As we edge ever-closer to finding out our Champions last eight, the English sides find themselves on the brink, a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain begin their uphill battle. The good news is that none of them are strangers to pulling off the improbable on a European night.
Qatar 2022 feels, in certain ways, a distant memory already as we enter the business end of the club season. Yet if one thing from that midwinter World Cup remains vivid, to this observer at least, it is the extraordinary way that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé shaped events to their will – Messi throughout and Mbappé in that lightning-flash two-minute spell when the young Frenchman transformed a one-sided final against Argentina into an epic.
And it feels pertinent as we look ahead to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 ties and Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Bayern came away from the Parc des Princes with a 1-0 first-leg success yet the menace Mbappé brought after leaving the bench for the last half-hour should tell us the tie is not over yet.
On that night, Mbappé’s arrival created room for Neymar and Messi, and his speed gave Christophe Galtier’s side a threat in behind. A team whose only first-half attempt had been a Messi free-kick ended up just a tight offside call away from an Mbappé equaliser.
Since then PSG have scored 11 goals in three games, all victories, with both Mbappé and Messi on target in each of them. Indeed with his strike against Nantes at the weekend, Mbappé surpassed Edinson Cavani’s scoring record for the club – goal no201.
In 2021 PSG won a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern by overturning a home loss with a victory in Germany; the odds of a repeat are against them – Bayern have lost just once since September, remember – but even with Neymar missing, the recent feats of the French champions’ two other front men suggest it would be foolhardy to rule it out entirely.
Another club with a record-breaking forward and revival hopes aflicker are Liverpool. True, they trail Real Madrid by three goals ahead of next week’s Bernabéu return leg but fans of the club who pulled off the Istanbul final miracle of 2005 and undid a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in 2019 may just be wondering after their record 7-0 rout of Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah’s two goals against United cemented him as the Anfield club’s record scorer of the Premier League era – though his 129 goals still pale beside Ian Rush’s 346 – but perhaps even more hope-inducing was the fact youngsters Cody Gapko and Darwin Núňez each got a double of their own too. With the goals flowing, the Reds’ confidence will be soaring; in the meantime, Madrid have just recorded two blanks. Perhaps that second leg in the Spanish capital is not a foregone conclusion after all.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two other clubs on the comeback trail this week, each looking to make amends for 1-0 away losses against Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan respectively.
Tenth in the Premier League, Chelsea occupy a lower position in their domestic league than any of the other 15 sides in the knockout stage. Graham Potter’s men at least go into tomorrow’s Dortmund fixture boosted by a 1-0 weekend win over Leeds – only their second victory in 12 games in 2023. That said, the fact Dortmund arrive in west London having won 10 straight games this year, suggests a fightback will not be easy for Chelsea, who last scored two goals in a game on 27 December.
Spurs’ morale is far from sky-high either as they prepare to host Milan on Wednesday, following back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Wolves and Sheffield United. Indeed their record in all competitions so far in 2023 is W7 L7, highlighting their inconsistency, though they did win their last two home fixtures by a 2-0 scoreline that would see them through on Wednesday.
With a victory Milan, for their part, would achieve four straight wins in the Champions League for the first time since 2004/05 – a season when they reached the final. Few people would anticipate such a run from Stefano Pioli’s men this term but progressing past Spurs on Wednesday would be something to celebrate for a club last in the quarter-finals in 2012.
11 – Years since either Milan side reached the last eight
The Rossoneri’s neighbours, Inter, have to look back even further – to 2011 – for their most recent appearance in the last eight but they too hold a 1-0 advantage for their second leg at Porto next week and they should not be short on belief after a run of just two losses in their last 16 games across all competitions.
By contrast, Porto and Benfica – the other Portuguese side still standing – were both in the quarter-finals as recently as 2021/22. While Porto can take heart from having won their last four home fixtures against Serie A opposition, Benfica are in no need of omens – not with a run of 15 wins from 17 matches behind them. With a 2-0 lead from their first leg at Club Brugge, the Eagles are clear favourites on Tuesday against Scott Parker’s side who fell 3-0 to Oostende on Friday and have won just two of their 11 matches under the Englishman.
