The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 has arrived with a Madrid derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid the highlight of Tuesday’s slate, with two Premier League clubs and defending finalist Dortmund also on the match card. Here is your preview and prediction for all of the matches.
Aston Villa at Club Brugge
A surprise packet team, Brugge dominated Atalanta to reach this stage but they will be underdogs the rest of the tournament as their budget and resources lag the competition. Aston Villa sit a disappointing 10th in the Premier League table, a run in the Champions League has worn down their form domestically with a three goal defeat against Crystal Palace their last EPL outing, while they did win their FA Cup clash on Friday against the lower tier Cardiff City. Villa is proud of only suffering two losses in the initial stage of the tournament, but one of those losses was a 1-0 defeat against Brugge that gives the Belgian side a lot of confidence that they can advance from this tie.
Brugge has failed to win their last two games in the domestic league however and there are real concerns if they can maintain such a high level of play against quality competition. Playing at home, Brugge should give Villa their best shot though, PSG’s Marco Asensio and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford have been welcome loan additions for Villa, but Brugge should play this game tight and avoid defeat, while Villa will be left to work at home. I will go with Brugge matching their h2h result from last time. Prediction: 1-0 Club Brugge
Atletico Madrid at Real Madrid
These clubs won’t have to travel for the Champions League, as Real Madrid hosts the first leg at their stadium, while Atletico will be hosting the return leg of this Madrid Derby x Champions League showdown. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid ran a masterclass around Manchester City in the previous stage, and they continue to have belief they can add another Champions League to the trophy case, despite a season that has been somewhat challenging. Defeat against Real Betis on the weekend saw Real Madrid slip to third in the La Liga table but they remain close to both Atletico and eternal rivals Barcelona in Europe’s closest title race for 24/25. The La Liga clash between these sides saw the brilliance of Jan Oblak ensure a draw.
Diego Simeone will have a plan as he knows how to spoil things for Real Madrid at home, Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann are the focal point on attack for the team in red, while Oblak will need to be his best once more. Atletico Madrid are capable of playing defensively sound football, while Real Madrid will miss the talents of Jude Bellingham (card accumulation) for this one. With Vini Jr. and Kylian Mbappe in attack, Real Madrid remain spoiled going forward, but the defence remains a question and it feels like a draw is something Atletico can achieve in the away leg. The last three Madrid Derby’s have been 1-1 draws. Prediction: 2-2 Draw
Arsenal at PSV
A surprise victory over Juventus should mean something for PSV, but it hasn’t propelled them to overall success lately as they have fallen 8 points behind Ajax for the domestic title and lost twice to small budget Go Ahead Eagles since the upset of the Italian giants. Hosting Arsenal means the stadium will be full and hope will be alive, but with the Premier League title race all but lost, Arsenal should be laser focused on the Champions League at this point in the season.
The London club have been better in Europe this year than in the Premier League but missing four attackers players with injury does dim their prospects. PSV’s backline does allow for gaps though, and the Noa Lang, Luuk de Jong attacking pair may not be enough to get one past the Gunners. Arsenal should find their way in a hostile environment. Prediction: Arsenal 2 PSV 1
Lille at Borussia Dortmund
Of the four matches on Tuesday, this one has probably attracted the least amount of attention as Lille sit 5th in Ligue 1 and Dortmund remain out of the European places in the Bundesliga at 10th despite consecutive wins. Dortmund did a number on Sporting Club Portugal of Lisbon in the previous stage of the Champions League, while Lille is reeling from a 4-1 defeat against PSG in Ligue 1. Niko Kovac has stabilized Dortmund as the new manager, and playing at home, they will need to put a number on the board against their French rivals. Jonathan David and Lille are capable of playing well, but facing Dortmund’s yellow wall likely won’t bring out their best form or consistency. Serhou Guirassy should find the scoresheet as Dortmund will establish an advantage in the first leg. Prediction: Borussia Dortmund 3, Lille 1
Main Photo Credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire
