The stage is set for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 matches scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
With some teams continuing their exemplary form among Europes top clubs, others are making a return to the Champions League round of 16 after a hiatus.
English Premier League clubs Tottenham and Newcastle United are both keen to prove a point when they take on a pair of La Liga giants on Tuesday night.
Current champions PSG are not in action until Wednesday night as they find a way to retain the title they won last season. They will have to get past Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea over the two legs.
There is plenty of action lined up with teams eager to prove their might and qualify for the quarterfinals of Europe’s most elite club competition. Here we have a look at all the games scheduled to be played on Tuesday night.
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Galatasaray vs Liverpool – Tuesday, 8:45PM
The Turkish outfit are playing in their first Champions League round of 16 tie since 2013/14. Galatasaray made it here after an explosive 7-5 aggregate victory over Juventus in the last round.
They take on a Liverpool side who finished in third place in the new-look Champions League table format with 18 points. Only Arsenal and Bayern Munich got more points.
Galatasaray come into the game on a three-game winning streak, desperate to make it four wins in a row and get a positive first leg result. Liverpool have lost just once in their last six games, setting this up to a potentially thrilling encounter.
Galatasaray have enjoyed plenty of success over Liverpool in the past, winning four of the last five games played against the reds. The Turkish outfit were also 1-0 winners the last time these sides met in the Champions League last November.
Prediction – Over 2.5 goals – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
Atalanta vs Bayern Munich – Tuesday, 11PM
The Serie A outfit had to rely on a 98th minute penalty from Luka Samardzic to complete a 4-3 comeback against Borussia Dortmund in the knockout stages. Atalanta are hoping to get a positive first leg result here against another Bundesliga giant.
Bayern finished second in the CL league table and come into the game unbeaten in their last eight matches. They have scored a whopping 16 goals in their last five matches – most recently in a 4-1 victory against Monchengladbach at the weekend.
This will be the first competitive match between these teams and despite having home advantage, Bayern are tipped as favorites to advance to the next round of the competition.
Atalanta on the other hand are without a win in their last three games, not the boost of confidence they need ahead of this clash. They are coming off successive 2-2 draws against Lazio and Udinese.
We can expect both teams to score in this match with over 2.5 goals being a worthy alternative betting option.
Prediction – Both teams to score – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
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Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham – Tuesday, 11PM
Atletico have progressed from this stage of the competition in three of their last six attempts. The Spanish outfit has also never lost a UCL knockout stage home game under their seasoned coach Diego Simeone.
Both these stats already favor them ahead of the clash against Tottenham, who are on completely different runs of form domestically and in the Champions League. Spurs are dealing with a relegation threatened English Premier League campaign – losing all of their last five matches.
Despite their horrible run in the league, Spurs finished fourth on the CL log while Atletico had to edge Club Brugge 7-4 on aggregate to progress into the last 16.
Atletico have won all of their last four home games and are confident they can pick up a win to take into the second leg next week. The only time these sides have met before was in 2016 and Atletico were 1-0 winners then.
Prediction – Atletico to win or draw (1X) – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!
Newcastle vs Barcelona – Tuesday, 11PM
Newcastle come into the game on their best-ever unbeaten run in Europe – winning thrice and sharing the spoils in the remaining two encounters. They were 9-3 winners against Qarabag in the knockout rounds to set up this mouthwatering clash.
Barca on the other hand finished in fifth place, granting them automatic qualification into the round of 16. The La Liga leaders are on a four-match winning streak – scoring 11 goals in that run while conceding just once.
The last time Newcastle beat Barcelona was a 3-2 victory in 1997 – with Barcelona winning all four of the last matches played against their opponents.
These sides met on the opening day of this seasons Champions League, with Barcelona winning 2-1 courtesy of a brace from former PL star Marcus Rashford. Anthony Gordon scored the consolation on that occasion and will be hoping he can inspire a revenge victory here for the Magpies.
Prediction – Both teams to score – CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR BET ON THIS GAME!