UEFA Champions League 2018-19: Predicting the outcome of each Round of 16 tie

#1 Atletico Madrid vs Juventus

Can Ronaldo win Juventus the Champions League they crave?

Arguably the best game of the last 16 phase sees the Old Lady at loggerheads with Atletico Madrid.

Atletico started off the season decently yet have fumbled in the past few weeks. They have suddenly looked over-dependent on Antoine Griezmann to fire and in the absence of Diego Costa, the problem has only been magnified. However, the most worrying aspect for Diego Simeone would be his team’s inability to be water-tight at the back.

Atletico infamously conceded four away goals to Dortmund and also saw Real Madrid put three past them at the weekend. Another small aspect which makes things worse for the Spanish side goes by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese has always brought his A-game to the fore when facing Atletico and would hope to continue the same form. In addition, the likes of Dybala and Mandzukic have been in good scoring touch.

Ronaldo arrived in the summer with the sole intention of proving himself in another European league. While winning the Serie A would satisfy him, getting his hands on the Champions League with a third different team could probably nudge him ahead of Messi in the race for being the best Champions League player of all time.

The tie is sure to be a cagey affair yet like many a time before, I envisage Ronaldo throwing another Atletico European dream into disarray.

Though Atletico have been the scourge of many big teams in the past, I expect Juventus to go through.

Winner: Juventus