Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool are through to the Champions League quarterfinals after eliminating Barcelona and RB Leipzig, respectively, on Wednesday night. They will join Porto and Borussia Dortmund, who punched their tickets for the next round the day before.

PSG hosted Barcelona at their Parc des Princes stadium after beating the La Liga side 4-1 in the 1st leg. While the French club were overwhelming favorites to advance, nothing was certain considering that Barca overturned 0-4 against them back in 2017.

Barca was the better side to start the game, creating several good chances, but PSG scored first. Mauro Icardi was taken down in the penalty area, and Kylian Mbappe coolly converted the kick to give his team a 1-0 lead.

The Catalan club didn’t take long to respond, with Leo Messi delivering a stunning goal to make the score 1-1 in the 37th minute.

The second half didn’t offer the excitement everyone hoped for, as the two sides remained scoreless. Barcelona attempted to make it interesting, but Paris defended well and managed to keep their sheet clean for the rest of the game.

The match between Liverpool and RB Leipzig offered a thrilling showdown as well, even though the home side had a 2-0 advantage. The Reds were going through a full-blown crisis, having lost six out of their seven last Premier League games, and Leipzig’s high-octane attack gave the Germans a feeling that they could turn things around.

Once the game kicked off, however, it was Liverpool who was dominating the game. The English club had better chances in the first half, while Leipzig struggled with creativity.

The sides were scoreless until the 70th minute when Mohammed Salah’s well-placed shot from the top of the key ended behind Peter Gulacsi. Several minutes later, Sadio Mane made it 2-0 thanks to a great cross from Divock Origi.

The UEFA Champions League resumes next week with the remaining 2nd leg matches of Round of 16.

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The 2021 Champions League draw for the Round of 16 took place on Monday in Nyon, Switzerland, and produced a set of matchups that will provide plenty of intrigue when the competition picks back up in March.

The matchups for the upcoming games are as follows:

• Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City
• Lazio vs. Bayern Munich
• Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea
• RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool
• Porto vs. Juventus
• Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• Sevilla vs. Borussia Dortmund
• Atalanta vs. Real Madrid

All eight matchups will take place over two ties, with the second-place group stage teams (listed first) hosting the first match, and the first-place teams (listed second) hosting the second and decisive match.

There is plenty of intrigue to be found in the matchups which have been drawn, including a blockbuster matchup pitting FC Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain.

Other fascinating matchups include upstarts RB Leipzig vs. the 2019 champions of Liverpool, Atletico Madrid taking on Chelsea, and last year’s Cinderella in Atalanta facing the best team in the competition’s history, Real Madrid.

The first legs of the matchups are set to be held in mid to late February, while the second legs will be held in early to mid March.

The world’s best competition looks to be set to provide fans with a buffet of matchups that should be fascinating once again.

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Real Madrid will be without star forward Gareth Bale for its Friday night Champions League Round fo 16 clash with Manchester City after he was left out of the squad list by manager Zinedine Zidane.

It perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bale wasn’t included in the squad list considering his lack of playing time after La Liga returned following the COVID-19 postponement.

Bale arguably made his own situation worse by exhibiting strange behavior while on the bench in the stands. The Welshman yawned, covered his eyes with his protective mask, and fashioned fake binoculars out of material at hand at various points during Real Madrid’s final stretch of games.

The 31-year-old forward appeared in only 21 games for Los Blancos this season, accumulating just 2 goals and 2 assists. It was a nightmare season for one of Real Madrid’s highest-paid players, and many think that it’s only a matter of time until he leaves to go elsewhere.

On Friday night in Manchester, Zidane is expected to use either Rodrygo or Vinicius along with Eden Hazard on the wings in place of Bale.

Real Madrid will have to make up a 2-1 aggregate deficit if they want to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

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UEFA reportedly came up with a plan to resume the Champions League and Europa League, two main European club competitions. According to ESPN, both competitions could wrap up as “mini-tournaments” held over two weeks on one location.

The standard format of away and home games present in European club competitions isn’t considered a viable option anymore due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus. This is why UEFA came up with a plan to have a centralized competition, described by BILD as a “World Cup-style” tournament in order to crown a champion. The competitions would resume from round-of-16, with later stages assuming knock-out format.  

