{"id":543296,"date":"2020-02-09T10:54:42","date_gmt":"2020-02-09T15:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=543296"},"modified":"2020-02-09T10:54:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-09T15:54:42","slug":"champions-league-knockout-stages-liverpool-face-tough-test-at-atletico-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/02\/09\/champions-league-knockout-stages-liverpool-face-tough-test-at-atletico-madrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Champions League Knockout Stages: Liverpool Face Tough Test at Atletico Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

With less than a fortnight to go before the return of Europe\u2019s most entertaining club competition, it\u2019s time for a Champions League knockouts first leg preview. There are some fascinating encounters in store for the fans this time. Will champions Liverpool steamroll their way past struggling Atletico Madrid? Or will the magic of the cup repeat itself in Italy? It\u2019s the LWOF blockbuster Champions League knockout first leg preview!<\/span><\/p>\n

Champions League Knockout Stages: First Leg Preview<\/h2>\n

Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool<\/span><\/h3>\n

Is it possible to look past Jurgen Klopp\u2019s reds as the best team in the world right now? Defending champions Liverpool<\/a> have been in fantastic form, sitting atop the Premier League with a 22 point lead. Atletico, though, isn’t in the best of positions in La Liga. They haven\u2019t been helped by injuries to Joao Felix<\/a> and Diego Costa<\/a> either. Although they seemed to have lost their spark under Diego Simeone<\/a>, a trip to the Wanda Metropolitano will not be an easy one for Liverpool. Both teams play with styles that perfectly complement each other. One adept at sitting back and defending while the other capable of tearing apart teams that do sit back. Atletico will have to be very careful of the likes of Sadio Mane<\/a> and Virgil van Dijk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain<\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the more exciting fixtures to look forward to, this one could witness a lot of goals. Both teams have talented attackers who can score at will. Kylian Mbappe<\/a> continues to shine for the Ligue 1<\/a>\u00a0leaders while Dortmund\u2019s young stars keep scoring for fun. With a combined total of 118 league goals, both teams could be in for an eventful night at the Signal Iduna. However, both Dortmund and PSG<\/a> have been guilty of defending poorly throughout the season. Leaking goals and not being clinical enough in front of goal has been a worry for both teams. Marco Reus<\/a> has already been ruled out of the 1st leg and there is no clear news regarding the availability of Neymar. Even then, this promises to be a very high- intensity contest. It will also be interesting to keep an eye on Thomas Tuchel as he comes up against his former side. PSG does seem to have better overall depth and quality. They might just have too much in the tank for Dortmund to handle.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Atalanta vs Valencia<\/span><\/h3>\n

Atalanta\u2019s<\/a> comeback to make it to the round of 16 was nothing short of a miracle. Valencia<\/a>, on the other hand, put in some scintillating performances in their group. And now, they face each other in what promises to be another end-to-end fixture. Both teams love to attack by building up from the midfield. Evidence of this is some beautiful passing goals from both teams in the group stages. They\u2019re both in an around the Champions League spots in their respective leagues. Needless to say, the confidence will be very high when they play each other. The likes of Josip Ilicic<\/a> and Rodrigo will be the highlight of this tie. Both players have been in great form this season and will be looking to impact the game. It\u2019s a very close one to call, but one thing is for sure. There will be loads of drama and action in this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tottenham Hotspur vs RB Leipzig<\/span><\/h3>\n

Spurs<\/a> against Leipzig promises to be another exhilarating clash. Having lost Harry Kane<\/a> long-term, the London outfit seems to be starting to look more like a Jose Mourinho team. With the pace they have up front, they can sit back and wait to counter when given a chance. Leipzig, on the contrary, is a very direct team. Their blistering start to the Bundesliga might have faded away, but Timo Werner<\/a> has been scoring left, right and centre for Nagelsmann\u2019s side. His threating pace combined with a wonderful knack of scoring goals makes him a deadly striker. No wonder Leipzig is challenging Bayern for the title. Tactics aside, this one surely has a lot of goals in store. Mourinho\u2019s experience in this competition is unparalleled but Leipzig\u2019s youthful exuberance might just be enough to push them through.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chelsea vs Bayern Munich<\/span><\/h3>\n

