Tuesday action in the Champions League will see four teams book their place in the 24-25 quarterfinals with Barcelona and Liverpool playing host in the two biggest games of the day. We have predictions for every match of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
Feyenoord at Inter Milan
(Inter Milan 2-0 on aggregate)
The star power of Inter Milan came out in the first leg, with Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram the scoring duo as they take a 2-0 lead into the San Siro. On the weekend Inter Milan cooked up a 3-2 comeback as they continue to compete for the Serie A title. Facing such a defensively solid side, Feyenoord will need a lot of help to get back into this tie, such as a red card or a penalty concession. Igor Paixao remains their star, but this side is missing at least half of their usual starters including Quinten Timber. Look for Inter Milan to lock things down and ensure they go through to the quarterfinals. Prediction: Inter Milan 1-0, Inter Milan 3-0 on aggregate
Bayern Munich at Bayer Leverkusen
(Bayern Munich 3-0 on aggregate)
Bayer Leverkusen were hopeful in their matchup with Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich last week, but it ended in tears as Bayern converted two penalties with the gifted foot of Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala added a goal from open play to put the giants from Bavaria into a dominant 3-0 lead heading into the away leg. Despite a good record against their rivals, Leverkusen played the first leg with chaotic defending and a soft attack, and much of the second half was played with 10 men.
Both teams lost in the Bundesliga this weekend, but Leverkusen are in worse shape with top attacker Florian Wirtz injured. Harry Kane looks set to feast as he will look to exploit holes in the Bayer side defensively, Leverkusen under Xabi Alosno has to try to go ahead and score, but putting three on the board is hard and that will open up Bayern’s chance to respond in kind. Prediction: Bayern Munich 2-1 (Bayern Munich 5-1 on aggregate)
Benfica at Barcelona
(Barcelona 1-0 on aggregate)
The 1-0 scoreline doesn’t look like much for Barcelona, but it was a massive result as they played most of the first leg in Lisbon with 10 men after Pau Cubarsi’s red card. Raphinha helped make his case for best player in Europe as he scored the only goal of the game, and Benfica somehow trailed after the first leg, dimming their chances of advancing. Barcelona’s game on the weekend was postponed as the first-team doctor unexpectedly passed away, while Benfica continued to compete for the Portugese League title.
Wojciech Szczęsny has been incredible in goal for Barcelona, he played one of the greatest games of his career in the first leg, shutting down Benfica’s attack spearheaded by Vangelis Pavlidis their star Greek. If Barcelona can avoid significant mental mistakes, such as incurring another red card, they should have enough attack with the ageless Robert Lewandowski to ensure their passage into the quarterfinals. Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 (Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate)
PSG at Liverpool
(Liverpool 1-0 on aggregate)
If you watched the first leg from Paris without knowing the scoreline you would think PSG would have a comfortable lead, however Alisson Becker played out of his boots, with a performance for the ages that saw him defend 10 shots on goal (27 in total for PSG). PSG was moving through the gears, dominating posession (71%), with silky smooth passing and almost no threat at the back, but Liverpool’s experienced duo of Virgil Van Dijik and Alisson were an unbreakable rock, Dembele and company couldn’t find the back of the net, and then substitute Harvey Elliot struck a late miracle goal for Liverpool that allows them to host this return leg at Anfield with an advantage.
Despite the Liverpool magic on the night, it’s hard to think this tie is over. Both teams won their domestic games on the weekend as PSG continues to dominate Ligue 1 and Mohamed Salah’s two penalties saw Liverpool extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table. These are two of the world’s best teams right now and it’s a shame that one of them has to exit in the round of 16. PSG played so much better in the first leg, that only a mental collapse would see them fall out of the tie. A draw feels likely, but that’s enough to put Liverpool through as Liverpool absorbed PSG’s best shot in a game that could have been lopsided. Prediction: 1-1 Draw (Liverpool 2-1 on aggregate)
Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images
