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The Round-of-16 matches of the Champions League are just one week away. From the 32 that started, only 16 teams remain, one of whom will be crowned the King of Europe. The knockout stages will see some of the heavyweights take each other on. Liverpool will face current Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich, which according to many, is too good a clash this early for the competition's liking. Serie A leaders Juventus will face Atletico Madrid in the first round of knockout stages.
Barcelona and Real Madrid find themselves at the end of relatively easier, but still very tricky opponents in Lyon and Ajax respectively. Lyon's momentum would be sky-high after beating PSG in the league in their last game. Ajax are one of the revelations this season. They held Bayern to a draw, not once but twice in their group. Ziyech, De Jong, De Ligt, Onana -- all the potential talents are doing wonders for them.
Two of the English clubs are also staring at big fixtures ahead of them. Tottenham will face Dortmund, and Manchester United will face PSG in their Round-of-16 clash.
But no matter how tough the fixtures are, there are always players who step up for their team. Look at Lionel Messi. He is second among the top-scorers in Champions League, despite missing two games. He has the lowest number of minutes per goal among all the top scorers. Or look at Matthijs De Ligt elsewhere. Still only 19, he is leading his team and he is keeping their defense strong. And when there are two players of great quality playing for opposite sides, then we get a battle within the war.
Let us look at 5 key battles from all the games combined that will light up the Round-of-16 matches.
Note: Stats from Whoscored.com/PlayerComparison. Except for goals and assists, all stats are per game average.
#5 David De Gea vs Kylian Mbappe (Manchester United vs PSG)
Yes, it is a bit weird that we include a goalkeeper for a key battle. But when it comes to Manchester United, their goalkeeper is as good as any outfield player. David De Gea has been the most important player for Manchester United for a long time now. Against Tottenham recently, he made 11 saves, each one of them as tough as they come.
Manchester's defense is in much better shape than it was under Jose Mourinho but that still doesn't stop strong oppositions from teeing off. Even Burnley managed to squeeze two goals past the United defense. But still, everyone is going to be in a battle with a keeper.
For PSG, it is their front three who score most of their goals, like most of the teams. Since Neymar is out, the next one in the line is the 20-year-old Kylian Mbappe. The young Frenchman has the pace to oust the United defenders and particularly full-backs.
There are reasons to believe that Mbappe will be getting more opportunities at goal in the Champions League clash than the complete poacher Edinson Cavani. He tries to create chances on his own, he has more pace, he has more shots per game than Cavani. De Gea will have to be at his absolute best to deny PSG chances, especially Mbappe.
This will be a battle that will take place between the sticks and the 18-yard-box.
#4 Christian Eriksen vs Marco Reus (Tottenham vs Dortmund)
Any football game is decided on the midfield of the pitch. That's why the midfield is called the heart of the team. In the Round-of-16, two teams, which depend on their youth prowess, will go head-to-head -- Tottenham and Borussia Dortmund. Both teams have a very low average age of players. What is even more common is the proficiency of their attacking midfield stars, Christian Eriksen and Marco Reus.
Both the Dane and the German are very creative on the ball. They are blessed with good passing ability, shooting ability, and dribbling ability. Although they are not the best goalscorers, they are really good playmakers. Here is a comparison of their stats. Both have played around 1600 minutes. Here are the other stats.
By the stats, we can comprehend the attacking prowess of these players and their importance to the team. Although they play in the attacking midfield, both these players are good contributors in the center of the park and in the defense too. There is no doubt that a face-off between the two is imminent. They have the talent to fight fire with fire and they also have the talent to neutralize one another. What unfolds will be seen at Wembley.
#3 Joshua Kimmich vs Andy Robertson (Bayern Munich vs Liverpool)
This is one of the more anticipated clashes in the Round-of-16 stages and here is one of the better face-offs that we will witness in the stage -- Andy Robertson vs Joshua Kimmich, both great young full-backs, who play on the opposite sides of the pitch. Robertson is a left-back, Kimmich is a right-back, thus naturally, both will be toe-to-toe for the majority of the game.
