Champions League Results 2015: Examining Ties After Round of 16 Day 2
After more than two months away, the Champions League returned on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first four matches of the two-legged round of 16 ties.
Following Wednesday's first legs, only Real Madrid look a shoe-in for the quarter-finals after they beat Schalke 2-0 away from home.
Porto and Basel's tie hangs in the balance after they drew 1-1 in Switzerland. Similarly, both Tuesday's results—Paris Saint-Germain's 1-1 home draw with Chelsea and Shakhtar Donetsk's 0-0 stalemate with Bayern Munich—means there is all to play for in the return legs.
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Read on for an examination of all four ties and who holds the edge ahead of the second legs on March 10 and 11.
Porto Slight Favourites
Porto bagged an all-important away goal on Wednesday, with Danilo's 79th-minute penalty cancelling out Derlis Gonzalez's brilliantly taken first-half strike.
However, the Portuguese outfit were the better side for much of the clash, per football writer Tom Marshall, and arguably should have taken a lead in the tie home with them to the Estadio do Dragao:
While the lack of any deficit is a boon for Basel heading to the second leg, they still need to pick up at least one away goal if they are to advance to the quarter-finals.
That will be a significant challenge with Porto likely to be buoyed in front of their home fans and eager to defend the slight edge they currently have.
Equally, Basel will surely need more than just the one goal on the road, with Porto dangerous in attack and star man—and scorer of five Champions League goals this season, per WhoScored.com—Jackson Martinez likely to improve after a poor showing on Wednesday, per B/R UK's Sam Tighe:
Porto's away goal definitely gives them the advantage after the opening leg, and they are favourites to advance to the last eight.
Real effectively wrapped their tie up after Wednesday's first leg against Schalke, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo providing the goals in a comfortable 2-0 win.
The German club now need to win by at least two goals at the Bernabeu in the return leg, an almost impossible task considering Los Blancos' quality.
If Carlo Ancelotti's men are not in the quarter-finals after the second leg, it will be one of the great Champions League upsets, but it seems highly unlikely.
Home Advantage Favours Bayern, Chelsea
Both of Tuesday's results left the respective ties finely poised after the first legs. Bayern's 0-0 draw at Shakhtar was arguably the most surprising outcome of the Champions League knockout rounds thus far.
Xabi Alonso was sent off and the Bundesliga leaders barely troubled the opposition goal, per OptaJoe, a huge surprise given they had put eight past Hamburg just three days before:
It was an accomplished performance from the Ukrainian outfit and means any victory or score-draw in Munich will see them through to the last eight at Bayern's expense.
However, such a result seems somewhat unlikely given Bayern's form at the Allianz Arena.
They have not lost at home in any competition since April—winning 15 out of 16 matches—and took three victories in the Champions League group stages, beating Manchester City, Roma and CSKA Moscow without conceding.
Pep Guardiola will surely demand a much-improved performance on March 11, and despite Shakhtar's quality—Luiz Adriano should prove dangerous on the break—Bayern should see themselves through to the quarter-finals.
Similarly, Chelsea's home advantage in the second leg gives them the edge against PSG, as does the away goal they claimed through Branislav Ivanovic's header in Paris on Tuesday.
Edinson Cavani equalised for the hosts in the second half on Tuesday, and PSG could have had more, but as it is, Jose Mourinho's men hold the edge.
In last season's last eight, Chelsea recovered from 3-1 down after the first leg to win 2-0 at Stamford Bridge against PSG and advance to the semi-finals.
Laurent Blanc will be desperate to avoid the same result in west London this time around, but such is Mourinho's excellence in two-legged Champions League ties—and Chelsea's great experience—that the Blues go into the second leg as favourites.
However, Stamford Bridge is not necessarily the fortress it once was under Mourinho, with Atletico Madrid having prevailed there in the last four last season, as well as Bradford City's amazing 4-2 FA Cup win in January.
Thus PSG definitely have a chance, but it is Chelsea who have the edge in the tie.