This year’s UEFA Champions League finale was set to take place in Istanbul, but the city reportedly isn’t in consideration due to restrictions imposed by the Turkish government. Instead, Lisbon, Frankfurt, and Moscow emerged as the main options to host the tournament.

Lisbon is viewed as a favorite among the three cities, as it offers two stadiums and complexes in Benfica’s Estadio da Luz and Sporting CP’s Estadio Jose Alvalade. The stadiums are also just a few miles within each other, giving UEFA more scheduling options.

The Eintracht Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena in Germany is also an appealing option for UEFA, due to travel benefits and the stadium’s high-end facilities.

The final decisions about the Champions League and Europa League will most likely be made in late June when all other details should be revealed.

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The Champions League Round of 16 matchups are just around the corner. The first legs of this knockout round will start up next week with some high-profile games.

Let’s take a look at the pairings for this year’s edition of the Round of 16 and predict a winner for each one.

Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool

The reigning champions of the tournament certainly didn’t get an easy draw here, as Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid are always up for a good battle.

However, with Los Colchoneros floundering without Diego Costa and Joao Felix and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool dominating any team that happens to wind up in front of them throughout this entire season, we think Liverpool will move on.

Pick: Liverpool

Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain

One of the most promising Round of 16 matchups comes between Borussia Dortmund and PSG, two teams full of young stars.

Borussia Dortmund could end up escaping through if Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho give them an edge after the matchup’s first leg in Germany, but I ultimately think that the combination of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, who has never played as well as he is now, will be too much for the Dortmund defense.

Pick: PSG

Atalanta vs. Valencia

Who would have ever expected a Round of 16 tie between these two teams?

Valencia, who shocked many by winning their group in the group stage of the tournament, got a favorable draw against Atalanta in the first knockout round. Los Che have been inconsistent under Albert Celades, but we think that their quality is a bit too much for Atalanta to handle.

Pick: Valencia

Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig

Perhaps the biggest “pick ’em” of the Round of 16 is this clash between last year’s finalists in Tottenham against RB Leipzig.

The German side might surprise many who aren’t familiar with their quality. Dani Olmo and Timo Werner will have a big chance to shine on a world stage in this tie, and we think that they will pull off the upset against a disheveled Spurs side.

Pick: RB Leipzig

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Two European giants meet up in this juicy Round of 16 matchup, as Bayern will look to solidify its status as one of the tournament favorites.

Chelsea barely escaped from the group stage, and the uber-talented German champions will be out for blood. While Frank Lampard’s tenure at the Blues might be off to a promising start, we think that Bayern’s quality and experience are too much for them to handle.

Pick: Bayern Munich

Napoli vs. FC Barcelona

Barcelona meets up against Napoli in this Round of 16 matchup with some genuine upset potential.

The Catalans are still getting used to playing under new manager Quique Setien, but have shown signs of improvement lately. Leo Messi is still Leo Messi, and we think that they will move on to the next round with the help of a little bit of magic from the diminutive Argentinian.

Pick: Barcelona

Olympique Lyon vs. Juventus

After last year’s disappointing early exit at the hands of upstart Ajax, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus will look to avoid another upset at the hands of Lyon.

The Old Lady has one of world soccer’s best collections of talent, and it seems inevitable that they will cruise past their Ligue 1 opposition. Could a huge upset be in the cards, though? We doubt it.

Pick: Juventus

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Arguably the most intriguing Round of 16 matchup is this one between Champions League giants Real Madrid and Manchester City, the team that has been chasing this title for the better part of the past decade.

Zinedine Zidane’s Blancos got off to a slow start this season, but have taken flight over the past couple of months. Leading La Liga and getting outstanding performances from Karim Benzema and the ageless Sergio Ramos, we think that they will pull off the upset against Pep Guardiola’s Man City, which isn’t the squad it once was.

Pick: Real Madrid

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After three months of group stage play, the Champions League’s final sixteen teams have been determined and the matchups drawn for the competition’s first knockout stage.

There are plenty of tantalizing matchups in the Round of 16, so let’s take a look at each of them and predict a winner!

Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain

This is an extremely intriguing matchup between two teams that have tons of talent on their rosters. PSG dominated Group A, dropping only one point, and we expect the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar (if he is able to play) to lead the Parisians past Dortmund, but it won’t be without a fight.

