Champions League is finally back! Welcome to our All Football Champions League Preview for the opening day of the round of 16!
Atletico vs Liverpool
Kick-off time (Your time)
UTC 2020/02/18 20:00
Probable Lineups:
Atletico News
Kieran Trippier and Hector Herrera will both miss the first leg welcome of Liverpool, but it's in attack where Diego Simeone faces his biggest selection headache.
Joao Felix, Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata will all be assessed ahead of Tuesday's clash, and it could be that Vitolo and Angel Correa start in attack once more.
In midfield, Yannick Carrasco may make his first start for Atleti following his January return after three successive sub outings for Los Colchoneros.
Liverpool News
Xherdan Shaqiri is Jurgen Klopp's only injury concern ahead of their first trip to the Wanda Metropolitano following their Champions League success last May.
Fabinho and Sadio Mane started the 1-0 win at Norwich on the bench, but are set to come in for Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield and attack, respectively.
The rest of the squad largely picks itself at this stage.
Stats to watch
0 - Atletico have never lost at home under Diego Simeone in the Champions League knockout stages (W8 D4). In those 12 games, they have only conceded two goals.
3 - Liverpool, who beat Genk and Salzburg on matchday three and matchday six of the group stage, have never won three consecutive away Champions League games. They last did so in the European Cup back in September 1984 under manager Joe Fagan (five in a row).
10 - Liverpool's Sadio Mane has scored 10 goals in 14 Champions League knockout games since 2017-18. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has been more prolific over that period (11 goals).
3 - Liverpool have always progressed against Spanish opposition in two-legged Champions League ties (3/3): 2-2 on away goals v Barcelona (2006-07, round of 16), 5-0 on aggregate v Real Madrid (2008-09, round of 16), 4-3 v Barcelona (2018-19, semi-finals).
50 - If he plays, this will be Alvaro Morata's 50th Champions League game. Fifty per cent of the Atletico striker's goals in the Champions League have come in the knockout phase (7/14).
Focus
Atletico Madrid were twice pegged back by Valencia in their 2-2 draw at the Mestalla on Friday night, which means they have won just one of their last seven in all competitions. They can at least call on home comforts having won four of their last five at the Wanda Metropolitano, where they have lost just once this season, ahead of the welcome of Liverpool.
That said, the Reds continued their march towards the Premier League title with a 1-0 win at Norwich on Saturday evening and it means they have lost just one of their last 34 competitive matches, and that in itself was a 5-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Aston Villa, where they fielded a hugely inexperienced side. One of their two defeats this season, however, came away from home in the Champions League.
Atletico may have been solid on home turf this season, but Liverpool have what it takes to secure a first leg advantage in Spain.
Prediction: Atletico 1-0 Liverpool
Dortmund vs PSG
Kick-off time (Your time)
UTC 2020/02/18 20:00
Probable Lineups:
Dortmund News:
Marco Reus is ruled out for Borussia Dortmund, which means January arrival Erling Haaland will continue to start in attack.
Julian Brandt is also expected to miss out for the home side with an ankle injury, while Thomas Delaney is a doubt.
PSG News:
Neymar has missed Paris Saint-Germain's last four matches but is expected to return for the away side on Tuesday night.
Thiago Silva was hauled off at half-time in Sunday's 4-4 draw with Amiens and suddenly his place in the team is in serious doubt.
Marquinhos tends to play in midfield in these types of games but Thomas Tuchel could play him at the back in favour of Silva in midweek.
Stats to watch
1 - Dortmund have made it past the Champions League last 16 only once in the past five seasons. That was in 2016-17 under current PSG coach Thomas Tuchel – they were eventually knocked out by Monaco in the quarter-finals.
8 - PSG have reached the Champions League knockout stages for the eighth consecutive season – only Real Madrid (23), Barcelona (16) and Bayern Munich (12) are on a longer run. However, in that time, the French side have never gone past the quarter-finals and have been eliminated in the last 16 in each of the past three seasons.
2 - Two of the three youngest players to have scored three or more goals and delivered three or more assists in the Champions League since last season play for Dortmund: 19-year-old Jadon Sancho (three goals, three assists) and 21-year-old Achraf Hakimi (four goals, three assists). The other is PSG's 21-year-old Kylian Mbappe (nine goals, eight assists).
30 - Mbappe has had 30 goal involvements in 30 Champions League games (19 goals, 11 assists). He has scored three goals against BVB, his joint-best record in the Champions League against a single opponent.
22 - Dortmund's previous 22 goals in the Champions League have all come from open play, the longest current run among the remaining sides in the competition.
Focus
Borussia Dortmund bounced back from a two-game losing streak with a 4-0 win over Frankfurt on Friday night. All eyes will be on Jadon Sancho, who has played a direct hand in 26 goals in 20 league games this season.
Paris Saint-Germain drew 4-4 with Amiens at the weekend, albeit with a heavily rotated side. The French side have crashed out at this stage of the competition in each of the last three seasons, which simply isn't good enough for a club with their level of investment.
Dortmund's last eight matches have averaged 5.5 goals per game, while PSG's last five have averaged 5.8 goals per game. The attacking talent at the disposal of both teams is frightening and all leads to what should be a breathtaking match.
Prediction: Dortmund 2-2 PSG