As domestic club football gets back into full flow, it won’t be long before the knockout stages of this season’s Champions League are upon us. The group stages, crammed into a few short weeks before the World Cup, produced some entertaining action, and that excitement is set to continue into the coming rounds.
As we gear up for the last 16, and as fans analyse the football bets, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories we have to look forward to in next stage of the competition.
Liverpool’s revenge mission
It’s fair to say that Real Madrid have been the scourge of Liverpool’s Champions League efforts over the last few seasons. Having defeated the Reds in the 2018 final in Kyiv, Los Blancos then went on to dump Liverpool out at the quarter-final stage in 2021, before again inflicting defeat on Jurgen Klopp’s side in last season’s final.
Now, fate has pitted the two global superclubs against each other yet again, with a crunch tie in the round of 16. Liverpool had to settle for second place in their group after being spanked by Napoli on the first matchday, but they recovered well to win five matches on the spin. Their Spanish opponents topped their group with relative ease, and will be confident of inflicting further pain on Liverpool. Can the Reds exact revenge?
Clash of heavyweights
There is another clash of giants to look forward to in the last 16, and another repeat of a recent final, as Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich go head-to-head, just as they did in the 2020 showpiece. PSG were pipped to top spot in their group by an in-form Benfica side, and as a result they’ve been handed a tricky tie.
For all their riches, the French side have not been able to make it count in the Champions League. This will be another big challenge, although if they can overcome a side of Bayern’s stature, the best football tips for today will have them among the short-priced favourites.
Spurs back in the big time
After two seasons out of Europe’s premier club competition, Tottenham Hotspur are back in the Champions League, and have a crunch tie with AC Milan to look forward to in the round of 16. Spurs fans will have fond memories of Peter Crouch’s goal at the San Siro at the same stage of the competition 12 years ago, as Tottenham knocked out the Italian giants.
It’s a difficult tie to call, as both will feel confident of progressing if they can produce their best form, but Antonio Conte will no-doubt have a plan to get the better of his compatriots.
Napoli on the charge
Napoli, who are the runaway leaders in Serie A at the time of writing, took the Champions League group stage by storm, scoring 20 goals en route to topping a group containing Liverpool, Ajax and Rangers. Luciano Spaletti’s side played some stunning football, and they’ll be confident of going far in the Champions League after being drawn against last season’s Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the round of 16.
There is a sense that something really special is being built this season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, and the Neapolitan fans would love nothing more than a deep run in Europe.
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