Paris Saint-Germain

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Manchester City once looked like one of the most dominant teams in Europe, but it seems as if Pep Guardiola’s side might be in decline. Behind in the Premier League race by a big margin and not looking as sharp as they once did, could Real Madrid overcome its recent woes and get past City? Count us as being skeptical.

Manchester City

Atalanta vs. Valencia

This matchup pits two of the biggest surprises of the group stage up against one another. Valencia and Atalanta, each of which needed a final matchday win to qualify for the knockout stages, will battle to see which team surprises everyone and moves onto the quarterfinals. Our pick has to be Valencia, the more talented and experienced team.

Valencia

Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool

Liverpool looks to be the most dominant team in Europe right now, but they didn’t get an easy draw for the Round of 16. Diego Simeone’s Atletico always fights tooth and nail, and they have a defense that could test Liverpool’s skilled attack. However, we expect the reigning Champions League winner to move onto the next round.

Liverpool

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

This fascinating matchup pits two European giants against one another. Chelsea has been inconsistent under Frank Lampard this season, but Bayern Munich has had similar problems and a managerial change. I think they will squeak by, largely based on their more experienced roster.

Bayern Munich

Lyon vs. Juventus

After last year’s shocking early elimination at the hands of Ajax, Juventus will be looking to turn the page and get their knockout stage campaign off on a good note. Luckily, they drew a Lyon team that should not pose a big problem for Maurizio Sarri’s star-studded squad.

Juventus

Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig

Tottenham has endured an extremely frustrating start to the season that ended with Mauricio Pochettino’s dismissal. However, Jose Mourinho looks to be getting last year’s Champions League finalists back towards being an ordered team that could be a threat in this tournament. Leipzig could pose a bigger challenge than many think, though.

Tottenham Hotspur

Napoli vs. Barcelona

Napoli has had a bizarre season up to this point, currently on an eight-game winless streak in Serie A. What’s even stranger is that they fired manager Carlo Ancelotti just before the last Champions League group stage game, and somehow still qualified. They’re a team with a lot of fight, but Barcelona’s Messi-Suarez-Griezmann trio is probably too much to handle.

Barcelona

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FC Barcelona had no trouble dispatching Olympique Lyon on Wednesday night at the Camp Nou, routing the French side 5-1 and advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The reigning La Liga champions were surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw by Lyon in the first leg of their Round of 16 draw, but Barça quickly rested any doubts about their team in a comfortable win.

The scoring was opened by Lionel Messi, who ended up with two goals on the night. He gave Barcelona the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish on a penalty kick.

Messi also beat Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes in the 78th minute for his second goal on the night.

Also on the scoresheet for Barcelona last night were Ousmane Dembele, Gerard Pique, and Philippe Coutinho, each of whom contributed a goal of their own.

The lone goal for Lyon on the night was scored by Lucas Tousart, but the French squad was unable to do more.

Barcelona controlled the game all night and cruised to the quarter-finals.

They will find out their opponent in the next round in the Champions League draw on Friday morning.

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After winning by a 2-0 final in the first leg of their Champions League draw against Juventus, Atlético Madrid was feeling pretty good about their chances to advance to the competition’s quarter-finals.

That dream went up in smoke after Juventus and a masterful Cristiano Ronaldo performance led to their defeat by a 3-0 margin in Turin on Tuesday night.

Juventus, who is considered one of the top favorites to take home the Champions League title, found itself in desperate straits going into Tuesday’s game.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri made a few tactical changes to let Cristiano Ronaldo loose and shore up his team’s defense, and they made all of the difference in a dominant performance.

Cristiano Ronaldo cemented his place as possibly the greatest Champions League player in the history of the league after scoring a hat trick to lead his club to victory.

Ronaldo scored his first goal on a header in the 26th minute, which gave Juventus a halftime lead of 1-0.

After the break, he scored with his head again to even the draw and put his team up 2-0 in the game. The ball was touched by Atleti goalkeeper Jan Oblak, but the referee’s watch confirmed that the ball crossed the goal line.

Finally, Juventus sealed its win after a penalty was called against Atlético. In the 88th minute of the game, Ronaldo calmly buried a penalty kick past Oblak to put his team in the quarter-finals.

