5 players whose stock could rise following the Champions League Round of 16
The Champions League returns this week with the round of 16, and there are some huge matches on show in Europe’s biggest competition – Chelsea vs Barcelona, Paris St. Germain vs Real Madrid and Juventus vs Tottenham amongst them.
With Europe’s best players vying to become Champions League legends, now is the time for them to shine and reputations could soar if certain stars live up to their expectations in this round. Here are five players who could see their stock rise to new heights with good performances in the round of 16.
#1 Keylor Navas
Real Madrid’s Costa Rican goalkeeper, Keylor Navas has come under fire recently – like most of Los Blancos’ squad – as Zinedine Zidane’s side have hit a bit of a sticky patch, drawing with Levante and losing to Villareal since 2018 began. Navas himself has had to deal with constant rumours about Real looking for a replacement for him, with David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois both linked with moves to the Bernabeu.
Navas though has promised to hold fast at Real – reportedly refusing to accept a move that would involve a pay cut – and with no other club seems willing to match his Real salary, it looks like he’ll be sticking around for a while - which is why the round of 16 and Real’s tie against Paris St. Germain is so important for him.
PSG were terrifying in the group stages – scoring a wild 25 goals in the 6 games. They have one of the most formidable front trios in world football in the form of Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani. If Navas can perform well and keep that trio from scoring – allowing Real to get through a difficult tie – then his stock would soar and perhaps Los Blancos would forget about looking for a replacement.