Champions League News, Updates & Odds

All you need to know about the Round of 16

With the remaining Round of 16 first leg fixtures now in the history books, there were certainly an interesting quartet of Champions League results and especially, as all four contests saw the away team come out on top.

Of the four sides that have gained an early advantage in their knockout pairings, it is Bayern Munich who recorded the most emphatic win of all and with the defending champions beating Lazio by four goals to one, they will already have one foot in the quarterfinals.

Then again, after such an outcome at the Stadio Olimpico, Bayern manager Hans-Dieter Flick will most likely feel that his players have already booked a place in the last eight and it is a case of making sure complacency does not creep in for the return leg. The current Bundesliga table toppers were always going to be favourites to win the Rome based encounter and their scintillating performance against Lazio, only confirmed their status as one of the dominant forces in the competition.

Bar one of the shock second leg Champions League results of all time, Bayern will book their place in the next round and for the other seven outfits who reach the same stage, they will certainly want to avoid being paired with the 2020 winners.

While talking of former tournament winners, Chelsea will want to repeat their success of 2012 and after getting the better of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, they are certainly going about things the right way.
This was perhaps one of the more surprising Champions League results, as many would have had Diego Simeone’s men down as the winners and even though this was meant to be a home tie for the Spanish side, it was a fixture staged in the Romanian capital of Bucharest.

Whether the ceding of home advantage played a part in Atletico’s failure to win, is something that will be argued long into the night. Then again, there will be no complaints from Chelsea, as Olivier Giroud’s second half bicycle kick proved to be the difference.

That was not the only 1-0 final score that was recorded in this latest batch of Champions League results and although Real Madrid had to work hard for their success, their relentless pressure finally paid dividends against Atalanta.

It was an outcome that was perhaps harsh on the rather unfancied Serie A outfit, as they had to play for more than 70 minutes with 10 men and with Remo Freuler being given his marching orders early on, Atalanta were always going to be up against it.

For as much resolve as they showed, Real Madrid’s attacking persistence finally paid off in the end and defender Ferland Mendy’s stunning late strike, was worthy of winning any encounter at this level.

Completing the full set of positive Champions League results for the visitors, was Manchester City’s success against Borussia Mönchengladbach and although Joao Cancelo did not get on the scoresheet himself, he played a huge part in both the visitors’ goals.

In the first half, the Portuguese defender was on hand to supply an inch-perfect cross for Bernardo Silva to slot home and after the interval, the same combination served up a golden opportunity for Gabriel Jesus to superbly finish.

Victory for Manchester City will certainly give the Premier League leaders confidence of getting the job done on their Etihad return and should that be the case, they will only solidify their status as one of the overall tournament favourites.

Of course, one cannot forget the Champions League results from the week before and with the likes of PSG and Liverpool already staking their claim for further progress, it is fair to say things are starting to heat up rather nicely.

Latest League Updates – 18.02.2021

With this season’s Champions League reaching the knockout phase of the competition, it is the point where the serious business begins and with 16 clubs still vying to be Europe’s dominant footballing force, there can only be one who achieves such an accolade.

Of this group of 16, there are likely four genuine candidates for outright success and when you look at the form of last season’s winners, it is difficult to look past Bayern Munich in 2021. With the tournament being slightly curtailed in 2020, after the initial impact of the coronavirus, it meant a pure knockout format was established from the last eight onwards and it was here, where the German giants showed just how fearsome they can be on the football field. A display of strength that has certainly not lessened in the first half of this campaign and when discussing the favourites for this season’s tournament, Hans-Dieter Flick’s men will certainly be part of such conversation.

Last season’s Bundesliga winners have been paired with Lazio in the Round of 16 and on the evidence of the draw, the Italian outfit are one of the weaker teams that are still left in this season’s edition and therefore, Bayern should have no issue when it comes to advancing to the next round. While when it comes to the topic of advancing to the next round, it would seem as if PSG have already booked their place in the last eight of this season’s Champions League and after mauling Barcelona in the first leg of their Round of 16 pairing, the Ligue 1 outfit look well placed to progress to the quarterfinals at least.

Of course, it is PSG that were beaten in last year’s final and with new manager Mauricio Pochettino at the helm, the Argentine will look to improve on his own falling at the final hurdle. The former PSG player oversaw Tottenham’s incredible 2019 run and although there was that magical night in Amsterdam, there was to be nothing of the same in Madrid just a few weeks later. The 2019 final saw Liverpool come out on top and although their current defence of the Premier League title has been rather meek, manager Jurgen Klopp would love nothing more than to conquer this competition once again.

Something that could well be the case in just a few months, as the Merseyside outfit have already impressed against RB Leipzig in their first Round of 16 meeting and after such a performance, their odds of winning this season’s Champions League will have only shortened. While what of Liverpool’s Premier League counterparts Manchester City? Is this finally the year in which Pep Guardiola brings the Champions League to the Etihad? The bookmakers certainly feel there is a sizeable chance and if they can soon dispose of Borussia Mönchengladbach as expected, then their path to long awaited European success only becomes shorter. Looking past the four favourites, one cannot rule out Real Madrid either and when you consider that their hopes of a La Liga title are evaporating, then manager Zinedine Zidane may feel he has to put all his eggs in this particular Champions League basket.

Ultimately, whoever comes out on top will be worthy winners and for those fans who will be watching across the world, they will undoubtedly be treated to a feast of football over the next few months.