Next week's two other ties involve teams wearing Light Blue and favourites' tags against German opponents – Man City v Leipzig and Napoli v Frankfurt. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Napoli lost at home to Lazio on Friday night but they remain 15 points clear at the Serie A summit – and are unbeaten in 11 home Champions League games.
There may be more jeopardy to be found in east Manchester, where City are looking to shake off a Leipzig side who ruffled their feathers in the second half of their 1-1 first-leg draw, upping the intensity and pinning back Pep Guardiola’s side. The English champions are seeking a sixth straight quarter-final place and have not lost at home in the competition since 2018/19. Yet Leipzig have won three of their last four Champions League matches away from home – and in all competitions have lost only two of their last 23 games. Watch this space…
As we edge ever-closer to finding out our Champions last eight, the English sides find themselves on the brink, a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain begin their uphill battle. The good news is that none of them are strangers to pulling off the improbable on a European night.
Qatar 2022 feels, in certain ways, a distant memory already as we enter the business end of the club season. Yet if one thing from that midwinter World Cup remains vivid, to this observer at least, it is the extraordinary way that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé shaped events to their will – Messi throughout and Mbappé in that lightning-flash two-minute spell when the young Frenchman transformed a one-sided final against Argentina into an epic.
And it feels pertinent as we look ahead to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 ties and Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Bayern came away from the Parc des Princes with a 1-0 first-leg success yet the menace Mbappé brought after leaving the bench for the last half-hour should tell us the tie is not over yet.
On that night, Mbappé’s arrival created room for Neymar and Messi, and his speed gave Christophe Galtier’s side a threat in behind. A team whose only first-half attempt had been a Messi free-kick ended up just a tight offside call away from an Mbappé equaliser.
Since then PSG have scored 11 goals in three games, all victories, with both Mbappé and Messi on target in each of them. Indeed with his strike against Nantes at the weekend, Mbappé surpassed Edinson Cavani’s scoring record for the club – goal no201.
In 2021 PSG won a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern by overturning a home loss with a victory in Germany; the odds of a repeat are against them – Bayern have lost just once since September, remember – but even with Neymar missing, the recent feats of the French champions’ two other front men suggest it would be foolhardy to rule it out entirely.
Another club with a record-breaking forward and revival hopes aflicker are Liverpool. True, they trail Real Madrid by three goals ahead of next week’s Bernabéu return leg but fans of the club who pulled off the Istanbul final miracle of 2005 and undid a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in 2019 may just be wondering after their record 7-0 rout of Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah’s two goals against United cemented him as the Anfield club’s record scorer of the Premier League era – though his 129 goals still pale beside Ian Rush’s 346 – but perhaps even more hope-inducing was the fact youngsters Cody Gapko and Darwin Núňez each got a double of their own too. With the goals flowing, the Reds’ confidence will be soaring; in the meantime, Madrid have just recorded two blanks. Perhaps that second leg in the Spanish capital is not a foregone conclusion after all.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two other clubs on the comeback trail this week, each looking to make amends for 1-0 away losses against Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan respectively.
Tenth in the Premier League, Chelsea occupy a lower position in their domestic league than any of the other 15 sides in the knockout stage. Graham Potter’s men at least go into tomorrow’s Dortmund fixture boosted by a 1-0 weekend win over Leeds – only their second victory in 12 games in 2023. That said, the fact Dortmund arrive in west London having won 10 straight games this year, suggests a fightback will not be easy for Chelsea, who last scored two goals in a game on 27 December.
Spurs’ morale is far from sky-high either as they prepare to host Milan on Wednesday, following back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Wolves and Sheffield United. Indeed their record in all competitions so far in 2023 is W7 L7, highlighting their inconsistency, though they did win their last two home fixtures by a 2-0 scoreline that would see them through on Wednesday.
With a victory Milan, for their part, would achieve four straight wins in the Champions League for the first time since 2004/05 – a season when they reached the final. Few people would anticipate such a run from Stefano Pioli’s men this term but progressing past Spurs on Wednesday would be something to celebrate for a club last in the quarter-finals in 2012.
