The Round of 16 is now official. The draw was completed on Monday and the games and dates are set. Let’s take a look.
Next Round.
Juventus (ITA) v Tottenham (ENG)
Basel (SUI) v Manchester City (ENG)
Porto (POR) v Liverpool (ENG)
Sevilla (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Real Madrid (ESP) v Paris Saint Germain (FRA)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Roma (ITA)
Chelsea (ENG) v Barcelona (ESP)
Bayern Munich (GER) v Besiktas (TUR)
Game Schedules
The next round of games are set up as Home and Away games with the winner advancing based on combined goals. One tricky rule is away goals count more. If you end up in a tie on the goals after both games the first tie breaker is away goals. Example: Team A goes on the road and loses 2-1 to Team B.. They score one goal in their away match. Team A wins at Home 1-0. The cumulative score after the two matches is 2-2. So who advances. Ahah! Away Goals! Team A would advance based on scoring 1 away goal while Team B did not score an away goal. Getting an away goal becomes a huge deal. Winning is key but you better keep the other team from scoring a goal in your house!If away goals are equal, teams go to extra time and then go to Penalty Kicks. I am telling you….this is fun stuff. First leg games are February 13-21 and the second leg games are March 6-14.
Top Match Ups
So what about these match ups. I am really looking forward to a bunch of these match ups. Three of these really stand out.
Juventus v Tottenham. Italy’s best team versus one of the best emerging English clubs. You need to keep an eye on Harry Kane., considered one of the best young forwards in soccer. Dele Alli is a star in the making, really good in the air. Christian Erikson is the best assist man is the English Premier league. Juventus is full of stars: Juan Cuadrado, Alex Sandro, Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa, and one of the top GK in soccer Gigi Buffon.
Chelsea v Barcelona. My favorite team versus Spain’s powerhouse. Wow. Messi…that’s all you really need to know. One interesting note, Messi has never scored against Chelsea. You think he will be pumped up to end that record. Yea..me too! Barcelona’s roster is a who’s who of the best soccer players in the world. Messi, Dembele, Paulinho, Suarez, Pique, Iniestsa. You know you are good when you only need one name and everyone knows who you are! Chelsea are no slouches. Eden Hazard, Willian, Pedro, Morata, the best midfielder in the world Kante, and one of the most creative passers in the world Cesc Fabregas.
Real Madrid v Paris Saint Germain. This is the marquee match up of the round. Must see TV. The best player in the world Christiano Ronaldo. You need to watch just to see him play. And for PSG, Ronaldo’s heir apparent Neymar. Wow. Plus, maybe the best young player in the world, Kylian Mbappe. The rosters are both full of stars. This will be an exciting, high scoring affair.
Betting Odds
PSG 7:2
Real Madrid 9:2
Manchester City 7:1
To get you ready. How about some highlights from the reining best player in the World. Christian Ronaldo.