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#2 Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Arguably the draw of the round, 13-time Champions League winners Real madrid will face off against European hopefuls Manchester City in what should be one of the best rounds of 16 ties in the history of this competition.
Managers Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane are both well-versed in this competition and have won it multiple times. However, their quest for the title in a squad not featuring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively will continue as they lock horns in this game. Both teams are filled with world-class players, and both squads can defend as well as they can attack.
The Los Blancos, however, still do not look like the same team without Ronaldo. Eden Hazard is currently injured and has not performed as well as people expected him to, whereas Zidane's flaws are being exposed now more than they ever were previously.
Pep himself has tried and failed with City thrice in the Champions League and it is a fact that his team has fallen behind a lot in the Premier League this season. However, come February, the Cityzens should have Aymeric Laporte and Sergio Aguero back, both of whom can provide them with a great boost.
We expect that this tie will be the closest one in this round but Pep's tactical acumen combined with a well-balanced City squad which normally hits their stride in the latter part of the season could be a bit too much for this new look Madrid side. At the end of it all, it seems just a little more likely that the English team will get the better of their Spanish counterparts.
Verdict - Manchester City to go through
#3 Atalanta vs Valencia
The wildcard match of this round, Atalanta have made club history by qualifying for their first-ever round of 16 stage in the Champions League in their maiden season in the competition. The Serie A side has been hot and cold in their domestic league, but they won their last two games in the Champions League to qualify for this round.
Valencia, meanwhile, topped their tough group H which consisted of Ajax and Chelsea. The La Liga team is much more experienced in the Champions League and they put in some good performances in the group stages which has given them this relatively easy draw.
Both sides could surprise the other with their squad of talented players but Valencia's experience in this competition gives them an upper hand in what should be a very tightly contested tie.
Verdict - Valencia to go through
