Most teams playing in the round of 16 of the top continental league arrive at the event with a very negative dynamic
The World Cup break has not gone down well with many of the teams returning to the Champions League. Since the ball rolled for the last time in the league, 104 days have passed with various states of alarm, ups and downs and the occasional resurrection among the protagonists. There was even time in this classic three-month break for another Super League tactical move, defended in Spain by Real Madrid and Barcelona. The future of the league project is in the hands of justice, while UEFA and FIFA believe that Florentino’s old idea would break with the current ecosystem, no matter how much more inclusive and less elitist it appears than in the previous version or whether they send messages to clubs like PSG or Manchester City because of their excessive spending policies. The English champions are under the scrutiny of the Premier League, which could prevent them from progressing to the Champions League in the future after accusing the club of serious financial irregularities related to sponsorship revenues, their winnings and player salary costs and coach. Pep Guardiola’s men face Leipzig on the 22nd, the same day Inter Porto receive Atlético de Madrid’s executioner.
The maximum continental league, which will play its final in Istanbul on June 10, returns on a special day for lovers, celebrating Valentine’s Day, who in a football key Real Madrid as king of Europe and the only Spanish club present in the round of 16 from end. Carlo Ancelotti’s men will wait until next week to keep a unique idyll with the Champions League alive and take on Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield, who may be spending his final months at Anfield after the current runners-up shows signs of a depressed team. Although, despite winning the Club World Cup, the current champion also doesn’t have time for many parties due to a very tight schedule and the pressure not to fail in the competition, where he is 11 points behind Barça with one game less.
The round of 16 could not have come at a worse time for Paris Saint Germain, who went undefeated to Qatar and now see them suffer three defeats this year, one of which cost them elimination from the French Cup. The battle between the state clubs and the traditional clubs is intensified in this colossal duel that pits the Gauls against a deceitful Bayern Munich in a Bundesliga that is leading without the shine of yesteryear. Both Mbappé and Messi, whose presence was compromised by discomfort, will be available to Galtier.
Another set with which the tournament resumes today faces two teams with problems of a different nature: Milan and Tottenham. The Italians come to an end to an alarming succession of disappointments after four consecutive defeats in Serie A. A relief for the ‘rossonero’, who are out of the battle for the ‘Scudetto’ and are looking forward to the game against the ‘Spurs’. ‘, a side coming off an embarrassing defeat to Leicester against which he once again ran into defensive trouble.
A day later, the duels Bruges-Benfica and Borussia-Dortmund-Chelsea take place. In the latter, the mood is hostile: the Germans are experiencing their best moment of the season and the British are shipwrecked in England despite an investment of more than 300 million in the winter market. This season’s final round of the Champions League is one of the most revamped in recent years with a staggering fifty additions to the 16 remaining teams in the continental competition.
As for the confrontation between the Belgians and the Portuguese, the latter retain the reliability that amazed Europe in the group stage. The bloc led by Roger Schmidt is a team capable of something like Napoli, who conquer Italy with Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia and who will measure their extraordinary moment against Eintracht Frankfurt, the current Europa League champions.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