11 – Years since either Milan side reached the last eight
The Rossoneri’s neighbours, Inter, have to look back even further – to 2011 – for their most recent appearance in the last eight but they too hold a 1-0 advantage for their second leg at Porto next week and they should not be short on belief after a run of just two losses in their last 16 games across all competitions.
By contrast, Porto and Benfica – the other Portuguese side still standing – were both in the quarter-finals as recently as 2021/22. While Porto can take heart from having won their last four home fixtures against Serie A opposition, Benfica are in no need of omens – not with a run of 15 wins from 17 matches behind them. With a 2-0 lead from their first leg at Club Brugge, the Eagles are clear favourites on Tuesday against Scott Parker’s side who fell 3-0 to Oostende on Friday and have won just two of their 11 matches under the Englishman.
Next week's two other ties involve teams wearing Light Blue and favourites' tags against German opponents – Man City v Leipzig and Napoli v Frankfurt. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Napoli lost at home to Lazio on Friday night but they remain 15 points clear at the Serie A summit – and are unbeaten in 11 home Champions League games.
There may be more jeopardy to be found in east Manchester, where City are looking to shake off a Leipzig side who ruffled their feathers in the second half of their 1-1 first-leg draw, upping the intensity and pinning back Pep Guardiola’s side. The English champions are seeking a sixth straight quarter-final place and have not lost at home in the competition since 2018/19. Yet Leipzig have won three of their last four Champions League matches away from home – and in all competitions have lost only two of their last 23 games. Watch this space…
As we edge ever-closer to finding out our Champions last eight, the English sides find themselves on the brink, a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain begin their uphill battle. The good news is that none of them are strangers to pulling off the improbable on a European night.
Qatar 2022 feels, in certain ways, a distant memory already as we enter the business end of the club season. Yet if one thing from that midwinter World Cup remains vivid, to this observer at least, it is the extraordinary way that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé shaped events to their will – Messi throughout and Mbappé in that lightning-flash two-minute spell when the young Frenchman transformed a one-sided final against Argentina into an epic.
And it feels pertinent as we look ahead to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 ties and Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Bayern came away from the Parc des Princes with a 1-0 first-leg success yet the menace Mbappé brought after leaving the bench for the last half-hour should tell us the tie is not over yet.
On that night, Mbappé’s arrival created room for Neymar and Messi, and his speed gave Christophe Galtier’s side a threat in behind. A team whose only first-half attempt had been a Messi free-kick ended up just a tight offside call away from an Mbappé equaliser.
Since then PSG have scored 11 goals in three games, all victories, with both Mbappé and Messi on target in each of them. Indeed with his strike against Nantes at the weekend, Mbappé surpassed Edinson Cavani’s scoring record for the club – goal no201.
In 2021 PSG won a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern by overturning a home loss with a victory in Germany; the odds of a repeat are against them – Bayern have lost just once since September, remember – but even with Neymar missing, the recent feats of the French champions’ two other front men suggest it would be foolhardy to rule it out entirely.
Another club with a record-breaking forward and revival hopes aflicker are Liverpool. True, they trail Real Madrid by three goals ahead of next week’s Bernabéu return leg but fans of the club who pulled off the Istanbul final miracle of 2005 and undid a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in 2019 may just be wondering after their record 7-0 rout of Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah’s two goals against United cemented him as the Anfield club’s record scorer of the Premier League era – though his 129 goals still pale beside Ian Rush’s 346 – but perhaps even more hope-inducing was the fact youngsters Cody Gapko and Darwin Núňez each got a double of their own too. With the goals flowing, the Reds’ confidence will be soaring; in the meantime, Madrid have just recorded two blanks. Perhaps that second leg in the Spanish capital is not a foregone conclusion after all.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two other clubs on the comeback trail this week, each looking to make amends for 1-0 away losses against Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan respectively.
Tenth in the Premier League, Chelsea occupy a lower position in their domestic league than any of the other 15 sides in the knockout stage. Graham Potter’s men at least go into tomorrow’s Dortmund fixture boosted by a 1-0 weekend win over Leeds – only their second victory in 12 games in 2023. That said, the fact Dortmund arrive in west London having won 10 straight games this year, suggests a fightback will not be easy for Chelsea, who last scored two goals in a game on 27 December.
