UEFA Champions League 2016/17: Round of 16, Preview & Predictions
Europe's elite competition, the UEFA Champions League returns tomorrow with sixteen teams all set to battle it out in the knockout phase of this season's lucrative tournament. Along with the usual suspects, the likes of Leicester City, and Sevilla, to some extent, raised eyebrows by qualifying for the round of 16.
The first legs are set to be played over the course of the next two weeks, starting tomorrow. There are four ties that catch the eye with Paris Saint-Germain playing host to FC Barcelona, and Real Madrid trying their luck against a spirited Napoli side, while Manchester City face off against AS Monaco and Bayern Munich host their favourite team from England – Arsenal.
Let's take a closer look at all the eight games that are set to take centre stage:
#1 Paris Saint Germain vs FC Barcelona
PSG and FC Barcelona have become regular foes in the Champions League with these two sides meeting for the third time in five seasons. The French side will be out for revenge after the Catalans eliminated them on both previous occasions at the quarter-final stage.
Barcelona have progressed past the round of 16 in the last nine seasons, which is the longest current run in the competition. PSG have lost just one out of their last 42 European matches at home, though, with the solitary defeat coming against the Catalans back in 2015.
Players to watch out for
- Lionel Messi is this season's top scorer with 10 goals in the group stages.
- Edinson Cavani is currently the top scorer across the five biggest European leagues with 35 goals. He has already scored six times in the Champions League and has a massive tally of 25 goals in Ligue 1 this season.
Key stats
- The only time Paris SG eliminated Barcelona from the Champions League was in the 1994/95 quarter-finals (3-2 on aggregate). Since then, the Catalans have won their two knockout encounters with the Parisian club – in 2012/13 and 2014/15.
- Barcelona haven’t lost a game in which Luis Suarez has scored. The Uruguayan has scored 70 times in 128 appearances for his current side and has a record of 65 wins and 5 draws.
- Paris Saint-Germain have failed to keep a clean sheet against Barcelona in 9 previous encounters.
Prediction
The Catalans will continue to inflict misery on PSG and will win both the legs although the Parisians will give them a run for their money.
First leg – PSG 1-2 FC Barcelona
Second leg – FC Barcelona 1-0 PSG