Preview | Finally Champions League again! The first knockout round first leg will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday. While FC Bayern and ManCity have relatively easier tasks to deal with, there are two real hits on the program in Paris and Milan. Our preview.
The prelude to the knockout phase of the Champions League gives us a real top game: PSG receives Real Madrid. So it’s already clear: at least one team from the extended group of favorites will meet in the round of 16.
At PSG everything is in order – at least it seems that way. They dominate the league at will, leading the table by 13 points. However, not all that glitters is gold. Although the results are correct, the performance on the pitch often leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of things in the Parisian game seem random, and even after a year Mauricio Pochettino (49) does not see a clear construct. But the individual class makes up for a lot. After starting difficulties seems Lionel Messi (34) getting on track better, accumulated four goal involvements in the last three league games. Meanwhile, the top scorer should be doubly motivated Kylian Mbappé (23), who is probably playing against his future employer.
Real Madrid is doing better than many had expected under the “new old” coach Carlo Ancelotti (62). One is particularly happy about the breakthrough of Vinícius Júnior (21), who finally constantly proves his enormous talent on the pitch. He also relieves top scorers Karim Benzema (34), whose use in the Parc de Prince is still unclear. A Frenchman’s return against PSG would be doubly important, especially since the Madrilenians have recently had a bit of a spanner in the works. Only one of the last four games could be won, in which Real looked a bit tired here and there.
Forecast: The current form and the fact that Benzema is not yet at 100 percent gives PSG an advantage. Nevertheless: A clear favorite can hardly be predicted in this encounter. It will depend on nuances.
PSG: Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Kimpembe, Mendes –Wijnaldum, Gueye, Verratti – Di Maria, Messi, Mbappé
Real Madrid: Courtois – Carvajal, Militão, Alaba, Mendy – Modrić, Casemiro, Kroos – Asensio, Benzema, Vinícius Júnior
Sporting CP vs. Man City: Can the Portuguese master manage to surprise?
Parallel to the top game in Paris, the Portuguese champions welcome the English: Sporting CP encounters ManCity. The favorite role here clearly belongs to the guests. But: The “sky blues” should not underestimate the Portuguese under any circumstances.
Under coach Ruben Amorim (37), the lions found their way back to old strength and were crowned Portuguese champions for the first time in 19 years. The current season is also going well for Cristiano Ronaldo’s (37) youth club. They are currently in second place in the league with 54 points. 17 of 22 games have been won so far, most recently there was a 2:2 against leaders Porto (60 points). In the Champions League group stage, the Portuguese particularly impressed with their offensive power. With striker Pedro Gonçalves (23) perhaps the most important player will have to pass injured. That’s why Paulinho (29) and Pablo Sarabia (29) will be all the more important against City. The latter in particular is in outstanding form, contributing four goals and three assists in the last five competitive games.
(Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
–
The fact that progressing against ManCity will still be very difficult is due much more to the opponent than to the Portuguese themselves. Because: If you talk about a good season at Sporting, you almost have to talk about an outstanding season at City. The Skyblues have won 14 of their last 15 Premier League games and lead the table by nine points. Sometimes you dominate your opponents in an impressive way. So last in Norwich, where you could win a sovereign 4:0. The “Citizens” are still missing a real nine, but the responsibility on the offensive is shared between several heads. Five players have already scored eight or more goals this season. This makes City even more unpredictable for its opponents than it already is.
Prognosis: Despite the good form: ManCity is a house number too high for Sporting. In addition, the Portuguese lack a guarantee of success with Gonçalves. Anything but a City win would be a surprise.
Possible lineups:
Sporting CP: Adán – Inácio, Coates, Feddal – Porro, Nunes, Palhinha, Reis – Sarabia, Santos – Paulinho
Man City: Ederson – Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo – Bernardo Silva, Rodri, De Bruyne – Mahrez, Foden, Sterling
FC Salzburg vs. FC Bayern: How much Bochum will Munich take with them to Austria?
