2014/15 Champions League Last 16: Predicting All 8 Ties
Following the reveal of Monday's round-of-16 draw, the 2014-15 Champions League campaign has entered a new phase of excitement, with only the most deserving outfits still in contention to lift the crown.
The level of competition will step up a gear from this point, and while some teams can already bank on making it into the quarter-finals, some matchups don't have as clear a favourite at present.
There lies a long wait in between now and the return of Champions League football in February, but that won't stop us from formulating our early predictions for the last 16.
1. Chelsea Defeat Paris Saint-Germain
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Europe couldn't wait to see Paris Saint-Germain do battle against Chelsea once again in 2014-15, with last season's quarter-final foes set to meet in 2014-15 one round earlier.
On that occasion, it was the experience of manager Jose Mourinho which led the Blues past their Ligue 1 counterparts after an away goal at the Parc des Princes gave them an edge in the 3-3 aggregate draw.
And Mourinho's men have only gotten stronger over the past year, having added Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas to their ranks this past summer and showing a vicious streak in their Premier League exploits.
Laurent Blanc's men, on the other hand, are having to settle for second spot in France as things stand. PSG's seven draws is the highest amount recorded by any team in the French top flight this season, with Blanc's men recently suffering their first defeat of the domestic campaign at Guingamp.
Chelsea also recently lost their unbeaten run against Newcastle United, but Mourinho is the far more experienced of the two tacticians when it comes to dealing with and bouncing back from those lulls in form.
As long as Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in the side, PSG will boast a threat wherever they roam, but clinching a result—or even just a goal—at Stamford Bridge will be pivotal to their hopes, something they didn't claim last season.
However, Chelsea have built a reputation for being able to shut out even the most esteemed of opponents, even that of PSG, and their stacked depth in all areas makes them the more likely party to advance.
2. Manchester City Defeat Barcelona
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Possibly the toughest to call of all eight fixtures, Manchester City vs. Barcelona will come down to a matter of brains over brawn, with each star-studded outfit having displayed weakness this term.
PSG are the only side to have inflicted defeat upon the Blaugrana when they travelled to the French capital in September. There, it was appropriately the defensive markers of David Luiz, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi who paved the way to a 3-2 win that even Neymar's and Lionel Messi's best efforts couldn't withstand.
Meanwhile, Luis Enrique's men have seen trouble domestically, too, losing two and drawing two in fixtures which saw their most talismanic attackers being shut out of the games.
The Citizens have the assets capable of doing just that, but Manuel Pellegrini's hopes rest on having the likes of Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany back to full fitness, with both currently striving for returns to fitness.
One might well argue that with fully fit teams, it's City who boast more depth across the board, and the Citizens also have the advantage of being able to do business in January.
Barca's current transfer ban prevents them from doing so, which could prove to be an extremely significant factor in deciding which manager has the healthiest roster leading into this clash.
City left it late to cement their progress from the group phase; however, they showed in an agonising 1-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena that they're capable of withstanding great waves of pressure, evidenced again in their 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich in the return leg.
3. Atletico Madrid Defeat Bayer Leverkusen
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Last season's finalists Atletico Madrid can be pleased with their round-of-16 tie after drawing Bayer Leverkusen, a team whose inconsistency this season has prevented them from inspiring thus far.
After 15 Bundesliga outings this term, the Factory Squad are yet to put together more than two wins in a row, while Los Rojiblancos only saw their unbeaten home streak end against Villarreal this past weekend.
In the wake of Monday's draw, Atletico captain Gabi commented that while his side will take no risks against the Germans, they feel confident, per Heath Chesters of Inside Spanish Football:
"We’re both teams that compete very well. It’s going to be a complicate tie and in February when we face them, we’ll have to see how straightforward or not it will be. Obviously we’ve not underestimated anyone in the last three years and we’re not going to do that now.
On paper there were perhaps more powerful teams in the draw, but German teams certainly know how to compete well and they’ll make things difficult for us.
"
Leverkusen made their way to this stage of last season's Champions League but were swiftly found out by Paris Saint-Germain, who dismantled their Bundesliga foes 6-1 on aggregate.
Just as PSG were on that occasion, Diego Simeone's side will be a step up from anything Leverkusen have faced thus far in the European campaign, with Benfica recently showing in a 0-0 stalemate that the Germans can be silenced.
Considering defence has been the key asset for Atleti in recent times, one can expect Leverkusen to struggle for goals at the Vicente Calderon and even at the BayArena, while the Spaniards don't have such issues in finding the back of the net.
4. Borussia Dortmund Defeat Juventus
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Borussia Dortmund's season so far has been defined by a drastic split between their fortunes in Europe compared to that of their domestic form.
Currently sitting 15th in the German top flight, Jurgen Klopp's men have been struck by some tremendous stutters, but their Champions League record is a far different story, losing just one game in the group stage.
Juventus tell a different tale, and while Massimiliano Allegri's men sit at the summit of Serie A, it's around this period of recent Champions League campaigns that they've begun to unfold.
Attack is the main concern for Allegri, specifically when playing in away territory. A 2-0 win over Malmo contributed their only away goals in the group stage, losing 1-0 in trips to Atletico Madrid and Olympiacos.
That's where the Black and Yellows can expect to take their advantage. Should Klopp's men be able to steal a goal or two in Turin's first leg, shutting down Juve's weapons in the second leg at Signal Iduna Park will be considered an achievable task.
