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Mark OgdenSenior Writer, ESPN FC
Two of the favourites to triumph the 2022-23 Champions League volition clang retired astatine the circular of 16 successful March aft a container bureau gully paired Bayern Munich with Paris Saint-Germain and gave america a re-run of past season's last betwixt Real Madrid and Liverpool.
With the 2022 World Cup owed to footwear disconnected successful little than 2 weeks, the absorption of the crippled is present opening to beryllium fixed connected planetary football's biggest tournament. But determination volition beryllium nary clip for a World Cup hangover with the Champions League returning successful mid-February with a bid of outstanding ties.
While Liverpool-Real and PSG-Bayern are the standout fixtures, determination are immoderate finely balanced ties betwixt AC Milan and Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, and Club Brugge and Benfica.
Manchester City and Napoli, 2 of the strongest teams successful the radical stage, volition besides look RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively. So however volition it each play out, and which teams volition marque it to the quarterfinals?
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Liverpool vs. Real Madrid
The necktie that neither broadside would person wanted. Liverpool's nonaccomplishment to decorativeness apical of Group A near them susceptible to facing a large hitter successful the circular of 16, and they don't travel immoderate bigger than defending champions Real Madrid, who would besides person preferred to debar Jurgen Klopp's squad astatine this stage.
Liverpool's mixed signifier this play marque Real favourites to widen their clasp implicit Klopp's side, having beaten them successful their past 3 Champions League ties. In fact, speech from winning the Champions League against Tottenham successful Madrid successful 2019, Liverpool's hopes successful the contention person been extinguished by either Real oregon Atletico successful 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022, truthful the omens are with Carlo Ancelotti's team.
Liverpool person mislaid 5 of their past six encounters with Real, dating backmost to October 2014, but they are susceptible of ending that miserable run. Real are unbeaten successful LaLiga this season, however, and tin spell apical by winning their crippled successful manus connected leaders Barcelona, truthful they are successful awesome signifier and volition beryllium favourites to bushed Liverpool.
WINNERS: Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich
A repetition of the 2020 final, erstwhile Bayern bushed PSG successful Lisbon successful the French club's archetypal quality successful the Champions League final. But having been eliminated successful the circular of 16 by Real Madrid past season, PSG look a daunting situation if they are to flooded that disappointment against Bayern.
Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi person delivered successful the contention this season, with PSG unbeaten aft six games, but Bayern qualified with six wins from six successful a radical containing Inter Milan and Barcelona.
It volition beryllium a immense clash implicit 2 legs, and the winners could spell connected to assistance the trophy successful Istanbul adjacent June. Bayern are arsenic pugnacious an hostile arsenic PSG could person faced.
WINNERS: PSG
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Gab & Juls look up to a mouthwatering Champions League clash betwixt PSG and Bayern Munich.
RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's City volition beryllium beardown favourites to triumph this tie, but Leipzig are a unsafe outsider and their 3-2 triumph against Real Madrid successful Group F proved important successful their qualification for the circular of 16.
If Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are fit, it is pugnacious to spot past a City triumph implicit the 2 legs, but Marco Rose's nine person prime successful their squad, and it each depends connected whether they tin clasp onto the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Josko Gvardiol -- some of whom are Chelsea targets -- during the January transportation window.
If Leipzig tin support their champion players and if guardant Timo Werner tin retrieve from the ankle ligament wounded that has forced him retired of Germany's World Cup plans, they could propulsion disconnected a shock. Make nary mistake, City are outstanding favourites to spell through; they conscionable request to respect this opponent.
WINNERS: Man City
Borussia Dortmund vs. Chelsea
Chelsea duo Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic volition get the accidental to instrumentality to erstwhile nine Dortmund successful this tie, and determination volition besides beryllium a immense absorption connected Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham against 1 of the galore clubs who privation to motion him adjacent summer.
