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Football's premier club competition, the UEFA Champions League returns this week as we move from the group stage to the Round of 16. The biggest names in football will be eager to perform in the greatest club competition in the world.
European heavyweights like Real Madrid and Liverpool will be seeking to add one more Champions League trophy to their already well-decorated cabinet, while teams like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain will be aiming to win the big-eared trophy for the first time. Here are two matches that could potentially be action-packed in this week's fixtures.
1. Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool
Liverpool will head back to the ground where they ended their last campaign, the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, to face Atletico Madrid for the first leg of the Round of 16 Champions League encounter. Their fans will be hopeful once again for a positive outcome like the last time they visited the phenomenal stadium in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.
The two sides met in the competition for the first time in the group stage of the 2008/09 season and while the first encounter finished 1-1 at the Vicenté Calderon, the reverse fixture saw Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard cancel Maxi Rodriguez' opener with 5 minutes into stoppage time to earn the hosts a point at Anfield.
A 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the 2017/18 campaign is Atletico's only defeat in the last 25 European games in their own stadium. The home side will be looking to continue their dominance at home but face a dogged Liverpool side that will be fighting to reach the final for a third consecutive time. It is also worth noting that the Reds have never lost a two-legged knockout tie under their current manager Jurgen Klopp.
As for the style of play, the two sides are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Atletico always adopt a defence-first approach in big games and pick their moments expertly in attack while Liverpool always look to be on the front foot with direct attacks and counter-press approach.
In the league, Liverpool are unbeaten so far as they the look certain to win their first league title in almost 30 years. Atletico, on the other hand, are currently having a campaign to forget in La Liga as they are currently 13 points behind leaders Real Madrid in 4th position.
2. Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain
Another highly-anticipated tie this week see Borussia Dortmund welcome French giants Paris Saint-Germain to the Signal Iduna Park in what promises to be another mouthwatering clash in the UEFA Champions League.
Dortmund picked up 10 points in the group stage as they finished second behind Barcelona in Group F while Paris Saint-Germain were the winners of Group A ahead of Real Madrid and went unbeaten throughout the group stage.
PSG manager Thomas Tuchel faces off against his former employers Dortmund for the first time since he left the club, and he will be hoping to lead his team past the Round of 16 this campaign after bowing out at this stage in the past three campaigns. Dortmund too haven't reached the quarter-finals since the 2016/2017 season.
Dortmund came close to winning their first Champions League title in 2013 but came up short in the final to eventual winners Bayern Munich. The farthest PSG have gone in the competition is the semi-finals back in 1995.
Paris Saint-Germain have the best defensive record this season, conceding only two goals at the Bernabeu and arguably the best attack in all of Europe with Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, and more. Mbappe, in particular, was in fine form the last time he played against Dortmund, scoring a brace in Germany and one back in France for his former side AS Monaco.
Dortmund aren't lacking firepower in attack themselves with recent signing Erling Haaland scoring 8 goals so far since his move to Germany in the winter transfer window and English wonderkid Jadon Sancho also in superb form, being their top scorer.
Both teams have conceded an astounding number of goals in the last few weeks, although they are capable of putting up an attacking masterclass and that is exactly what is expected of them on Tuesday provided all their key players feature in the game.