There will be a debut on Wednesday evening: for the first time in the club’s history FC Salzburg in the knockout stages of the Champions League. And not undeservedly so: In the group phase, the Austrians impressed with good attacking football, beating Wolfsburg, Lille and FC Sevilla once each. Meanwhile, the domestic league is dominated at will, as was the case in previous seasons. They lead the table with a remarkable twelve-point lead. The attack line plays a big part in this. The double peak around Karim Adeyemi (20) and Noah Okafor (21) have already scored 30 goals this season, while Brenden Aaronson (21) has contributed eight assists. Under coach Matthias Jaissle (33), Salzburg play the usual typical RB style: a lot of running work, intensity against the ball and a focus on switching moments.
(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
–
And that’s exactly what could hurt Bayern. The Munich team is actually playing a really good season, but can afford to miss out too often. Most recently in the Bundesliga at VfL Bochum. Against the climber he had FC Bayern enormous problems in the game structure, gave away balls carelessly again and again. And if the ball was then with the opponent, the defensive assignment was not right, and a lot of inattentiveness crept in. The 4-2 defeat was the fair end result of a desolate afternoon from a Munich perspective. In Salzburg it is essential to remedy the defensive deficiencies. Because: Against the fast counterattacks of the Austrians, ball losses in their own half can end fatally. It is conceivable that Julian Nagelsmann (34) will again rely on a back three and a double six, with which the German record champions presented themselves more firmly in the previous games and also after the change of sides in Bochum.
Forecast: FC Bayern are going to Austria as favorites and on a normal day they will also leave the field as winners. However, Munich should be more than warned: A performance like the one in Bochum must not be repeated under any circumstances. Otherwise you run the risk of running into an open knife.
Possible lineups:
FC Salzburg: Köhn – Kristensen, Solet, Wöber, Ulmer – Capaldo, Camara, Bernede – Aaronson – Okafor, Adeyemi
FC Bayern: Ulreich – Pavard, Süle, Hernández – Gnabry, Kimmich, Tolisso, Coman – Müller, Sané – Lewandowski
Inter vs. Liverpool: Both are having a strong season
In the group phase the FC Liverpool compete with AC Milan, now it comes to the traditional duel with the other Milan club: The “Reds” meet in the round of 16 Inter.
The reigning Italian champions are having another strong season and are well on their way to defending their Serie A title. Coach Simone Inzaghi (45) plays fairly similar football to his successful predecessor Antonio Conte (52), so many elements of the Inter game could be seamlessly adopted. In addition, the newcomers stand out: Edin Dzeko (35) has already scored 14 goals and seven assists this season, making the departure of Romelu Lukaku (28) a bit forgotten. Also Hakan Calhanoglu (28) hit it hard, has scored six times and set up nine more goals. In addition, one presents oneself defensively as usual, conceding few goals. However: recently there was something wrong with the Milanese. So you lost feathers against your pursuers Naples (1: 1) and city rivals Milan (1: 2). Bitter also: Nicolò Barella (25), who pulls the strings in midfield, will be missing against Liverpool.
(Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
–
Liverpool are also playing a strong round. They are in second place in the Premier League and, six points behind ManCity, have not yet given up their championship ambitions. One man stands out once again: Mohamed Salah (29). The Egyptian is enjoying a stellar season, scoring 23 goals and scoring a further nine. Diogo Jota (25) is also building on his successful debut year and has already hit the mark 17 times. Meanwhile, the full-backs play Trent-Alexander Arnold (23) and Andrew Robertson (27) still play an elementary role in Jürgen Klopp’s (54) system, bringing together 26 assists this season. The machinery runs almost perfectly, especially offensively. Similar to the Milan opponents, however, their performance on the pitch has been lacking at times lately. Although they won the guest appearances at Crystal Palace (3-1) and Burnley (1-0), they were far from a sovereign performance in both games.
Prognosis: The starting position is quite similar on both sides. Both Inter and Liverpool are playing a strong series, but have recently missed a few things. The higher individual class combined with the fact that the Italians are missing one of the most important players in Barella makes Liverpool easy favourites.
Possible lineups:
Inter: Handanovic – Skriniar, de Vrij, Dimarco – Dumfries, Vidal, Brozovic, haalhanoglu, Perišić – Dzeko, Lautaro Martínez
Liverpool: Alisson – Alexander-Arnold, Matip, van Dijk, Robertson – Henderson, Fabinho, Keïta – Salah, Jota, Mané
Photo by Getty Images
–