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While Manchester United’s amazing comeback against Paris Saint-Germain might’ve been the biggest soccer story on Wednesday night, Porto and Roma enjoyed a thriller of their town.

After losing in Rome by a 2-1 final, FC Porto completed a comeback of their own in the Estádio do Dragão to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2014.

The match finished with a 3-1 final score.

90 minutes of regulation were not enough to decide a winner, as Porto and Roma were deadlocked in the draw 2-1 at the end of regulation.

In the added 30 minutes of time, however, Porto was awarded a penalty after a Roma player pulled Fernando’s jersey in the the box.

Alex Telles converted the penalty for Porto in the 117th minute, and the champions of Portugal held on to win the draw.

Roma was unable to capitalize on a Daniele de Rossi penalty goal that tied the game at 1-1 in the 37th minute that put them provisionally in the next round.

Porto’s Moussa Marega scored a goal to give his team a 2-1 lead in the second half, and the rest was history.

Porto now must await for the draw to find out who their opponent will be in the next round.

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After losing 0-2 to Paris Saint-Germain at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s chances to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League looked extremely remote.

However, despite key injuries to several players and the massive mountain that they had to climb, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s Red Devils accomplished the unthinkable.

United won 1-3 at Parc des Princes, and with this result, survived to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.

Manchester United was missing 10 senior team players for the match, including Paul Pogba and Juan Mata, and had to include several B-team players in their roster for Wednesday night’s game, but this didn’t stop them.

Man U scored early with a Romelu Lukaku goal in the game’s second minute to give them a flicker of hope.

This got more complicated, however, after Juan Bernal’s goal for PSG just minutes later to tie the match at 1.

Undeterred, however, Lukaku scored another goal after a PSG defensive mistake to make it 1-2 before halftime. The Red Devils knew that they could advance with just one more goal.

And they got it.

In the last fleeting moments of the game, in extra time, PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe committed a handball in the penalty area, giving Man U a penalty kick.

Marcus Rashford stepped to the spot and cooly buried the kick past Gianluigi Buffon to seal one of the most unlikely comebacks in UCL history.

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Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool are through to the Champions League quarterfinals after eliminating Barcelona and RB Leipzig, respectively, on Wednesday night. They will join Porto and Borussia Dortmund, who punched their tickets for the next round the day before.

PSG hosted Barcelona at their Parc des Princes stadium after beating the La Liga side 4-1 in the 1st leg. While the French club were overwhelming favorites to advance, nothing was certain considering that Barca overturned 0-4 against them back in 2017.

Barca was the better side to start the game, creating several good chances, but PSG scored first. Mauro Icardi was taken down in the penalty area, and Kylian Mbappe coolly converted the kick to give his team a 1-0 lead.

The Catalan club didn’t take long to respond, with Leo Messi delivering a stunning goal to make the score 1-1 in the 37th minute.

The second half didn’t offer the excitement everyone hoped for, as the two sides remained scoreless. Barcelona attempted to make it interesting, but Paris defended well and managed to keep their sheet clean for the rest of the game.

The match between Liverpool and RB Leipzig offered a thrilling showdown as well, even though the home side had a 2-0 advantage. The Reds were going through a full-blown crisis, having lost six out of their seven last Premier League games, and Leipzig’s high-octane attack gave the Germans a feeling that they could turn things around.

Once the game kicked off, however, it was Liverpool who was dominating the game. The English club had better chances in the first half, while Leipzig struggled with creativity.

The sides were scoreless until the 70th minute when Mohammed Salah’s well-placed shot from the top of the key ended behind Peter Gulacsi. Several minutes later, Sadio Mane made it 2-0 thanks to a great cross from Divock Origi.

The UEFA Champions League resumes next week with the remaining 2nd leg matches of Round of 16.

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The 2021 Champions League draw for the Round of 16 took place on Monday in Nyon, Switzerland, and produced a set of matchups that will provide plenty of intrigue when the competition picks back up in March.

The matchups for the upcoming games are as follows:

• Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City
• Lazio vs. Bayern Munich
• Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea
• RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool
• Porto vs. Juventus
• Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain
• Sevilla vs. Borussia Dortmund
• Atalanta vs. Real Madrid

All eight matchups will take place over two ties, with the second-place group stage teams (listed first) hosting the first match, and the first-place teams (listed second) hosting the second and decisive match.

