The second leg of the round of 16 matches of the UEFA Champions League hold this mid-week with PSG, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen in must-win encounters.
…PSG Dare Liverpool
Paris Saint Germain must win as they storm Liverpool on Tuesday. Despite their total control of their first leg encounter at the Parc des Princess last mid-week, Liverpool ran away with a lone goal victory scored by Harvey Elliot in the 87th minute.
The Reds were completely outclassed by PSG who could not beat Allisson Becker in goal for Liverpool despite firing 10 shots on target.
With their host finding it difficult to score, Liverpool pushed on and three minutes to the end of the match Harvey Elliot slotted Darwin Nunez pass beyond Donnarumma in goal for PSG.
It will be a different game at Anfield, a ground where visiting teams are superlatively intimidated.
Liverpool will like to show patience and ruggedness to withstand all the waves of attacks that the French side will throw at them. Last weekend, Liverpool came from behind to defeat bottom placed Southampton 3-1 in the League while PSG crushed Rennes 4-1.
None of the last 15 French sides to play away from home against an English opponent in Europe have managed to win, with 14 of those ending in defeats. In fact, the last defeat was inflicted on PSG when they lost 3-1 to Manchester United in December 2020.
…Atletico Fight for Survival in Madrid Derby
After losing 2-1 in the first leg against their city rivals, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid are condemned to win the second leg by more than one goal margin to qualify for the quarter-final instead of their city rivals.
Rodrygo opened scoring for the home side in the 4th minute, but Julian Alvarez restored parity in the 32nd minute. Ten minutes after the break, Brahim Diaz scored the winning goal for Real Madrid.
The Diego Simeone coached Atletico lost the 2014 and 2016 finals to Real Madrid and eliminating the defending champions will be a measure of revenge for them.
Last weekend, both sides were in action in the Spanish La Liga. Atletico Madrid lost 2-1 to Getafe while Real Madrid defeated Vallecano by the same score line.
This battle at the Metropolitano Stadium will be very explosive.
…Inter Set to Finish Off Feyenoord
The San Siro in the city of Milan will be the battle ground when Inter Milan host Feyenoord. The first leg in Feyenoord saw the Italians ran away with a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez.
The Dutch side will most likely not pose a serious threat for the Italians who will want to finish off their opponents in Milan. Feyenoord are winless in their last eight away matches against Italian sides in European competitions.
…Leverkusen Battle Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen made their second leg an uphill task when they collapsed like a pack of cards losing 3-0 to Bayern Munich in the first leg.
Jamal Musiala scored in between Harry Kane’s brace as Bayern Munich crushed their Bundesliga rivals at the Allianz Arena.
Leverkusen will have to win by a four goal margin to pull through – a tall order indeed.
Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten in their three home games against Bayern Munich under Xabi Alonso, winning two of them.
…Barcelona Welcome Benfica
Benfica of Portugal will travel to the Nou Camp to take on Barcelona, who won the first leg by a lone goal despite having Pau Cubarsi sent off in the 22nd minute of their first leg encounter.
Pundits have questioned the ability of Benfica to fight back if they could not win at home with Barcelona reduced to ten men.
However, the Portuguese side would be hoping to turn the table around despite having a difficult task in Spain.
Barcelona have already beaten Benfica twice in the UEFA Champions League this season with both victories coming away from home. But, Benfica have never lost three times to any opponent in Europe.
…Aston Villa Welcome Club Brugge
Aston Villa defeated Club Brugge 3-1 in the first leg to reduce the pressure on them in the second leg. The Belgian side will have to work extremely hard to eliminate the English side.
Leon Bailey opened scoring for the visitors, but the lead lasted for only 10 minutes as Maxim de Cuyper equalized for the home side. But, the English side had other plans as they scored two more goals to have a comfortable lead ahead of the second leg.
…PSV Playing for Pride
After falling 7-1 to Arsenal in the first leg, PSV Eindhoven will be playing just for pride as it will be extremely difficult for them to upturn the deficit to qualify instead of Arsenal.
Arsenal are almost through and just have to play for ninety minutes without conceding six goals. It will take a monumental melt down for Arsenal not to qualify for the quarter-final.
…Lille to Fight Dortmund
Lille of France gave themselves a lifeline when they fought extremely hard in the first leg at the Signal Iduna Park to draw 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund.
As they welcome the Germans in the second leg, Lille need to win by any score line to qualify. However, Dortmund still have the same chance to qualify and will grab the opportunity with both hands.