Spurs’ morale is far from sky-high either as they prepare to host Milan on Wednesday, following back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Wolves and Sheffield United. Indeed their record in all competitions so far in 2023 is W7 L7, highlighting their inconsistency, though they did win their last two home fixtures by a 2-0 scoreline that would see them through on Wednesday.
With a victory Milan, for their part, would achieve four straight wins in the Champions League for the first time since 2004/05 – a season when they reached the final. Few people would anticipate such a run from Stefano Pioli’s men this term but progressing past Spurs on Wednesday would be something to celebrate for a club last in the quarter-finals in 2012.
11 – Years since either Milan side reached the last eight
The Rossoneri’s neighbours, Inter, have to look back even further – to 2011 – for their most recent appearance in the last eight but they too hold a 1-0 advantage for their second leg at Porto next week and they should not be short on belief after a run of just two losses in their last 16 games across all competitions.
By contrast, Porto and Benfica – the other Portuguese side still standing – were both in the quarter-finals as recently as 2021/22. While Porto can take heart from having won their last four home fixtures against Serie A opposition, Benfica are in no need of omens – not with a run of 15 wins from 17 matches behind them. With a 2-0 lead from their first leg at Club Brugge, the Eagles are clear favourites on Tuesday against Scott Parker’s side who fell 3-0 to Oostende on Friday and have won just two of their 11 matches under the Englishman.
Next week's two other ties involve teams wearing Light Blue and favourites' tags against German opponents – Man City v Leipzig and Napoli v Frankfurt. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Napoli lost at home to Lazio on Friday night but they remain 15 points clear at the Serie A summit – and are unbeaten in 11 home Champions League games.
There may be more jeopardy to be found in east Manchester, where City are looking to shake off a Leipzig side who ruffled their feathers in the second half of their 1-1 first-leg draw, upping the intensity and pinning back Pep Guardiola’s side. The English champions are seeking a sixth straight quarter-final place and have not lost at home in the competition since 2018/19. Yet Leipzig have won three of their last four Champions League matches away from home – and in all competitions have lost only two of their last 23 games. Watch this space…
As we edge ever-closer to finding out our Champions last eight, the English sides find themselves on the brink, a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain begin their uphill battle. The good news is that none of them are strangers to pulling off the improbable on a European night.
Qatar 2022 feels, in certain ways, a distant memory already as we enter the business end of the club season. Yet if one thing from that midwinter World Cup remains vivid, to this observer at least, it is the extraordinary way that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé shaped events to their will – Messi throughout and Mbappé in that lightning-flash two-minute spell when the young Frenchman transformed a one-sided final against Argentina into an epic.
And it feels pertinent as we look ahead to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 ties and Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Bayern came away from the Parc des Princes with a 1-0 first-leg success yet the menace Mbappé brought after leaving the bench for the last half-hour should tell us the tie is not over yet.
On that night, Mbappé’s arrival created room for Neymar and Messi, and his speed gave Christophe Galtier’s side a threat in behind. A team whose only first-half attempt had been a Messi free-kick ended up just a tight offside call away from an Mbappé equaliser.
Since then PSG have scored 11 goals in three games, all victories, with both Mbappé and Messi on target in each of them. Indeed with his strike against Nantes at the weekend, Mbappé surpassed Edinson Cavani’s scoring record for the club – goal no201.
In 2021 PSG won a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern by overturning a home loss with a victory in Germany; the odds of a repeat are against them – Bayern have lost just once since September, remember – but even with Neymar missing, the recent feats of the French champions’ two other front men suggest it would be foolhardy to rule it out entirely.
Another club with a record-breaking forward and revival hopes aflicker are Liverpool. True, they trail Real Madrid by three goals ahead of next week’s Bernabéu return leg but fans of the club who pulled off the Istanbul final miracle of 2005 and undid a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in 2019 may just be wondering after their record 7-0 rout of Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah’s two goals against United cemented him as the Anfield club’s record scorer of the Premier League era – though his 129 goals still pale beside Ian Rush’s 346 – but perhaps even more hope-inducing was the fact youngsters Cody Gapko and Darwin Núňez each got a double of their own too. With the goals flowing, the Reds’ confidence will be soaring; in the meantime, Madrid have just recorded two blanks. Perhaps that second leg in the Spanish capital is not a foregone conclusion after all.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two other clubs on the comeback trail this week, each looking to make amends for 1-0 away losses against Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan respectively.
