Things to look for in UEFA Champions League

by Ives Garcia TipsPortal.com Football Punter

LIONEL MESSI

The Barca superstar has never ceased to amaze us. His presence is always felt in all corners of every tournament he steps his magical feet into. In this Champions League round-of-16 competition, he will be the man in focus.

Barcelona’s fate rests on his shoulders. Of course, everyone knows that. Starting with their last-16 clash with Italian side Napoli, everyone knows how he would fare as the heart and soul of the Catalan giants.

Lats season when Barca was dealt a crushing defeat by eventual champions, Liverpool, Messi had the consolation of sorts – he wound up as the top scorer of the tournament with 12 goals.

As they say, where Messi goes, the Catalans go. Will this be the year for Messi to lead Barca back to the top of Championships glory?

BARCELONA

Barca fans cried many a river last season after their beloved side were nipped in the semifinal 4-3 on aggregate by Liverpool. The Reds went on to become champions for the sixth time by beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final 2-0.

It is very interesting to find out how Barca would perform against Napoli who they will be meeting for the first time in an official major competition.

After Liverpool lost 1-0 at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their tie last Wednesday, focus shifts to the Blaugrana, whose previous battles with Serie A sides saw them winning seven matches, drawing 11 and losing seven times.
However, after making eight visits to Italy since beating AC Milan at San Siro in the 2011-2012 group stage, Barca has yet to taste a win. The good thing is Barca have won 13 of 15 round-of-16 ties they have been to since the 2004-2005 season.

Barca’s matchup with Napoli starting with the opening leg on Wednesday is another crucial test on how far they can progress this season. Can Quique Setien’s men hurdle Napoli? Let’s see.

REAL MADRID

Another interesting last-16 matchup in the offing this week is that of Real Madrid battling Manchester City.

Los Blancos are bent to make up for last season’s misfortune after they were shocked by Ajax 2-1 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Proud owners of a record 13th Champions League title they last won in 2018, Real Madrid have nothing in mind but to get closer to the final.

However, things may have been different this time as Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer their main man. If you remember, CR7 went on a scoring rampage in their 2018 title conquest, ramming in 15 goals to power Los Blancos to the trophy.

Against City, Real Madrid will be hard-pressed to draw first blood in the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium where they won three of their last nine matches in all competitions so far this season.