Champions League 2016: Quarter-Final Schedule, Live Stream, TV Info, Predictions
Real Madrid will face a real battle on Tuesday, as they'll have to turn around a 2-0 loss against Wolfsburg in the second leg of their 2016 UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie.
Manchester City host Paris Saint-Germain and will like their chances after the 2-2 draw in France last week, knowing a goalless draw will take them through.
On Wednesday, Bayern Munich will travel to Portugal to face Benfica, and Barcelona will head for the Spanish capital as they take on Atletico Madrid. Here's a look at this week's schedule, complete with TV info and live stream links:
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| Tuesday, April 12 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Real v Wolfsburg | BT Sport 2 (UK)/Fox Sports 2 (U.S.) | BT Sport app/Fox Soccer 2Go | 3-1 |
| Tuesday, April 12 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | City v PSG | BT Sport Europe (UK)/Fox Sports 1 (U.S.) | BT Sport app/Fox Soccer 2Go | 1-1 |
| Wednesday, April 13 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Benfica v Bayern | BT Sport 2 (UK)/Fox Sports 2 (U.S.) | BT Sport app/Fox Soccer 2Go | 1-2 |
| Wednesday, April 13 | 7:45 p.m./2:45 p.m. | Atletico v Barcelona | BT Sport Europe (UK)/Fox Sports 1 (U.S.) | BT Sport app/Fox Soccer 2Go | 1-1 |
None of the quarter-finalists managed to take a decisive lead during the first leg of their ties, but no team put itself in a better position to advance than Wolfsburg. The Germans deservedly beat Real by two goals at home and travel to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu knowing a single away goal would put Los Blancos in a world of trouble.
Real looked dreadful in Germany, but after bouncing back with a nice 4-0 win over Eibar on Saturday, optimism has returned to the Spanish capital. Per Javier Garcia of Realmadrid.com, manager Zinedine Zidane believes in his team's chances at the Bernabeu:
"I'm more optimistic today, winning like this with the first half performance… perhaps a bit less so the second, but I go away pleased with the game, so I'm more optimistic. We know what we have to do on Tuesday and what we're playing for. We're going to prepare well, rest up and play at our best on Tuesday.
"
As a coach I live these days before the knock-out tie with more tension than as a player. As I said yesterday, we know it will be an exciting game, great to play in. We know it will be difficult because we have to come from 2 goals down. When things get tough, we can do great things at the Bernabeu.
Most fans probably expected Los Blancos to cruise to an easy win against Wolfsburg, given the dreadful form Die Wolfe have shown in the Bundesliga of late. But their tactics were spot on in the win, and their task heading into the second leg is clear.
Per beIN Sports' Matteo Bonetti, fans can expect one-way traffic in the return leg:
Real will push the ball up the pitch in search of an early goal and use their incredible firepower to blow Wolfsburg out of the water, wearing them down throughout the contest. Expect the Germans to play with Real, but commit less players to the counter-attack than they did in the first leg.
Betting against this Real team is never easy, but while Los Blancos have an embarrassment of riches in the attacking areas, their defence has looked suspect. Per ESPN FC's Rob Train, that's where Real's bid to advance should start:
"In eight matches at the Bernabeu with Zidane in the dugout, Real have scored 33 times -- a quite handy 4.125 goals per game. But the threat Real face is a Wolfsburg strike. In the 16 games Zidane has overseen so far, Real have kept a clean sheet in just five. In two of those, against Roma in the Champions League, profligate finishing, Keylor Navas and the woodwork all played their part in the Italians drawing a blank.
"
Real's defence looked just fine against Eibar, but like many mid-table Spanish teams, the Basque side chose not to attack Real's wings head-on and kept the pressure off the back four. Wolfsburg likely won't do that.
Things look much better for City, who scored twice in Paris and enter Tuesday's match coming off a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. Per OptaJoe, it marked the first time manager Manuel Pellegrini's men won back-to-back matches in the Premier League for a long time:
The Citizens are finding their form at just the right time, in part thanks to the return of Kevin De Bruyne. The team simply looks so much better when the Belgian is involved in the attack, highlighting how one key injury can make all the difference.
PSG know this all too well―they haven't been the same since losing Marco Verratti, who may return in time for the second leg, per Canal+ (h/t Bleacher Report's Jonathan Johnson):
Unfortunately for Les Parisiens, Blaise Matuidi won't be playing, as he's suspended, and centre-back David Luiz will join him.
The loss of Luiz might not be the end of the world―one could argue Marquinhos should have started the first leg, anyhow―but Matuidi is a big loss, and one the Citizens should be able to exploit.