Tenth in the Premier League, Chelsea occupy a lower position in their domestic league than any of the other 15 sides in the knockout stage. Graham Potter’s men at least go into tomorrow’s Dortmund fixture boosted by a 1-0 weekend win over Leeds – only their second victory in 12 games in 2023. That said, the fact Dortmund arrive in west London having won 10 straight games this year, suggests a fightback will not be easy for Chelsea, who last scored two goals in a game on 27 December.
Spurs’ morale is far from sky-high either as they prepare to host Milan on Wednesday, following back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Wolves and Sheffield United. Indeed their record in all competitions so far in 2023 is W7 L7, highlighting their inconsistency, though they did win their last two home fixtures by a 2-0 scoreline that would see them through on Wednesday.
With a victory Milan, for their part, would achieve four straight wins in the Champions League for the first time since 2004/05 – a season when they reached the final. Few people would anticipate such a run from Stefano Pioli’s men this term but progressing past Spurs on Wednesday would be something to celebrate for a club last in the quarter-finals in 2012.
11 – Years since either Milan side reached the last eight
The Rossoneri’s neighbours, Inter, have to look back even further – to 2011 – for their most recent appearance in the last eight but they too hold a 1-0 advantage for their second leg at Porto next week and they should not be short on belief after a run of just two losses in their last 16 games across all competitions.
By contrast, Porto and Benfica – the other Portuguese side still standing – were both in the quarter-finals as recently as 2021/22. While Porto can take heart from having won their last four home fixtures against Serie A opposition, Benfica are in no need of omens – not with a run of 15 wins from 17 matches behind them. With a 2-0 lead from their first leg at Club Brugge, the Eagles are clear favourites on Tuesday against Scott Parker’s side who fell 3-0 to Oostende on Friday and have won just two of their 11 matches under the Englishman.
Next week's two other ties involve teams wearing Light Blue and favourites' tags against German opponents – Man City v Leipzig and Napoli v Frankfurt. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Napoli lost at home to Lazio on Friday night but they remain 15 points clear at the Serie A summit – and are unbeaten in 11 home Champions League games.
There may be more jeopardy to be found in east Manchester, where City are looking to shake off a Leipzig side who ruffled their feathers in the second half of their 1-1 first-leg draw, upping the intensity and pinning back Pep Guardiola’s side. The English champions are seeking a sixth straight quarter-final place and have not lost at home in the competition since 2018/19. Yet Leipzig have won three of their last four Champions League matches away from home – and in all competitions have lost only two of their last 23 games. Watch this space…
As we edge ever-closer to finding out our Champions last eight, the English sides find themselves on the brink, a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain begin their uphill battle. The good news is that none of them are strangers to pulling off the improbable on a European night.
Qatar 2022 feels, in certain ways, a distant memory already as we enter the business end of the club season. Yet if one thing from that midwinter World Cup remains vivid, to this observer at least, it is the extraordinary way that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé shaped events to their will – Messi throughout and Mbappé in that lightning-flash two-minute spell when the young Frenchman transformed a one-sided final against Argentina into an epic.
And it feels pertinent as we look ahead to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 ties and Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Bayern came away from the Parc des Princes with a 1-0 first-leg success yet the menace Mbappé brought after leaving the bench for the last half-hour should tell us the tie is not over yet.
On that night, Mbappé’s arrival created room for Neymar and Messi, and his speed gave Christophe Galtier’s side a threat in behind. A team whose only first-half attempt had been a Messi free-kick ended up just a tight offside call away from an Mbappé equaliser.
Since then PSG have scored 11 goals in three games, all victories, with both Mbappé and Messi on target in each of them. Indeed with his strike against Nantes at the weekend, Mbappé surpassed Edinson Cavani’s scoring record for the club – goal no201.
In 2021 PSG won a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern by overturning a home loss with a victory in Germany; the odds of a repeat are against them – Bayern have lost just once since September, remember – but even with Neymar missing, the recent feats of the French champions’ two other front men suggest it would be foolhardy to rule it out entirely.