Both the players have staked claims to being the best young players in their position. Kimmich was amazing last season for Bayern and people feel that it is unfair that he missed out on FIFA Team of the Year. Andy Robertson could be the best young full-back in the world right now. Both players are great attackers and also fine defenders.
A look at their stats from the current season:
Even though from the stats it seems that Kimmich is better in everything, it should be kept in mind that Robertson plays in the Premier League, where all teams are vicious in attacks, unlike Bundesliga where Bayern dominate over every opponent. Robertson has to deal with more lethal pace and creativity. But it is only fair that Kimmich is put in the same bracket as him because he has insane stats for a full-back.
Both players have enough pace to distort opposition and also good crossing ability. The flanks at Allianz Arena will be set on fire when these two take the pitch.
#2 Frenkie De Jong vs Luka Modric (Ajax vs Real Madrid)
This is the biggest surprise in terms of odds. Real Madrid will actually go into this game as underdogs according to UEFA, who have given the current holders a 30% chance to win. Well, that was back when the draw was conducted and Madrid were looking groggy.
Ajax under Erik Ten Haag have been one of the best teams this season though. They have shown massive improvement from last season. Their two main mainstays this season have been their captain Matthijs De Ligt and the young Dutch prodigy Frenkie de Jong. If you have doubts about this kid's ability, just recall that Barcelona paid €75 million for his services next season. De Jong has a brilliant passing and vision. He has a good understanding of the game, is extremely press resistant, and he is really good at holding up possession and making line breaking passes.
Well, the description of the Dutch prodigy there, it matches someone's profile, doesn't it? Of course, it does! It's as if we are describing the current Ballon d'Or holder, Luka Modric. Frenkie and Luka almost have the same profile. De Jong could also feature as a variation of the defensive midfielder who is more commonly understood as a false center-back. Frenkie starts as a center back and then moves out of position into the defensive midfield to conduct play.
It is not at all good to compare a prodigy with the master but still, we are doing it, not to undermine Modric's ability but to show how good Frenkie actually is, despite the popular opinion that he plays in the Dutch league and is overrated. Barcelona have a great signing and it will be his audition when he takes Real Madrid's midfield on. We will get an overview of how the future of the midfield at Barcelona will shape up. But he is up against a midfielder with a great legacy.
#1 Tanguy Ndombele vs Sergio Busquets (OSC Lyon vs FC Barcelona)
This is a battle of defensive midfielders, one which might not be the best for those who look for stats, yet this is the best midfield battle for football purists. The qualities of a defensive midfielder -- passing, vision, holding up possession, resisting press, choosing the right path to pass -- cannot be detected completely by any computer. In last year's Round-of-16, we saw an amazing battle of defensive midfielders -- Sergio Busquets and N'Golo Kante on the same pitch. Busquets dropped a masterclass in that game.
Why not do it again this time? Here Barcelona face Ligue 1 third-placed team, OSC Lyon. Lyon are riding high on momentum after their win against leaders PSG in the league. But if Lyon are to win this one, they need this guy to step up.
Ndombele is on the radar of Juventus and also Premier League clubs like Manchester United. The reason? He is really good. A good dribbler under pressure, he is strong and absorbs all the contact till he sees the correct option to pass. He is not someone like Busquets who cannot be pressed, he just holds the press off with slight physicality and dribbling.
Busquets, as we know, is a trademark defensive midfielder. He is just too good to be pressed. Like Steven Gerrard once said, it is so frustrating to press Busquets that you ultimately give up. When technicality meets a bit of youth physicality, it is going to be something else. Ndombele loves to press and push opponents off, Busquets cannot be pushed off the ball, this is surely a great battle.
It is pretty clear that Ndombele contributes more to the attack while Busquets adds stability and defensive solidity. Lyon will be host to a great battle.
