The field will be trimmed down from 16 teams in the UEFA Champions League this week as round of 16 action comes to a close, last week’s dramatic results setting up for an intriguing finish.
All eyes will be on the six English clubs in competition, who had no issues reaching the last 16 but have struggled from the get-go. Not a single one won their first leg matches, while three — Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur — have three-goal deficits to overcome if they want to reach the quarterfinals. Each of them will need a lot to go right in the second leg, but stiff competition awaits — Chelsea will host reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain, while City take on Real Madrid and Spurs will meet Atletico Madrid.
Elsewhere in Europe, Arsenal and Bayern Munich will have another chance to prove their worth as the Champions League favorites. For Bayern, the work may already be done after a 6-1 win at Atalanta last week, while the Gunners still have work to do after a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen.
The action is rounded out by Barcelona’s clash with Newcastle United, Liverpool’s fixture against Galatasaray, and the continuation of Bodo/Glimt’s historic Champions League campaign at Sporting Lisbon.
Here’s how the CBS Sports team thinks this week’s action will shake out.
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Tuesday’s Champions League matches
Wednesday’s Champions League matches
Between Spurs, Chelsea and City, who can come back?
No one — Look for all the talk about the downfall of the Premier League, two of its leading lights drew opponents in PSG and Real Madrid who can match them in financial muscle and talent. Then they came out and got brutally punished for their mistakes, and now their European campaigns are almost certainly over. Manchester City, with Erling Haaland at full tilt, you’d give a chance, but his has been a pretty profound drop in form. Chelsea just don’t look reliable enough to deliver when the pressure in on this season. Tottenham didn’t really want this to distract from their relegation battle anyway. — James Benge
Manchester City — This is essentially two questions in one: Which of the trio is most likely to put together a perfect game, and which of the opponents with a three-goal advantage is riding their luck a little bit? Weighing the two questions against each other, it’s hard not to feel Manchester City are best poised to pull off an epic comeback — they have goal scorers who can help out in a pinch like Antoine Semenyo and Erling Haaland (even if he’s out of form), while Real Madrid have been mistake-prone at times this season. Plus, City have one person who can technically come up with an impressive solution in a tough scenario — Pep Guardiola. — Pardeep Cattry
Manchester City — While Tottenham’s chances to make a comeback against Atletico Madrid are really low and Chelsea need to make a completely different performance in the second leg against PSG, Manchester City have the talent and resources to make it against Real Madrid, even if it won’t be an easy task for Pep Guardiola’s team. I don’t see Manchester City making a comeback on Tuesday, but they are the one the have the most chances compared to the other sides. — Francesco Porzio
No one — Oddly enough, Tottenham have the best chance, considering Atletico Madrid’s struggles on the road and the morale boost that getting a point against Liverpool will give them. But this is also a team that hasn’t won a match under Igor Tudor. Manchester City will feel like they have a chance, but Erling Haaland was held without a shot in the first leg, and even if he gets going in the second, Madrid will score on City’s defense. Can Guardiola’s men score five at home? I’m not sure. Then, when it comes to Chelsea, any hope they had just went up in flames with Reece James’ injury. — Chuck Booth
Should Liverpool be worried?
Yes — They certainly should, largely because of their own weaknesses. The attack has waxed and waned of late and only really seemed to threaten Galatasaray in Turkey when either (a) their hosts gave them the ball in the final third or (b) they got a corner they could bend in the direction of the meat wall. The worry here is not so much what Galatasaray can do to them as what they can’t do to Galatasaray. — James Benge
Yes — Probably, but their worries extend beyond their 1-0 loss at Galatasaray. They have a fighting chance against the visitors, who have been unimpressive away from home all season in Europe, but their lifeless showing in Istanbul is just the latest in a long string of unimpressive performances from the Reds this season. Even if their early-season attack-forward outings were a lot of fun, they proved to be unsustainable. It’s a worrying sign Arne Slot has been unable to find a functioning offensive balance. The worst part of it all is that their defense is not what it used to be, an intriguing selection of attackers offering very little cover. Liverpool could still advance to the quarterfinals, but this team is not built to accomplish all that much this season. — Pardeep Cattry
Yes — Absolutely yes. Galatasaray have already proved they can secure the result of the first leg against Juventus in the playoffs, even if it wasn’t as easy as expected, since they had to bring the second leg to the extra time, when Victor Osimhen scored the deciding goal in Turin. I think it will be different this time as the Turkish side acknowledged the mistakes they made against Juventus last month. — Francesco Porzio
No — Not about this game. Galatasaray’s home and away splits in Champions League play are absurd. Rams Park has been a fortress where they’ve only lost once while sporting a +11 goal difference. But leaving the comforts of home, Galatasaray have conceded 11 goals in five matches while only winning one. And that one win was against Ajax, so it almost doesn’t count. Despite their disappointing weekend, Liverpool will feel like they can score at home, and looking at Galatasaray’s defense, no one is going to stop them from doing that. — Chuck Booth
Game of the week
Barcelona vs. Newcastle United — It certainly felt like a great opportunity had slipped through Newcastle’s fingers when Lamine Yamal equalised from the penalty spot late on, but everything that made the Magpies so successful in the first leg will still be true in the second. Barcelona aren’t going to drop back, they aren’t going to avoid duels that they struggled to win in the first leg, they aren’t going to refuse to press defenders who can deal with their pressure. This time, as well, Newcastle will have Anthony Gordon to burst in behind that line. They are a horrible match up for Barcelona and I think that is going to result in a remarkable night at the Camp Nou. — James Benge
Barcelona vs. Newcastle United — The focus is perhaps rightly on the English teams who have a mountain to climb, but keep an eye on the action at the Camp Nou. Barcelona have some chaotic tendencies that make them a must-watch, thanks in large part to a defense that is often left vulnerable by Hansi Flick’s preference for a high line. If Newcastle United’s performance at home in last week’s 1-1 draw is anything to go by, the visitors will be up for the challenge and should be ready to cause some drama, regardless of which team eventually overpowers the other. — Pardeep Cattry
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid — It will once again be the most-awaited game of the week, despite the first leg, when Real Madrid dominated the team coached by Guardiola and won 3-0 at the Bernabeu. All eyes will be on the Etihad Stadium for another chapter of this incredible rivalry. — Francesco Porzio
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid: An early Real Madrid goal can sink the drama of the match, but City in desperation mode will be fun to watch. They have to leave it all on the pitch, and even if they do score, they won’t be able to stop Madrid from doing the same, turning this into a basketball game instead of a soccer match. — Chuck Booth