Another club with a record-breaking forward and revival hopes aflicker are Liverpool. True, they trail Real Madrid by three goals ahead of next week’s Bernabéu return leg but fans of the club who pulled off the Istanbul final miracle of 2005 and undid a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in 2019 may just be wondering after their record 7-0 rout of Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah’s two goals against United cemented him as the Anfield club’s record scorer of the Premier League era – though his 129 goals still pale beside Ian Rush’s 346 – but perhaps even more hope-inducing was the fact youngsters Cody Gapko and Darwin Núňez each got a double of their own too. With the goals flowing, the Reds’ confidence will be soaring; in the meantime, Madrid have just recorded two blanks. Perhaps that second leg in the Spanish capital is not a foregone conclusion after all.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two other clubs on the comeback trail this week, each looking to make amends for 1-0 away losses against Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan respectively.
Tenth in the Premier League, Chelsea occupy a lower position in their domestic league than any of the other 15 sides in the knockout stage. Graham Potter’s men at least go into tomorrow’s Dortmund fixture boosted by a 1-0 weekend win over Leeds – only their second victory in 12 games in 2023. That said, the fact Dortmund arrive in west London having won 10 straight games this year, suggests a fightback will not be easy for Chelsea, who last scored two goals in a game on 27 December.
Spurs’ morale is far from sky-high either as they prepare to host Milan on Wednesday, following back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Wolves and Sheffield United. Indeed their record in all competitions so far in 2023 is W7 L7, highlighting their inconsistency, though they did win their last two home fixtures by a 2-0 scoreline that would see them through on Wednesday.
With a victory Milan, for their part, would achieve four straight wins in the Champions League for the first time since 2004/05 – a season when they reached the final. Few people would anticipate such a run from Stefano Pioli’s men this term but progressing past Spurs on Wednesday would be something to celebrate for a club last in the quarter-finals in 2012.
11 – Years since either Milan side reached the last eight
The Rossoneri’s neighbours, Inter, have to look back even further – to 2011 – for their most recent appearance in the last eight but they too hold a 1-0 advantage for their second leg at Porto next week and they should not be short on belief after a run of just two losses in their last 16 games across all competitions.
By contrast, Porto and Benfica – the other Portuguese side still standing – were both in the quarter-finals as recently as 2021/22. While Porto can take heart from having won their last four home fixtures against Serie A opposition, Benfica are in no need of omens – not with a run of 15 wins from 17 matches behind them. With a 2-0 lead from their first leg at Club Brugge, the Eagles are clear favourites on Tuesday against Scott Parker’s side who fell 3-0 to Oostende on Friday and have won just two of their 11 matches under the Englishman.
Next week's two other ties involve teams wearing Light Blue and favourites' tags against German opponents – Man City v Leipzig and Napoli v Frankfurt. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Napoli lost at home to Lazio on Friday night but they remain 15 points clear at the Serie A summit – and are unbeaten in 11 home Champions League games.
There may be more jeopardy to be found in east Manchester, where City are looking to shake off a Leipzig side who ruffled their feathers in the second half of their 1-1 first-leg draw, upping the intensity and pinning back Pep Guardiola’s side. The English champions are seeking a sixth straight quarter-final place and have not lost at home in the competition since 2018/19. Yet Leipzig have won three of their last four Champions League matches away from home – and in all competitions have lost only two of their last 23 games. Watch this space…
As we edge ever-closer to finding out our Champions last eight, the English sides find themselves on the brink, a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain begin their uphill battle. The good news is that none of them are strangers to pulling off the improbable on a European night.
Qatar 2022 feels, in certain ways, a distant memory already as we enter the business end of the club season. Yet if one thing from that midwinter World Cup remains vivid, to this observer at least, it is the extraordinary way that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé shaped events to their will – Messi throughout and Mbappé in that lightning-flash two-minute spell when the young Frenchman transformed a one-sided final against Argentina into an epic.
And it feels pertinent as we look ahead to the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 ties and Paris Saint-Germain’s trip to Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Bayern came away from the Parc des Princes with a 1-0 first-leg success yet the menace Mbappé brought after leaving the bench for the last half-hour should tell us the tie is not over yet.
