Athletico Madrid vs Liverpool (Leg 1)
Liverpool go back into the Champions League knockout campaign as reigning champions of Europe, a title they will be looking to keep until the end of this year. Liverpool has all the confidence going into this game, defeating Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday with an excellent 78th minute finish from Sadio Mané.
With this win, Liverpool has increased their win total to 25 with just 1 tie and no losses in 26 matches played this year in the Premier League. Liverpool has been cruising in the league so far. Additionally, Liverpool also finished first in their group for the Champions League, giving them the confidence to beat anyone they might come up against.
With stars such as Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson set to play, Liverpool will look to take command in the first leg and leave the Wanda Metropolitano with nothing short of a win. Atlético Madrid comes into this contest having some tough losses in the past weeks, including a loss to Real Madrid in La Liga and a loss to Cultural Leonesa in the Copa del Rey Round of 32.
Although a game like this can really help a struggling team like Atlético Madrid to get back on their feet and get some wins going forward. Key players such as summer signing Joao Felix and Alvaro Morata will look to really make their presence known in such a big game.
With a win against Liverpool on Tuesday, Athletico Madrid will significantly increase their chances of making it to the round of 8 in the Champions League.
Writer’s Pick: Liverpool
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG (Leg 1)
Borussia Dortmund is a team that is on the rise in football. With the acquisition of the young Norwegian talent Erling Haaland, Dortmund has only better its chances to become one of Europe’s elite. A win against a team like PSG is crucial for Borussia Dortmund and can give them much confidence going into the future.
Young stars like Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland will look to impress and beat a PSG team that has looked good on the lineup card for the past few years but has struggled to make a run in Champions League Football. Paris Saint Germain have posted a good record this season with 20 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses in 25 games played in the Ligue 1.
Players like Neymar have already proved that they can perform on the big stage, but it’s about consistency that makes the great players “great”, about constantly getting back to the Champions League finals every year. Neymar and young superstar Kylian Mbappé will especially be looking to take this PSG side to the Champions League Round of 8.
Writer’s Pick: Borussia Dortmund
Atalanta vs Valencia (Leg 1)
Atalanta will take on a strong Valencia team this week in the Champions League knockout stages. Atlanta make their way back to the knockout stages in this Champions League Campaign after playing the past two seasons in the Europa League.
They are having a strong domestic run this season, currently placed in the top 4 in a tough Seria A division. Key forwards Dûvan Zapata and Josip Illicic will look to pounce first with some early goals against a strong Valencia side.
On the other side of the score sheet is Valencia, who made it out of a tough group comprised of excellent teams like Chelsea and Ajax. Just making it out of the group was big for Valencia, who haven’t played their best football in La Liga this year with a current seventh-place standing in the league.
Winning this game will be crucial for Valencia and could help them regain the confidence to get back to the top 4 of La Liga for next year’s Champions League eligibility as well as better their chances for a spot in the Round of 8.
Writer’s Pick: Valencia
Tottenham vs Red Bulls Leipzig
Reigning Champions League finalists Tottenham Hotspur will look to face-off against the in-form RB Leipzig. Tottenham Hotspur will look to make their way back to the Champions League Final once again with a crucial win against RB Leipzig.
Tottenham currently holds a fifth-place rank in the Premier League with its relatively new manager Jose Mourinho. Convincing victories over teams like Aston Villa on Sunday, place much confidence in the hands of star-player Heung-Min Son and the Tottenham squad going into this important Champions League game.
Similarly, a win for RB Leipzig would be huge for their team going forward and would help them to gain even more confidence going back into their Bundesliga campaign. Leipzig has done excellently this year in the Bundesliga and currently how a second-place spot just under Bayern Munich.
A win against Tottenham could solidify RB Leipzig as a major problem for teams in Europe.
Writer’s Pick: Tottenham
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Image credit: AS.com