks the most one-sided of this week's matches with each of the other three games looking set to be very interesting. Here's your preview of the first legs taking place across the next couple of days along with some team news.



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Liverpool vs. Bayern Munich

Liverpool will no doubt feel confident of progressing past a Bayern side that certainly isn't the strongest we've seen in recent years, however, defensive injuries and suspensions are a cause for concern ahead of this clash at Anfield. Key man Virgil van Dijk is unavailable due to suspension with fellow centre backs Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren struggling with injury. This means we could see a central pairing of Matip and Fabinho (usually a central midfielder) attempting to prevent Robert Lewandowski finding an away goal for Bayern. The German giants are currently two points behind Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga.

Liverpool Team News: Virgil van Dijk (suspended) and Joe Gomez (leg) definitely unavailable. Dejan Lovren is a severe doubt with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain lacking match fitness and Roberto Firmino struggling with illness according to recent reports.
Bayern Team News: Bayern have announced a travelling squad that doesn't include Ribery, Robben or Boateng as well as Thomas Muller who is suspended. Gnabry and Coman have been starting frequently on the wings anyway meaning those first two names won't be missed quite as greatly as they would have been a few seasons ago. Update: Ribery has since tweeted about the birth of his daughter and suggested that he will be heading to Anfield after all!

Prediction: Even with players missing, Liverpool should have too much for this ageing Bayern team. The central defence is a concern though and Bayern will fancy their chances of an away goal to keep this tie alive. 2-1

Lyon vs. Barcelona

A game that is likely to see goals! Both of these teams are excellent going forward but struggle defensively, as a quick look at Lyon's group stage scorelines will tell you: 1-1, 2-2, 2-2, 3-3, 2-2, 1-2. Barcelona are of course favourites in this tie given their squad and European experience. The Catalan side sit comfortably top of La Liga while Lyon are battling with Lille for second in Ligue 1. The challenge is made all the greater for the home side by the fact that their creative talisman Nabil Fekir is suspended for this first leg.

Lyon Team News: Fekir (suspended) is the only definite absentee for Lyon though Denayer (groin) and Ndombele (ankle) are rumoured to be doubtful.
Barcelona Team News: Rafinha (knee) and Arthur (hamstring) are unavailable but Barcelona should be able to field what is arguably their strongest XI regardless.

Prediction: Fekir is a huge miss for Lyon who rely on him to play a part in a considerable amount of their goals. Barcelona are more than likely to find some away goals and should pick up the win. 1-3

Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus

A monster tie between two clubs that have been desperate to win this competition in recent years but have narrowly fallen short. Atletico were runners up in 2014 and 2016 while Juventus lost in the final in both 2015 and 2017. The Last 16 draw putting them against one another means a giant is about to see their 2018/19 effort come to an early end and you can expect things to be very cagey as a result.

Juventus do appear the stronger side that you would expect to get through this tie however Atletico are a very difficult team to play across two legs given their defensive organisation and ability to grab goals through Antoine Griezmann. Both teams look set to be full strength for this one and it will be fascinating to see how Juventus fare after bringing in Cristiano Ronaldo for games exactly like this one. The Portuguese star essentially has the single mission of delivering a Champions League title to Turin.

Atletico Team News: Koke has had a thigh problem but is back in training, Lucas Hernandez (LB) may miss out with a knee injury.
Juventus Team News: Juan Cuadrado is likely to miss out but Douglas Costa could return from a thigh injury.

Prediction: This game is incredibly hard to call. Atletico will, as always, prioritise defence given the importance of an away goal to Juve but if Ronaldo and co. do find the net then it could well be difficult for the hosts to respond. 0-1

Schalke vs. Manchester City

A very tough looking game for German side Schalke as they look to prevent Manchester City from scoring. The away side will play as offensively as ever as they look to put this tie to bed as soon as possible with some goals on the road. The home side have been struggling domestically this season and find themselves 14th in the Bundesliga. Three group stage wins saw them progress to this stage though the group they shared with Porto, Lokomotiv Moscow and Galatasaray was among the weakest in the competition.

Schalke Team News: Attacker Breel Embolo is back in training after breaking his toe recently but Stambouli (cheekbone) and Schopf (knee) are out.
Manchester City Team News: Vincent Kompany and Benjamin Mendy remain the only doubts for Pep Guardiola's side.

Prediction: This looks like too much of a challenge for Schalke against what is arguably the best squad in the competition. City will be hopeful of a comfortable victory. 0-2