Both teams are struggling for consistency this season, but they are besides packed with top-level experience, truthful it volition beryllium a lawsuit of which broadside has capable players who tin emergence to the occasion. Dortmund person the likes of Mats Hummels, Marco Reus and Niklas Sule; Chelsea boast Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and N'Golo Kante.
There is besides the conflict betwixt U.S. teammates Pulisic and Gio Reyna, truthful determination is nary shortage of storylines successful this tie.
WINNERS: Chelsea
AC Milan vs. Tottenham
An intriguing necktie betwixt 2 teams that person been inconsistent successful the Champions League this play but are some susceptible of going heavy into the competition. It besides hands Spurs brag Antonio Conte the accidental to instrumentality to San Siro, wherever helium guided Milan's rivals Inter to the Serie A rubric successful 2021, truthful determination volition beryllium plentifulness of sound disconnected the transportation arsenic good arsenic connected it.
This 1 could travel down to a conflict of the forwards. Will Harry Kane and Son Heung-min stroke Milan distant with their quality, oregon volition erstwhile Chelsea and Arsenal guardant Olivier Giroud instrumentality to haunt Spurs again? And does 41-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic inactive person 1 large extremity successful him?
A pugnacious necktie to call, and it volition beryllium a fascinating conflict betwixt Conte and Milan manager Stefano Pioli.
WINNERS: AC Milan
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Craig Burley doesn't recognize however Tottenham proceed to commencement games truthful poorly aft they came backmost from 1-0 down to triumph 2-1 vs. Marseille.
Inter Milan vs. FC Porto
Inter made it into the circular of 16 by edging retired Barcelona, but Simone Inzaghi's squad spell into this necktie arsenic outsiders.
Domestically, Inter are struggling for form, with Inzaghi's presumption nether menace owed to 5 defeats successful 13 games, leaving the nine successful seventh spot. Romelu Lukaku's instrumentality connected indebtedness from Chelsea has yet to enactment out, too, with injuries restricting the erstwhile Manchester United striker to conscionable 5 appearances.
Porto qualified arsenic winners of Group B, beating Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen on the way, and Sergio Conceicao's squad person bags of Champions League experience. It volition beryllium a intimately fought tie, but Porto are the favourites astatine this stage.
WINNERS: Porto
Club Brugge vs. Benfica
Two of the astonishment teams of the Champions League truthful acold this season. Benfica bushed Juventus doubly successful Group H, forcing the Italian giants into the Europa League, portion a 6-1 triumph against Maccabi Haifa connected Matchday 6 was capable to snatch apical spot, and a spot among the seeded teams, from PSG.
Brugge, meanwhile, made a flying commencement successful Group B with 3 consecutive wins and lone eased disconnected aft qualification had been confirmed -- a nonaccomplishment of absorption which saw them surrender apical spot to Porto.
Carl Hoefkens' squad has a blend of younker and experience, including ex-Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet and erstwhile Benfica guardant Roman Yaremchuk, on with youngsters specified arsenic Abakar Sylla. But Benfica person the greater Champions League experience, reaching past season's quarterfinals, truthful the Portuguese giants volition beryllium favourites.
WINNERS: Benfica
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Napoli
Two of the astir breathtaking teams successful this season's Champions League, but runaway Serie A leaders Napoli look much of the finished nonfiction than Eintracht, who qualified for the contention by winning past season's Europa League.
Luciano Spalletti's Napoli destroyed Liverpool 4-1 astatine location successful their Group A opener and dominated astatine Anfield until 2 precocious goals consigned them to defeat. But Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Giovanni Simeone springiness Napoli the attacking menace to marque beingness precise pugnacious for Eintracht.
Oliver Glasner's Eintracht showed unthinkable tone to triumph astatine Barcelona and West Ham successful past season's Europa League, and they person grown into the Champions League. They person gait successful onslaught and volition people goals, but Napoli mightiness conscionable beryllium excessively beardown for them successful February.
WINNERS: Napoli
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