UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Late Night Champions League Football is Back!

 

A Managers' great endeavour, a footballer's wet dream and a fan's bragging rights. The Champions League trophy is up for contention once again.

It's common for us writers, bloggers and to some, naysayers to blabber on and on about how great fixtures never live up to the hype.

In truth, some never do, mainly due to all the talk, predictive chitchat and eventual watering down done in an attempt to create content (a conversation) around the game. All of which I am guilty of.

Yes, this is me repenting all my sins in an attempt to seem vulnerable and relatable but predominantly in the hope that today's fixtures are actually damn amazing.

Why am is so emotionally attached to today's fixtures?

Well, seeing that these games are set squarely on a night of love  & romantic passion. The expectation is that these matches will be so damn entertaining that I will somehow thank the gods for my nonexistent romantic life and eventually accept football as my one and only, true love.

Who am I kidding? Of course, it is.

Let's talk ball now!

 Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayern Munich

PSG Vs Bayern Munich is what we can conclusively define as a blockbuster game.  Yes, It is the major fixture within today's two games

Why? You ask.

Well, I am sure it has something to do with a trio of footballing superstars brought together with the sole purpose of winning The Champions League trophy, as well as the great arenas and us, the millions of fans chanting for our teams on the sidelines with our hearts in our mouths and smiles on our faces. 

This fixture is key and may act as a beacon as to whether the CL trophy will be headed to Paris for the very first time or to Germany for the 7th time.

Let's take a minute to remember how this fixture came to be

PSG would have hoped to have faced a slightly easier opponent in the last 16, but despite finishing level on 14 points with Benfica, they had to settle for second place in the group, as they lost out to the Portuguese giants on away goals scored.

On the other hand, The Bavarian giants made light work of a tricky group - which included Barcelona and Inter Milan - as they progressed to the knockout rounds without dropping a single point, and they now have the chance to win their first seven games of a Champions League campaign for the second time, after previously doing so in the 2019-20 season.

What has been the recent Run of Form by both Sides?

Bayern experienced something of a mini-crisis by their high standards when they returned from the winter break with three consecutive 1-1 draws, but a sense of normality has been restored in Bavaria in recent weeks.

Julian Nagelsmann's free-scoring side racked up four goals in victories over Mainz and Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal and Bundesliga respectively, before they warmed up for their midweek Champions League game with a comfortable 3-0 win over Bochum at the weekend thanks to goals from Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry.

 Christophe Galtier's side were aiming to return to winning ways when they travelled to the principality to face Monaco on Saturday, but as it transpired, PSG returned to the capital empty-handed following a dismal 3-1 defeat with all four goals arriving in the first half.

The Parisians still boast a healthy five-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table, but losing two straight games is far from an ideal way to prepare for a European meeting with Bayern Munich - a side that they lost to in the 2019-20 Champions League final.

What can we expect?

Both teams are endowed with immense attacking potential and a strong winning culture within their respective leagues. It will be a pacy affair thanks to the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Achraf Hakimi & Alphonso Davies

Both sides will fancy their chances in this game, but the stakes are sky high, and so are the pay cheques handed out to these players to perform tonight.

This fixture and the return of the UCL after 104 days is the real love story of Valentine's Day. 

AC Milan vs. Tottenham Hotspur

 AC Milan are set to play host to Tottenham Hotspur for the first leg of their last-16 tie. Both teams have not been at their best within their respective leagues.

What has been the recent Run of Form by both Sides?

Milan returned to winning ways with a narrow victory over Torino on Friday, while the visitors need to pick themselves up after being thrashed 4-1 by Leicester City at the weekend.

An unconvincing but precious victory helps alleviate some of the pressure that had been building on Stefano Pioli, but with his side 18 points adrift of league leaders Napoli and out of the domestic cup, the Milan boss needs a positive performance from his side in the Champions League.

Tottenham have been on life support too. After recovering from gallbladder surgery, Antonio Conte's return to the touchline looked set to coincide with a positive result when Rodrigo Bentancur gave Tottenham the lead in Saturday's away encounter against Leicester, but it turned out to be a forgettable afternoon for the North London club.

Nampalys Mendy, James Maddison, Kelechi Iheanacho and Harvey Barnes all got on the scoresheet to condemn Spurs to a heavy 4-1 defeat, which makes their 1-0 victory over Premier League champions Manchester City feel like a distant memory.

What can we expect?

Both teams will approach the game with extreme caution. However, there will be a sense of  renewed optimism as the players  look to put up a fight for the sake of their fans and their deflated spirits

Conte is charged with lifting his players for a meeting with an AC Milan side, who have been far from their best in 2023. This game might shock us with the raw passion and or nothing all-or-nothing spirit nothing spirit players will put forward

 Expect a thriller in Milan.