All to play for in quarter-final deciders
Nerves will be on edge this week as the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals conclude on Tuesday and Wednesday with at least three ties hanging in the balance and some big names threatened with elimination.
Bayern Munich must overcome a two-goal deficit after losing 3-1 at Porto, and holders Real Madrid tackle city neighbours Atletico following a goalless stalemate. Elsewhere, Juventus hold just a 1-0 lead as they travel to Monaco, while Paris Saint-Germain will be boosted by a number of returning players when they go all out to overturn a 3-1 first leg deficit away to Barcelona.
Many of the quarter-finalists could also find themselves battling fatigue after important domestic tests at the weekend, with their coaches forced to field strong line-ups just days ahead of this week's continental showdowns.
Once the ties are settled, the draw for the semi-finals will be held in Nyon, Switzerland, on Friday.
This week's fixtures
Tuesday 21 April
Bayern Munich-Porto (1-3)
Barcelona- Paris Saint-Germain (3-1)
Wednesday 22 April
Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid (0-0)
Monaco-Juventus (0-1)
Match of the day
Bayern Munich-Porto, Fussball Arena Munchen, Munich
The omens do not appear good for Bayern, who have lost by two clear goals in a European away leg on four separate occasions without ever going through. Porto, meanwhile, have advanced each of the three times that they have built a 3-1 cushion, and they are the only side still unbeaten in the Champions League this season, having posted six wins and three draws. Bayern also face a number of injury problems, but the Bundesliga pacesetters are a force to be reckoned with on home soil, where they have won all four of their European matches this term without conceding. In addition, the visitors must cope without suspended full-backs Danilo and Alex Sandro, whose crossing and penetrating runs helped Ricardo Quaresma and Jackson Martinez exploit gaps in Bayern's defence last week. "3-1 is tough, but the second leg will be a whole different game," said the German side's captain Philipp Lahm, while Thomas Muller has stressed that Thiago Alcantara's away goal could prove vital: "It wouldn't be a miracle if we win 2-0."
The other games
Barcelona-PSG (3-1)
After the pain of suffering a first home loss in 34 European encounters, PSG need to pull off an exceptional result to avoid a third straight quarter-final exit. The return of several suspended and injured players, including key duo Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti will bolster Laurent Blanc's side, but the French club will need to take risks at the Camp Nou, which could well play into the hands of deadly Barcelona trio Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. Together, the three forwards have plundered 18 of Barça's 21 goals in the Champions League this term.
Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid (0-0)
Almost a year on from their tussle in the 2014 final, Real and Atletico will be locking horns for the eighth time this season. Los Colchoneros have edged four of those encounters and drawn the other three, and, crucially, they also managed to avoid conceding in the home leg. Nevertheless, they will be taking nothing for granted away against their arch-rivals. As Atletico official Clemente Villaverde explained: "Football doesn't have a memory. It goes from day to day, and it would be a huge mistake to think about our most recent results against Real Madrid." Indeed, Los Merengues may have succumbed at home to Schalke in the last round, but they have never lost two consecutive European matches at the Bernabeu. They also enjoyed a 3-1 success against Malaga at the weekend, though that win came at a cost, with Luka Modric picking up a season-ending injury and Gareth Bale – who went off in the second minute – very doubtful to feature.
Monaco-Juventus (0-1)
Runaway leaders at the top of Serie A, Juventus are closing in on a fourth consecutive domestic title but hope to make a real splash in Europe after three seasons of disappointment. Massimiliano Allegri's men will be far from complacent after securing the slenderest of leads at home, yet they will take confidence from the return of midfield linchpin Andrea Pirlo. As for Monaco, they have never lost at home to an Italian club but have qualified just once in six knockout ties against Serie A sides. They must also find a way to silence in-form striker Carlos Tevez, and will need their senior players such as Jeremy Toulalan and Dimitar Berbatov to bring all their experience to bear. The principality outfit reached this far by ousting Arsenal on away goals, but this time they will need to make the running on home soil and find a way through the visitors' solid 3-5-2 formation.
Player to watch
Diego Simeone clearly has an eye for gifted attacking talents. When the Atletico coach splashed out €30m on 24-year-old Frenchman Antoine Griezmann to replace Diego Costa last summer, many supporters were left raising their eyebrows. Their doubts have since evaporated as Griezmann has helped himself to 20 Liga goals this term, including six in his last four appearances. Turned down by several French clubs due to his size, the 5'9 forward joined Real Sociedad at the age of 14 and rose through the ranks before taking his game to a whole new level under Simeone. Blessed with excellent technique, the left-footed dynamo could well be Atletico's most dangerous player at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
The stat
69 – The number of wins Barcelona have registered at home in the Champions League, compared to 21 draws and just nine defeats. In contrast, quarter-final rivals PSG have only contested 69 European Cup games in their entire history.
Did you know?
* Based on past results in Champions League quarter-final openers, Barcelona have a 98.5 per cent of progressing and Porto have a 76 per cent chance, while the figures for Real Madrid and Juventus and 66 and 59 per cent respectively.
* Barcelona have piled up a total of 999 goals in European competition, making them the continent's second most prolific side behind Madrid on 1,016 goals. Barça have also dominated possession in their last 95 Champions League outings, since managing only 44 per cent against Werder Bremen on 5 December 2006.
* The list of players to have turned out for both Monaco and Juventus is a prestigious one, with current Juve defender Patrice Evra adding his name to the likes of Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Christian Vieri, Lilian Thuram and Marco di Vaio.
Have your say
Will Bayern claw their way back from two goals down?