There is plenty of intrigue to be found in the matchups which have been drawn, including a blockbuster matchup pitting FC Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain.

Other fascinating matchups include upstarts RB Leipzig vs. the 2019 champions of Liverpool, Atletico Madrid taking on Chelsea, and last year’s Cinderella in Atalanta facing the best team in the competition’s history, Real Madrid.

The first legs of the matchups are set to be held in mid to late February, while the second legs will be held in early to mid March.

The world’s best competition looks to be set to provide fans with a buffet of matchups that should be fascinating once again.

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Real Madrid will be without star forward Gareth Bale for its Friday night Champions League Round fo 16 clash with Manchester City after he was left out of the squad list by manager Zinedine Zidane.

It perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that Bale wasn’t included in the squad list considering his lack of playing time after La Liga returned following the COVID-19 postponement.

Bale arguably made his own situation worse by exhibiting strange behavior while on the bench in the stands. The Welshman yawned, covered his eyes with his protective mask, and fashioned fake binoculars out of material at hand at various points during Real Madrid’s final stretch of games.

The 31-year-old forward appeared in only 21 games for Los Blancos this season, accumulating just 2 goals and 2 assists. It was a nightmare season for one of Real Madrid’s highest-paid players, and many think that it’s only a matter of time until he leaves to go elsewhere.

On Friday night in Manchester, Zidane is expected to use either Rodrygo or Vinicius along with Eden Hazard on the wings in place of Bale.

Real Madrid will have to make up a 2-1 aggregate deficit if they want to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

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UEFA reportedly came up with a plan to resume the Champions League and Europa League, two main European club competitions. According to ESPN, both competitions could wrap up as “mini-tournaments” held over two weeks on one location.

The standard format of away and home games present in European club competitions isn’t considered a viable option anymore due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus. This is why UEFA came up with a plan to have a centralized competition, described by BILD as a “World Cup-style” tournament in order to crown a champion. The competitions would resume from round-of-16, with later stages assuming knock-out format.  

This year’s UEFA Champions League finale was set to take place in Istanbul, but the city reportedly isn’t in consideration due to restrictions imposed by the Turkish government. Instead, Lisbon, Frankfurt, and Moscow emerged as the main options to host the tournament.

Lisbon is viewed as a favorite among the three cities, as it offers two stadiums and complexes in Benfica’s Estadio da Luz and Sporting CP’s Estadio Jose Alvalade. The stadiums are also just a few miles within each other, giving UEFA more scheduling options.

The Eintracht Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena in Germany is also an appealing option for UEFA, due to travel benefits and the stadium’s high-end facilities.

The final decisions about the Champions League and Europa League will most likely be made in late June when all other details should be revealed.

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The Champions League Round of 16 matchups are just around the corner. The first legs of this knockout round will start up next week with some high-profile games.

Let’s take a look at the pairings for this year’s edition of the Round of 16 and predict a winner for each one.

Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool

The reigning champions of the tournament certainly didn’t get an easy draw here, as Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid are always up for a good battle.

However, with Los Colchoneros floundering without Diego Costa and Joao Felix and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool dominating any team that happens to wind up in front of them throughout this entire season, we think Liverpool will move on.

Pick: Liverpool

Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain

One of the most promising Round of 16 matchups comes between Borussia Dortmund and PSG, two teams full of young stars.

Borussia Dortmund could end up escaping through if Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho give them an edge after the matchup’s first leg in Germany, but I ultimately think that the combination of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, who has never played as well as he is now, will be too much for the Dortmund defense.

Pick: PSG

Atalanta vs. Valencia

Who would have ever expected a Round of 16 tie between these two teams?

Valencia, who shocked many by winning their group in the group stage of the tournament, got a favorable draw against Atalanta in the first knockout round. Los Che have been inconsistent under Albert Celades, but we think that their quality is a bit too much for Atalanta to handle.

Pick: Valencia

Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig

Perhaps the biggest “pick ’em” of the Round of 16 is this clash between last year’s finalists in Tottenham against RB Leipzig.

The German side might surprise many who aren’t familiar with their quality. Dani Olmo and Timo Werner will have a big chance to shine on a world stage in this tie, and we think that they will pull off the upset against a disheveled Spurs side.