A Champions classic with history written all over it. Chelsea<\/a> against Bayern<\/a> has always given fans emotion and entertainment. Now, they face each other for the first time after an action-packed 2012 Champions League final<\/a>. Bayern had a very rocky start to the season but they have slowly made their way to the top of the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Chelsea themselves have been very erratic in the Premier League. Robert Lewandowski<\/a> took the group stages by storm with 10 goals as Bayern breezed past their opponents. Chelsea had a much more uphill task, as their young side had to battle hard to get to the knockout phase. It\u2019s certainly not an easy game for them but Lampard\u2019s side have shown zeal and passion. However, Bayern seem to be favourites for this one. Stamford Bridge has witnessed a lot of classics over the years. Who knows, this could be another one.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Napoli vs Barcelona<\/span><\/h3>\n

Given their Champions League experience, this seems to be an easy one for the Spanish champions. Napoli hasn\u2019t had the best of seasons by their standards either. They\u2019re 11th in the Serie A and haven\u2019t been exceptionally good like last season. However, this doesn\u2019t mean Napoli can\u2019t cause Barcelona<\/a> problems. The Catalonian side saw the top spot in La Liga slip to Real Madrid and still seem to be adapting to Setien\u2019s style. The San Paolo is a surprisingly fierce stadium for big teams. Both Juventus and Liverpool have faced excellent performances from Napoli, fueled by sheer desire and passion. Lorenzo Insigne<\/a> will be a huge trump card for the Italian outfit but can you look past Lionel Messi<\/a>? His performances keep defying the odds. The pure quality and magic he possesses are enough to terrorize defences by himself. This game surely has the potential to be a cracking contest.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lyon vs Juventus<\/span><\/h3>\n

Arguably the easiest fixture of the round, it\u2019s very hard to see Lyon causing an upset in this one. They have their task cut out because of Memphis Depay<\/a>\u2019s injury. And they haven\u2019t been particularly good in Ligue 1 either, languishing in 8th place. Juventus<\/a>, on the other hand, are top of Serie A. They haven\u2019t quite had their usual domination in the league but the ever-reliable Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a> keeps ushering them on. He\u2019s etched his mark of quality on the league in some style too. Age is just a factor, as he keeps breaking records left and right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Real Madrid vs Manchester City<\/span><\/h3>\n

What a tie this could turn out to be. All that can be said about this one is that it is going to be a fiesta. The fixture has goals, drama, emotion, and entertainment written all over it. Although Manchester City haven\u2019t had the best of seasons by their usual standards, they possess one of the best squads in the world. Kevin de Bruyne is back to his brilliant best.<\/a> Sergio Aguero<\/a> has been scoring for fun when he\u2019s in the mood. Aymeric Laporte<\/a> and Leroy Sane<\/a> are also expected to add to this already classy City side. However, La Liga’s table-toppers<\/a> will be no pushover. The likes of an in-form Karim Benzema<\/a> could be a huge worry for the English Champions. Madrid\u2019s Champions League experience could be a huge factor in this one too. Will Zidane\u2019s side showcase their Champions League dominance or will Guardiola\u2019s Premier League champions prove to be too strong for them? Only time will tell.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

\n
Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With less than a fortnight to go before the return of Europe\u2019s most entertaining club competition, it\u2019s time for a Champions League knockouts first leg preview. There are some fascinating encounters in store for the fans this time. Will champions Liverpool steamroll their way past struggling Atletico Madrid? Or will the magic of the cup […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3324,"featured_media":543332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[378,1365,1364,11,2,1362,16,17,1367,3,1366,24],"tags":[464,53,86,46,95,100,182,96,136],"class_list":["post-543296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-champions-league","category-barcelona","category-bayern-munich","category-chelsea","category-featured","category-juventus","category-liverpool","category-manchester-city","category-paris-saint-germain","category-premier-league","category-real-madrid","category-tottenham","tag-barcelona","tag-bayern-munich","tag-champions-league","tag-chelsea","tag-liverpool","tag-manchester-city","tag-real-madrid","tag-tottenham-hotspur","tag-world-football"],"modified_by":"Declan Wiseman, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=543296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/543296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/543332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=543296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=543296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=543296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}