The Bianconeri cannot afford to shut up shop as they did during their second group meeting against Atleti, a scoreless draw, and they will need to pursue goals both at home and away.
Therein lies their problem, however, and unfortunately for them, Dortmund have shown a more sinister streak and are waiting on Marco Reus' return to give them that extra sizzle in attack.
5. Real Madrid Defeat Schalke
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Likely to be the most one-sided affair of the round of 16, Schalke have slim hopes of overturning the challenge of Real Madrid, the same enemy that handed them a 9-2 aggregate drubbing last season.
For the second year in a row, these two teams will meet in the Champions League round of 16, and the bitter truth for Roberto Di Matteo is that his side are very arguably weaker than this time 12 months ago.
The Miners have won only one more game than they've lost in Bundesliga competition this term (six losses and seven wins), while Carlo Ancelotti's men are making history.
Los Merengues have broken—and continue to extend—the club's record for consecutive wins, with their tally currently sitting at 20 on the trot, dating back to September 16.
The reigning champions of Europe outclass their German counterparts in every respect, and after taking a 6-1 win at the Veltins-Arena last season, hopes aren't looking any brighter this time around.
Head out with an offensive plan and Di Matteo's side risk devastation, but should they line up with too many behind the ball, they welcome an onslaught of pressure with 2014 Ballon d'Or favourite Cristiano Ronaldo at its head.
In short terms, Schalke sit as the most likely team to exit the Champions League in the next round.
6. Bayern Munich Defeat Shakhtar Donetsk
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Shakhtar Donetsk emerged from a tricky Group H after finishing as runners-up to Porto, as Athletic Bilbao threatened to cause the Ukrainians some issues along the way.
However, neither of those sides can compare to the might of Bayern Munich, and considering they failed to beat Porto or Athletic in any of their four home and away fixtures, it's evident the Miners could be out of their depth.
In fact, 12 of Shakhtar's 15 goals in the group stage came in 7-0 and 5-0 beatings of Belarusian punching bags BATE Borisov. Those results may have been enough to get some fans out of their seats, but one doubts Pepe Guardiola was very impressed.
Der FCB, meanwhile, did their bit in dominating Group E. Despite a loss at the Etihad Stadium, they still managed to finish seven points clear in a pool that was supposedly this season's "Group of Death."
The fact that Bayern were able to evade the talents of City, Roma and CSKA Moscow so easily shows us the German giants have lost none of their potency, especially when none of those teams are particularly weak.
Even the 3-2 defeat in Manchester can be partially blamed on anomaly. An Aguero hat-trick may have stolen the show for Pellegrini's men, but Bayern still managed to dominate possession, even after Mehdi Benatia's 21st-minute sending off, per WhoScored.com.
Guardiola's men will be sure to exercise their tried-and-tested formula of torture through possession, while Shakhtar are likely to be left gasping for breath as they merely try to claim a foothold.
7. Arsenal Defeat Monaco
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Arsene Wenger will meet former club Monaco in a clash the Arsenal manager will undoubtedly see as one of the more fortunate options for his side.
Since losing at the Westfalenstadion in their group-stage opener, the Gunners have gone unbeaten in five European outings, averaging three goals scored in each of those displays.
A 2-0 revenge victory over the Black and Yellows was particularly significant in turning Wenger's group hopes around, but Monaco have been less consistent.
On paper, the challenges of Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St. Petersburg and Benfica looked to be a difficult group task for Leonardo Jardim's men, but the reality was far more fruitful.
All three of those teams proved to be rather tame, with Benfica and Zenit in particular failing to impress with only six goals registered between them across six combined matches.
However, Monaco have offensive concerns of their own. A 2-0 win over Zenit in their last group game was the first time in Europe this term that Jardim's side managed to score more than one goal in 90 minutes.
The Gunners aren't the toughest of defensive prospects, admittedly, but the return of Olivier Giroud has seen their attack boosted, with Laurent Koscielny still to make his comeback in their back line.
Many among this Monaco team are inexperienced in European competition while Wenger boasts an array of seasoned Champions League stars—not to mention his own seasoned mind—who will keep Monaco's lacklustre attack at bay.
8. Porto Defeat Basel
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Porto and Basel each have a grand opportunity to make their way into this season's Champions League quarter-finals, and it's genuinely hard to pull apart a victor between the two.
Both teams were eliminated in the group stage of the 2013-14 tournament, but it's Porto who boast more experience when it comes to these latter phases of the Champions League.
The Swiss champions were always facing a fight for second place in Group B after being drawn against Real Madrid, earning their progress after managing to avoid defeat against Liverpool at home and away.
The worrying aspect for Basel is a lack of identity. In past seasons, they've struck up a good balance between attack and defence, but this season has been less encouraging, scoring seven but conceding eight in their group exchanges.
Porto's record of 16 goals and only four conceded en route to topping Group H makes for better reading, albeit with BATE's woeful presence making for slightly anomalous results.
That being said, Porto do have a certain dazzling string to their bow. Yacine Brahimi has been in superb form this season, and Jackson Martinez is also providing a prolific goal threat that Basel are sure to struggle against.
The Dragons scored at least two goals in each of their three away trips during the group stage, whereas Basel managed just two outside St. Jakob-Park.
With the first leg in Switzerland, Basel will not only have to ensure they get on the scoresheet but see to it that Julen Lopetegui's men don't net either. That second stipulation is likely to be too big a task when looking at Porto's recent away form.
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