Pick: RB Leipzig

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Two European giants meet up in this juicy Round of 16 matchup, as Bayern will look to solidify its status as one of the tournament favorites.

Chelsea barely escaped from the group stage, and the uber-talented German champions will be out for blood. While Frank Lampard’s tenure at the Blues might be off to a promising start, we think that Bayern’s quality and experience are too much for them to handle.

Pick: Bayern Munich

Napoli vs. FC Barcelona

Barcelona meets up against Napoli in this Round of 16 matchup with some genuine upset potential.

The Catalans are still getting used to playing under new manager Quique Setien, but have shown signs of improvement lately. Leo Messi is still Leo Messi, and we think that they will move on to the next round with the help of a little bit of magic from the diminutive Argentinian.

Pick: Barcelona

Olympique Lyon vs. Juventus

After last year’s disappointing early exit at the hands of upstart Ajax, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus will look to avoid another upset at the hands of Lyon.

The Old Lady has one of world soccer’s best collections of talent, and it seems inevitable that they will cruise past their Ligue 1 opposition. Could a huge upset be in the cards, though? We doubt it.

Pick: Juventus

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Arguably the most intriguing Round of 16 matchup is this one between Champions League giants Real Madrid and Manchester City, the team that has been chasing this title for the better part of the past decade.

Zinedine Zidane’s Blancos got off to a slow start this season, but have taken flight over the past couple of months. Leading La Liga and getting outstanding performances from Karim Benzema and the ageless Sergio Ramos, we think that they will pull off the upset against Pep Guardiola’s Man City, which isn’t the squad it once was.

Pick: Real Madrid

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After three months of group stage play, the Champions League’s final sixteen teams have been determined and the matchups drawn for the competition’s first knockout stage.

There are plenty of tantalizing matchups in the Round of 16, so let’s take a look at each of them and predict a winner!

Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain

This is an extremely intriguing matchup between two teams that have tons of talent on their rosters. PSG dominated Group A, dropping only one point, and we expect the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar (if he is able to play) to lead the Parisians past Dortmund, but it won’t be without a fight.

Paris Saint-Germain

Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

Manchester City once looked like one of the most dominant teams in Europe, but it seems as if Pep Guardiola’s side might be in decline. Behind in the Premier League race by a big margin and not looking as sharp as they once did, could Real Madrid overcome its recent woes and get past City? Count us as being skeptical.

Manchester City

Atalanta vs. Valencia

This matchup pits two of the biggest surprises of the group stage up against one another. Valencia and Atalanta, each of which needed a final matchday win to qualify for the knockout stages, will battle to see which team surprises everyone and moves onto the quarterfinals. Our pick has to be Valencia, the more talented and experienced team.

Valencia

Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool

Liverpool looks to be the most dominant team in Europe right now, but they didn’t get an easy draw for the Round of 16. Diego Simeone’s Atletico always fights tooth and nail, and they have a defense that could test Liverpool’s skilled attack. However, we expect the reigning Champions League winner to move onto the next round.

Liverpool

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

This fascinating matchup pits two European giants against one another. Chelsea has been inconsistent under Frank Lampard this season, but Bayern Munich has had similar problems and a managerial change. I think they will squeak by, largely based on their more experienced roster.

Bayern Munich

Lyon vs. Juventus

After last year’s shocking early elimination at the hands of Ajax, Juventus will be looking to turn the page and get their knockout stage campaign off on a good note. Luckily, they drew a Lyon team that should not pose a big problem for Maurizio Sarri’s star-studded squad.

Juventus

Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig

Tottenham has endured an extremely frustrating start to the season that ended with Mauricio Pochettino’s dismissal. However, Jose Mourinho looks to be getting last year’s Champions League finalists back towards being an ordered team that could be a threat in this tournament. Leipzig could pose a bigger challenge than many think, though.

Tottenham Hotspur

Napoli vs. Barcelona

Napoli has had a bizarre season up to this point, currently on an eight-game winless streak in Serie A. What’s even stranger is that they fired manager Carlo Ancelotti just before the last Champions League group stage game, and somehow still qualified. They’re a team with a lot of fight, but Barcelona’s Messi-Suarez-Griezmann trio is probably too much to handle.

