Champions League Fixtures 2015: Round of 16 Predictions, Live Stream Schedule
Half of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first-leg fixtures have already been played, and the remaining eight teams are gearing up to take to the pitch when action resumes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Last year's finalists Atletico Madrid visit Bayer Leverkusen, while Barcelona and Manchester City will face off in the most anticipated clash of the week. Juventus host Borussia Dortmund, and Arsenal will take on French outfit AS Monaco.
Here's the full schedule for this week's action, including live stream info:
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| Tuesday, Feb. 24 | 7.45 p.m. | Juventus | Dortmund | Sky Go (UK)/Fox Soccer 2Go (US) |
| Tuesday, Feb. 24 | 7.45 p.m. | Manchester City | Barcelona | Sky Go (UK)/Fox Soccer 2Go (US) |
| Wednesday, Feb. 25 | 7.45 p.m. | Arsenal | Monaco | Sky Go (UK)/Fox Soccer 2Go (US) |
| Wednesday, Feb. 25 | 7.45 p.m. | Bayer | Atletico | Sky Go (UK)/Fox Soccer 2Go (US) |
Juventus v Borussia Dortmund
The Bianconeri are once again running away with the Serie A title and secured a narrow 2-1 win over Atalanta during the weekend, ensuring they come into this match flying high.
The Italian champions are confident they can finally overcome their European demons this year, and per Football Italia, Marco Motta thinks the team have the advantage over their German opponents:
Borussia have endured a nightmare season in the Bundesliga but are starting to turn the corner, beating Stuttgart on Friday to record their third consecutive win. The result couldn't have come at a better team, and Die Schwarz Gelben are finally getting some of their swagger back.
The battle in midfield will be an interesting one. Dortmund have been routinely overrun throughout the season but have looked solid these past few weeks, while Andrea Pirlo has struggled adapting to manager Massimiliano Allegri's new system but came up big to score the winner against Atalanta.
Goal thinks the Italian maestro will have a big impact on Tuesday's contest, good or bad:
Juventus have struggled with strong counter-attacking sides this season, and that's a bad omen heading into a tie with Dortmund. The Bundesliga side are fast, combine well and don't need many chances to score—providing their form and confidence are high.
After the past few weeks, I believe that to be the case.
Prediction: Juventus 1-1 Dortmund.
Manchester City v Barcelona
Around the turn of the year, this tie had major upset potential. City were cruising in the Premier League, looking much improved, while Barcelona were struggling tremendously and seemed on the verge of a crisis.
How times have changed. In the absence of Yaya Toure, the Citizens have lost a ton of ground on Chelsea, while Barcelona once again look like an unstoppable force, thrashing just about every team they meet in La Liga until Saturday's surprise loss against Malaga.
The Catalans' defence rightfully deserves a ton of praise, but the scoring of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez has been the big story in recent weeks. Just look at this statistic, courtesy of the club's official Twitter feed:
The hosts have plenty of quality to match well with the Catalans, but Sergio Aguero has been banged up of late, and without him, the attack becomes too one-dimensional.
As far as tactics go, former Barcelona man David Villa believes the Citizens have the Catalans figured out:
That seems doubtful, however. Barcelona are scoring almost at will right now, and while I don't expect them to find the target with the same frequency at the Etihad, I do believe they'll give themselves an excellent result heading into the second leg.
Prediction: Manchester City 1-2 Barcelona
Arsenal v Monaco
Don't sleep on Monaco. The Ligue 1 outfit has been in solid form in recent weeks, shooting up the standings into the top four. Monaco may have lost a number of key players at the start of the campaign, but after a difficult first two months, the squad has figured things out.
The Red and Whites recorded a 1-0 win over Nice during the weekend, but while the defence looked as strong as ever, the attack remains a work in progress. Goal's Robin Bairner thinks the Gunners have little to worry about, apart from young Belgian star Yannick Ferreira Carrasco:
I have to agree. Arsenal's form coming into the match is quite good, despite the recent loss against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and led by a resurrected Mesut Ozil, the squad suddenly looks very dangerous in possession.
As shared by ESPN.co.uk, manager Arsene Wenger has plenty of confidence in his attack:
I can't see Monaco really troubling Arsenal's defence, and while the French club has too strong a defence for this to turn into a massacre, the form of the Gunners' attack should lead to at least a couple of goals.
Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Monaco
Bayer Leverkusen v Atletico Madrid
Defending La Liga champions Atletico looked absolutely awful against Celta Vigo last week. There's no way around it. Diego Simeone's men were coming off a fantastic win over rivals Real Madrid and completely mucked up against the Galicians.
Of course, Bayer Leverkusen's form isn't any better. The hosts have dropped out of the top four of the Bundesliga standings due to a bad run of performances, with top scorer Karim Bellarabi one of the few bright spots in that stretch.
The 24-year-old recently signed a new deal, per Squawka, and he should be motivated to impress against the Spanish champions:
Atletico's defence remains the club's main calling card, while the form of Antoine Griezmann has been very impressive in 2015. The Atleti always seem to reserve their best play for the biggest stage, and things should be no different on Wednesday.
Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Atletico Madrid
