Bayern Munich vs PSG and more: betPawa BIG match insights
This season’s Champions League round of 16 is now at the business end with plenty of fascinating second-leg clashes around the corner. Here are all of the BIG match insights you’ll need.
Tuesday 7th March
Plenty to prove for the Blues
2021 European champions Chelsea are struggling to take their chances at the moment and are slowly trying to forge a new identity. It will take them some time to gel, and this expensively-assembled group of mostly emerging stars will surely click at some stage, but the pressure on manager Graham Potter grows by the day.
Evergreen 38-year-old defender Thiago Silva, arguably their most consistent performer right now, will be out for a few weeks after sustaining knee ligament damage. They might also be regretting the decision to omit the impressive Benoît Badiashile from their Champions League squad, but opportunity now knocks for BIG-money signing Wesley Fofana to start feeling at home in a Chelsea jersey after a long-term injury.
Central defence is one thing, but the club’s real struggles are actually in the final third. According to Opta, between 6th November and 28th February, Chelsea scored 6 goals across 15 games in all competitions, the fewest of any side in England's top 4 tiers.
Borussia Dortmund travel to Stamford Bridge brimming with confidence and in frighteningly good form, winning all 9 games across January and February and also holding a 1-0 aggregate lead here thanks to Karim Adeyemi’s stunning solo effort that started in his own half and sent Signal Iduna Park into raptures.
They’ll be looking to exploit this Chelsea side’s frailties again. Jude Bellingham captained Dortmund in the first leg and this is his first opportunity since September to remind the world of his considerable talents back on English soil.
Make no mistake, BVB look like legitimate Bundesliga title contenders this season too, sticking with Bayern Munich stride for stride. They ended February level at the summit with Bayern on 46 points ahead of a tasty Friday night meeting with RB Leipzig.
If the Black and Yellows arrive in London with their winning streak up to 10, the mood around the Bridge could become even gloomier. A win for Chelsea, however, could prove to be a watershed moment for the London giants and their manager. No matter which angle you approach this from, it’s difficult not to be enthralled by the subplots that could unfold.
Scott Parker in at the deep end
Club Brugge manager Scott Parker was given a Champions League baptism of fire by an excellent Benfica outfit last month. The Portuguese side are still clear of all competitors at the summit of their domestic Primeira Liga.
The Eagles dominated the first leg of this round-of-16 tie and were good value for their 2-0 win in Belgium, thanks to a penalty from 2016 Euros winner João Mário and an 88th-minute strike from ex-Ajax winger David Neres. They’re strong favourites to complete the job at a packed Estádio da Luz in Lisbon and book their place in the last 8.
Wednesday 8th March
Is it Messi’s time to shine?
Bayern are certainly not having things all their own way in the Bundesliga this season. They were level on points with Borussia Dortmund at the top, writing before the weekend, with Union Berlin, RB Leipzig and Freiburg not much further back.
Perhaps that extra level of competition for the title will keep them sharper for the challenges they face in the Champions League. They claimed a slender but potentially precious 1-0 win over PSG in the first leg but will be wary of the ridiculous attacking riches at the Parisian side’s disposal. Mainly, they’ll need a plan to contain Lionel Messi.
The legendary 35-year-old slotted home a dramatic stoppage-time free-kick to give his side a 4-3 win over Lille in Ligue 1 following the defeat to Bayern in Paris, and then they claimed a comfortable 3-0 away win in Le Classique against Marseille. PSG appear to have pushed past the poor form they entered the first leg in.
Speaking of Messi, according to @MessiStats_ on Twitter, his goal against Marseille was his 700th at club level spanning 840 matches. Add 299 assists to the mix and, writing before the weekend, he’s churned out 1.19 direct goal contributions per game throughout a storied career. His next assist brings up his triple century, and it could be such a priceless one too.
Bayern Munich’s goals continue to come from a variety of sources with 4 different men scoring their last 5 Bundesliga strikes in February. Cameroonian star Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting impressed with 2 goals in that timeframe. French teenager Mathys Tel scored from the bench against Borussia Mönchengladbach and could be a surprise package here, while established 20-year-old Jamal Musiala should again play a pivotal role.
It’s impossible not to get excited about a football match with such staggering quality on both sides.
One more shot at silverware this season for Spurs
Tottenham rotated their side heavily in the FA Cup and paid a heavy price, being knocked out by Championship side Sheffield United. Spurs looked well below their best without key operators Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane from the start. All 3 should start here in their BIGGEST match of their season so far. Their world-class operators will need to be at their best against a talented AC Milan team.
Milan were in pretty dire form in January and early February when they went winless in 7 games across all competitions. However, they steadied the ship in impressive fashion, ending February by winning 3 consecutive Serie A matches with clean sheets and also claiming a potentially critical 1-0 win over Spurs. That sets them up nicely for this showdown.
The North Londoners are still in a strong position in the race for 4th place in the Premier League, but they have to score at least once against a side in strong defensive form to keep their hopes of silverware this season alive..
As always, there will be plenty of attention on the irrepressible Zlatan Ibrahimović. Milan’s veteran forward has returned from a long-term injury just in time to try to make a BIG statement in the English capital. If the 41-year-old does do that, it’ll likely be from the bench, but the cameras will find him there too.