Barcelona

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FC Barcelona had no trouble dispatching Olympique Lyon on Wednesday night at the Camp Nou, routing the French side 5-1 and advancing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The reigning La Liga champions were surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw by Lyon in the first leg of their Round of 16 draw, but Barça quickly rested any doubts about their team in a comfortable win.

The scoring was opened by Lionel Messi, who ended up with two goals on the night. He gave Barcelona the lead that they wouldn’t relinquish on a penalty kick.

Messi also beat Lyon keeper Anthony Lopes in the 78th minute for his second goal on the night.

Also on the scoresheet for Barcelona last night were Ousmane Dembele, Gerard Pique, and Philippe Coutinho, each of whom contributed a goal of their own.

The lone goal for Lyon on the night was scored by Lucas Tousart, but the French squad was unable to do more.

Barcelona controlled the game all night and cruised to the quarter-finals.

They will find out their opponent in the next round in the Champions League draw on Friday morning.

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After winning by a 2-0 final in the first leg of their Champions League draw against Juventus, Atlético Madrid was feeling pretty good about their chances to advance to the competition’s quarter-finals.

That dream went up in smoke after Juventus and a masterful Cristiano Ronaldo performance led to their defeat by a 3-0 margin in Turin on Tuesday night.

Juventus, who is considered one of the top favorites to take home the Champions League title, found itself in desperate straits going into Tuesday’s game.

Manager Massimiliano Allegri made a few tactical changes to let Cristiano Ronaldo loose and shore up his team’s defense, and they made all of the difference in a dominant performance.

Cristiano Ronaldo cemented his place as possibly the greatest Champions League player in the history of the league after scoring a hat trick to lead his club to victory.

Ronaldo scored his first goal on a header in the 26th minute, which gave Juventus a halftime lead of 1-0.

After the break, he scored with his head again to even the draw and put his team up 2-0 in the game. The ball was touched by Atleti goalkeeper Jan Oblak, but the referee’s watch confirmed that the ball crossed the goal line.

Finally, Juventus sealed its win after a penalty was called against Atlético. In the 88th minute of the game, Ronaldo calmly buried a penalty kick past Oblak to put his team in the quarter-finals.

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While Manchester United’s amazing comeback against Paris Saint-Germain might’ve been the biggest soccer story on Wednesday night, Porto and Roma enjoyed a thriller of their town.

After losing in Rome by a 2-1 final, FC Porto completed a comeback of their own in the Estádio do Dragão to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2014.

The match finished with a 3-1 final score.

90 minutes of regulation were not enough to decide a winner, as Porto and Roma were deadlocked in the draw 2-1 at the end of regulation.

In the added 30 minutes of time, however, Porto was awarded a penalty after a Roma player pulled Fernando’s jersey in the the box.

Alex Telles converted the penalty for Porto in the 117th minute, and the champions of Portugal held on to win the draw.

Roma was unable to capitalize on a Daniele de Rossi penalty goal that tied the game at 1-1 in the 37th minute that put them provisionally in the next round.

Porto’s Moussa Marega scored a goal to give his team a 2-1 lead in the second half, and the rest was history.

Porto now must await for the draw to find out who their opponent will be in the next round.

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After losing 0-2 to Paris Saint-Germain at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s chances to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League looked extremely remote.

However, despite key injuries to several players and the massive mountain that they had to climb, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s Red Devils accomplished the unthinkable.

United won 1-3 at Parc des Princes, and with this result, survived to advance to the next stage of the Champions League.

Manchester United was missing 10 senior team players for the match, including Paul Pogba and Juan Mata, and had to include several B-team players in their roster for Wednesday night’s game, but this didn’t stop them.

Man U scored early with a Romelu Lukaku goal in the game’s second minute to give them a flicker of hope.

This got more complicated, however, after Juan Bernal’s goal for PSG just minutes later to tie the match at 1.

Undeterred, however, Lukaku scored another goal after a PSG defensive mistake to make it 1-2 before halftime. The Red Devils knew that they could advance with just one more goal.

And they got it.

In the last fleeting moments of the game, in extra time, PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe committed a handball in the penalty area, giving Man U a penalty kick.

Marcus Rashford stepped to the spot and cooly buried the kick past Gianluigi Buffon to seal one of the most unlikely comebacks in UCL history.

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