B/R Experts: Big-Game Predictions, February 14-16
Rub your hands together in anticipation—the Champions League returns from its winter slumber with the round of 16.
Our team of experts have had their noses in the form book in a bid to point you in the direction of the winning formula.
Will Paris Saint-Germain halt Barcelona, is it Arsenal's time to get one over on Bayern Munich, and can Napoli's brilliant attack stun champions Real Madrid?
Read on for our thoughts on these ties and some intriguing games in the Europa League.
Benfica vs. Borussia Dortmund
1 of 8
After the embarrassing loss at bottom-placed SV Darmstadt 98 in the Bundesliga on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund have picked up just one point from their previous 11 matches.
BVB now hope they "will show their real face," as goalkeeper Roman Burki called it in an interview with local paper Reviersport, in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Lest we forget, Dortmund topped their group by edging out holders Real Madrid, the up-and-down nature of their domestic campaign not hurting their performances in European club football's elite competition so far.
Hosts Benfica, on the other hand, picked up just four points in their three home matches of the group stage and were lucky to make it out of a section with Napoli, Besiktas and Dynamo Kiev.
Nonetheless, the Portuguese champions have the kind of defensive solidity Dortmund have had trouble against, especially on the road.
Despite their troubles, the Black and Yellows remain favourites to make it to the quarter-finals. An important away goal at the Estadio da Luz will be among the biggest targets for Tuesday's meeting in Portugal.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Raul Jimenez
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona
2 of 8
There will be plenty of intrigue around the game with Spanish boss Unai Emery in charge of PSG, but the first leg in particular could prove to be cagey, frustrating and ultimately devoid of a lot of action, with Barcelona dominant in possession without overcommitting men to the attack.
An away goal will put the Camp Nou side in a strong position ahead of the second leg, and they're more than capable of finding it, particularly with Andres Iniesta's return to fitness.
A single clinical moment from the fabled MSN attack of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar might be enough to settle the first leg.
Prediction: 0-1
First goalscorer: Luis Suarez
Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal
3 of 8
There was a sense of inevitability in the air around the time of the draw for the first round of knockout matches in the Champions League.
After crashing out of the competition in the round of 16 six times in a row, Arsenal's reward for winning their group for the first time since 2012 was drawing Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians, of course, accounted for two of those six disappointments and dealt the Gunners their heaviest European defeat in the group stage last season, when they hammered Arsene Wenger's side 5-1 at home.
While Bayern are a step below the standards set by former boss Pep Guardiola during his three seasons with the club, they remain one of the favourites to win the Champions League in Carlo Ancelotti's first season, the Italian head coach being considered an expert for European football's most important club competition.
Bayern look slower defensively and more laborious in attack, but they are still incredibly hard to defeat and have superb individual talent that decides games more often than not.
Arsenal must feel like they will rarely have a better chance of beating Bayern than they do this time around, thanks in large part to the luscious form of Alexis Sanchez. But the fact remains the Gunners have picked up more defeats in their last 10 matches than Bayern have suffered all season.
Going by the recent history between these two clubs, Arsenal will have to be happy if they go into the second leg with a decent shot.
Prediction: 2-0
First goalscorer: Arjen Robben
Real Madrid vs. Napoli
4 of 8
This matchup is made all the more exciting because Napoli's biggest strength, attacking the channels in numbers, aligns perfectly with Real Madrid's biggest weakness, organisation of the defensive line.
Until both teams settle, it could be a helter-skelter, back-and-forth encounter with lots of chances on goal, and it's not outlandish to suggest this could be the tie with the most goals over two legs in the round of 16.
Real Madrid could just edge things at home, but it would be a surprise if the tie was anywhere near finished by the end of the first 90 minutes.
Prediction: 3-2
First goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo
KAA Gent vs. Tottenham Hotspur
5 of 8
Tottenham Hotspur's lengthy unbeaten run came to an end at Liverpool at the weekend, which allowed Arsenal to draw level on points with their north London rivals in the Premier League table.
It only cost them one point in relation to leaders Chelsea, but the gap is 10 points, and manager Mauricio Pochettino has something of a quandary to face as his side embark on a Europa League run.
Finishing third in their Champions League group resulted in Spurs falling into the Europa League. So how much resource does Pochettino throw at a two-legged affair with KAA Gent?
Spurs follow up their trip to Belgium with an away game against Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round, so there are likely to be personnel changes over the next couple of games.
Gent are hardly pulling up trees in Belgium, as they sit eighth in the table—12 points adrift of leaders Club Brugge.
A solid performance at the Ghelamco Arena on Thursday will, in all probability, set Spurs up nicely to complete the job on home soil.
Prediction: 0-1
First goalscorer: Vincent Janssen
Manchester United vs. AS Saint-Etienne
6 of 8
Manchester United have a storied European history, and they have previous with AS Saint-Etienne.
The Red Devils and Les Verts met in the 1977/78 European Cup Winners' Cup, and crowd trouble in the first leg in France resulted in the return game being played at a neutral venue: Plymouth Argyle's Home Park.
Hopefully there will be no repeat of trouble, allowing the on-pitch action to take the focus of attention.
There will be sibling rivalry, as United's record signing Paul Pogba will lock horns with his older brother, Florentin—if Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho allows his man to play. Surely the Portuguese won't be a party-pooper?
United have bigger fish to fry than the Europa League, but it provides them with a shot at silverware; expect them to take care of the Ligue 1 side over two legs.
Prediction: 2-0
First goalscorer: Marcus Rashford
Villarreal vs. AS Roma
7 of 8
Having been held to draws by Sevilla and Malaga in their last two outings, Villarreal will be looking for an improvement as they welcome an in-form AS Roma side to El Madrigal on Thursday.
Thanks to their win over Crotone on Sunday, the Italian side have now registered nine victories in their last 10 outings, rounding into perfect shape as European football returns this week.
The home side will likely use their favoured 4-4-2 formation, with former Serie A stars Nicola Sansone and Roberto Soriano featuring heavily, while Roma have opted for a 3-4-1-2 formation in recent weeks that could be an ideal solution for coach Luciano Spalletti.
Both sides have defended well but are much better in possession, which could lead to them cancelling each other out.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Mohamed Salah
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Fiorentina
8 of 8
Fiorentina will probably wish this game was played a month ago, when Borussia Monchengladbach were struggling and La Viola were demolishing Juventus at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Since then, however, the Bundesliga outfit have won four consecutive league games and kept three clean sheets, while Fiorentina were handed a lesson as they lost 4-0 to Roma just a week ago.
However, Paulo Sousa's men recovered well to beat Udinese on Saturday, restoring their confidence ahead of the trip to Germany.
There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Fiorentina's last five Europa League games, but their resolute opponents are likely to be tough nuts to crack.
Prediction: 1-1
First goalscorer: Federico Bernardeschi