On that night, Mbappé’s arrival created room for Neymar and Messi, and his speed gave Christophe Galtier’s side a threat in behind. A team whose only first-half attempt had been a Messi free-kick ended up just a tight offside call away from an Mbappé equaliser.
Since then PSG have scored 11 goals in three games, all victories, with both Mbappé and Messi on target in each of them. Indeed with his strike against Nantes at the weekend, Mbappé surpassed Edinson Cavani’s scoring record for the club – goal no201.
In 2021 PSG won a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern by overturning a home loss with a victory in Germany; the odds of a repeat are against them – Bayern have lost just once since September, remember – but even with Neymar missing, the recent feats of the French champions’ two other front men suggest it would be foolhardy to rule it out entirely.
Another club with a record-breaking forward and revival hopes aflicker are Liverpool. True, they trail Real Madrid by three goals ahead of next week’s Bernabéu return leg but fans of the club who pulled off the Istanbul final miracle of 2005 and undid a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in 2019 may just be wondering after their record 7-0 rout of Manchester United.
Mohamed Salah’s two goals against United cemented him as the Anfield club’s record scorer of the Premier League era – though his 129 goals still pale beside Ian Rush’s 346 – but perhaps even more hope-inducing was the fact youngsters Cody Gapko and Darwin Núňez each got a double of their own too. With the goals flowing, the Reds’ confidence will be soaring; in the meantime, Madrid have just recorded two blanks. Perhaps that second leg in the Spanish capital is not a foregone conclusion after all.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two other clubs on the comeback trail this week, each looking to make amends for 1-0 away losses against Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan respectively.
Tenth in the Premier League, Chelsea occupy a lower position in their domestic league than any of the other 15 sides in the knockout stage. Graham Potter’s men at least go into tomorrow’s Dortmund fixture boosted by a 1-0 weekend win over Leeds – only their second victory in 12 games in 2023. That said, the fact Dortmund arrive in west London having won 10 straight games this year, suggests a fightback will not be easy for Chelsea, who last scored two goals in a game on 27 December.
Spurs’ morale is far from sky-high either as they prepare to host Milan on Wednesday, following back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Wolves and Sheffield United. Indeed their record in all competitions so far in 2023 is W7 L7, highlighting their inconsistency, though they did win their last two home fixtures by a 2-0 scoreline that would see them through on Wednesday.
With a victory Milan, for their part, would achieve four straight wins in the Champions League for the first time since 2004/05 – a season when they reached the final. Few people would anticipate such a run from Stefano Pioli’s men this term but progressing past Spurs on Wednesday would be something to celebrate for a club last in the quarter-finals in 2012.
11 – Years since either Milan side reached the last eight
The Rossoneri’s neighbours, Inter, have to look back even further – to 2011 – for their most recent appearance in the last eight but they too hold a 1-0 advantage for their second leg at Porto next week and they should not be short on belief after a run of just two losses in their last 16 games across all competitions.
By contrast, Porto and Benfica – the other Portuguese side still standing – were both in the quarter-finals as recently as 2021/22. While Porto can take heart from having won their last four home fixtures against Serie A opposition, Benfica are in no need of omens – not with a run of 15 wins from 17 matches behind them. With a 2-0 lead from their first leg at Club Brugge, the Eagles are clear favourites on Tuesday against Scott Parker’s side who fell 3-0 to Oostende on Friday and have won just two of their 11 matches under the Englishman.
Next week's two other ties involve teams wearing Light Blue and favourites' tags against German opponents – Man City v Leipzig and Napoli v Frankfurt. Leading 2-0 from the first leg, Napoli lost at home to Lazio on Friday night but they remain 15 points clear at the Serie A summit – and are unbeaten in 11 home Champions League games.
There may be more jeopardy to be found in east Manchester, where City are looking to shake off a Leipzig side who ruffled their feathers in the second half of their 1-1 first-leg draw, upping the intensity and pinning back Pep Guardiola’s side. The English champions are seeking a sixth straight quarter-final place and have not lost at home in the competition since 2018/19. Yet Leipzig have won three of their last four Champions League matches away from home – and in all competitions have lost only two of their last 23 games. Watch this space…
