Can Juve spring a surprise in Munich?
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Wolfsburg (who defeated Gent 3-2 and 1-0), Real Madrid (who beat Roma 2-0 and 2-0), Benfica (1-0 and 2-1 versus Zenit St Petersburg) and Paris Saint-Germain (2-1 and 2-1 against Chelsea) all secured their passage to the next round of the UEFA Champions League last week. The quest to find the remaining four quarter-finalists continues on Tuesday and Wednesday, with at least two fixtures still hanging delicately in the balance after first-leg draws.
The fixtures (aggregate scores in brackets)
Tuesday 15 March
Atletico Madrid-PSV Eindhoven (0-0)
Manchester City-Dynamo Kiev (3-1)
Wednesday 16 March
Bayern Munich-Juventus (2-2)
Barcelona-Arsenal (2-0)
Match of the day
Bayern Munich-Juventus, Fussball Arena, Munich, 20:45 (CET)
The record German champions dominated last year’s finalists Juventus for almost an hour of their first-leg encounter in Turin, pressing relentlessly and creating one goalscoring opportunity after another to earn a well-deserved 2-0 lead. The Italians then switched strategies, playing higher up the pitch and attacking more aggressively to fight their way back into the Round of 16 tie. By the end of the match the score was 2-2 and I Bianconeri’s hopes of reaching the next round remained intact.
With Bayern arguably among the continent’s strongest teams and Juventus rapidly closing in on them, this tie is undoubtedly the highlight of the round. Defeating their German rivals in the Bavarian capital would be a firm statement that Juve are back to stay in the upper echelons of European football. “Bayern are tough opponents,” said the Italian side’s coach Massimiliano Allegri. “We need to make sure we find their weaknesses. We’ll try to achieve something remarkable in Munich.”
In the spotlight
While PSV Eindhoven may not be considered part of the European elite, they dispatched their far wealthier and higher-ranking rivals Manchester United in the group stages. After a 0-0 first-leg stalemate with Atletico, the stage is now set for the Dutch side to pull off another shock in the Spanish capital.
Player to watch
Lionel Messi has been left trailing a little in the wake of his perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo in this season's Champions League. Although the Argentinian has the edge when it comes to both total La Liga goals scored and FIFA Ballon d’Or wins, where he has a 5-3 lead over his Portuguese counterpart, the Real Madrid star has scored 13 goals in Europe's top club competition this season compared to Messi’s five. Barcelona’s home fixture against Arsenal may give the 28-year-old a chance to redress this balance a little.
Did you know?
Barcelona are currently undefeated in 37 matches in all competitions. “Thirty-seven games without losing is astonishing, and we want to extend it further,” said captain Andres Iniesta. “We’re going to try to keep our winning streak in the league, because it will help bring us the title. The Arsenal game will require 100 per cent effort from every player.”
The stat
67 – Although Pep Guardiola is widely known for his love of passing play with plenty of possession, it is still surprising to see just how much his team have monopolised time on the ball in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Bayern average 67 per cent possession in the Bundesliga and have repeated this feat in the continent’s most prestigious competition, even bettering Barcelona by two per cent. Their mastery of the ball is no wonder when you consider that 92 per cent of the German side’s passes find their man – another European record.
What they said
"We’re in good shape in attack and can defend well. It’s all in our hands. We’ve got to be wide awake for 90 minutes. That’s what the Italians do: they wait and watch for a mistake and then strike ruthlessly."
Bayern Munich defender Philipp Lahm