The UEFA Champions League will enter the definition phase from this Tuesday. The round of 16 will have very high-level duels in which no one will reveal anything and where the details will be fundamental in order to continue in the race and try to dominate Europe. Of course, with such a long break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and a market that has had great movements, it is necessary to analyze the teams, the moment they are going through and how they have prepared for this instance.

Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich

The clash between the French and the Germans is perhaps one of the most anticipated. Factors flying over the environment are more than interesting. On the one hand, we are talking about the leaders of Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. On the other hand, both have very high-level teams, they are always candidates and that they met so prematurely was just a coincidence.

For the Parisian team, La Orejona is an elusive dream. The most recent and remembered precedent dates back to 2020, when both teams faced each other in the final held in Lisbon. With a goal from Kingsley Coman, Bayern Munich managed to prevail and left PSG on the brink of consecration.

Due to the quality of the squad, even if not so much for the football innovations, those led by Christophe Galtier need to move on to the next round. Sure, to be brought together on the same campus Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, Sergio Ramos, among other figures, have their obligations and the Champions League is one of them. While it is true that recent league results have not been all that encouraging, although they are still leading by 5 points over Olympique de Marseille, a level of concentration and performance is expected in line with the duel that is coming.

Bayern Munich are also leading in Germany, but not as comfortably as in other years. To face the final part of the season, he brought in three players: Daley Blind, Yann Sommer and Joao Cancelo.

The Swiss goalkeeper and the Portuguese seem to have earned their place in the starting team, while the Dutchman aims to be a variant on the bench due to his great versatility. As always, the German imprint tries to be the protagonist and doesn’t allow any ease on the pitch, even if it’s true that this season hasn’t been as regular and scary as on other occasions. Of course, you can never be sure against the six-time European champion.

The first stop at the Parc des Princes in Paris will be this Tuesday at 5pm and will be broadcast by Fox Sports.

Milan-Tottenham

The other match on Tuesday will instead see Milan and Tottenham. Both teams go through the season with an erratic pace and It would not be strange that they have put all their chips into trying to get as far as possible at European level. Both the Italians and English are fifth in their respective leagues, although those led by Stefano Pioli have 18 points difference with leaders Napoli, while Antonio Conte’s side maintain a 12-point gap with pointer Arsenal.

“It has been a very difficult month for all of us”, Pioli said. However, he stressed that the party appears at a time that could favor them. “We have to raise our level because the Champions League demands more from you and Tottenham are a strong team, but I think we came across them at the perfect time.”, was his balance.

The Rossoneri face their first series in a Champions League knockout stage since 2014. At that time, the round of 16 duel pitted them against the Atletico Madrid and the result was lapidary. After a 5-1 aggregate victory for Real Madrid, he said goodbye to that edition and had to wait 9 years to return to participate in the round of 16.

He sits on the Tottenham bench Antonio Conte. The former coach of Inter and Juventus knows perfectly the dynamics of the Italian teams, given that, He has a total of 4 Scudetti on his bulletin board – three with Juventus and the rest with Inter-. As if that weren’t enough, Conte has an excellent record against Milan. In 14 matches they have come out victorious in 10, drawn 3 times and have only come out defeated once.

For the Champions League we have to go back to 2011 to find a precedent between the two teams. Precisely, in the round of 16, Tottenham won 1-0 on the global scoreboard and advanced to the next stage. The only goal of the series was scored by Peter Crouch.

Starting at 17:00 and broadcast by ESPN, Milan and Tottenham will face off at the San Siro to try and lead their qualification to the next stage.

Borussia Dortmund v Chelsea

For Wednesday, the expectation is closely linked to the intersection of two club models and two very different incorporation policies. The Chelsea phenomenon has been one of the great themes of the European winter, given that the millions invested to be competitive cannot be ignored. On the Borussia Dortmund side, his way of studying the market and scouting with players places him on the completely opposite side of the London team.

Chelsea have shelled out €329m to incorporate players into this transfer market. As color data, France’s Ligue 1 spent €128m, Germany’s Bundesliga invested €67m, and both Spain’s LaLiga and Italy’s Serie A bought players for €32m. That is to say that the Blues have spent 70 million more than in 4 of the major leagues in the world.

In short, they were eight the incorporations: 121 million euros Enzo Fernandez, 70 for Mykhaylo Mudryk, 38 for Benoit Badiashile, 35 for Noni Madueke, 30 for bad taste, 12.5 per Andrew Santos, 12 for Datro Fofana e 11 for the loan of Joao Felix. Although only Enzo Fernández, Mudryk and the Portuguese could be registered.

With 31 points and in tenth position, the English team is not having its best season in the Premier League. First with Thomas Tuchel and now with Graham Potter, the team can’t find their bearings. All guns are pointing to the fact that all eggs will be placed in the basket called the Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund, third in the Bundesliga standings and just three points behind Bayern Munich, have a team with many good youth values. Nico Schlotterbeck, Jude Bellingham, Giovanni Reyna, among others, are clear examples. They also have experienced players like Marco Reus, Niklas Sule or Raphael Guerreiro. In other words, he has a harmonious and balanced squad, led by the 40-year-old Croatian Edin Terzic.

Although the duel with Chelsea is not the most favorable, the moment for both is very different. The Germans, accustomed to regularity and planning, and the English, in the midst of change and confusion, present very different realities. A very interesting match with high quality players and a future that can be seen on ESPN from 5pm next Wednesday.

Bruges-Benfica

Benfica and Bruges, two of the revelations of the group stage, will face each other in search of a table that places them among the best 8 of the competition. The Belgian team qualified second in their group with 11 points, but the merit was that they had to face Atlético de Madrid, Porto and Bayer Leverkusen. The result of 3 wins, 2 draws and one loss, he managed to win his ticket. For their part, Benfica finished first in the zone they shared with PSG, Juventus and Maccabi Haifa.

The Portuguese march as leaders in the Portuguese league, 5 points behind Porto, but have suffered a crucial loss like Enzo Fernández. The sale of the Argentine meant pocketing an immense sum which helped to inflate the coffers, but the loss from football is incalculable.

Bruges will face the key with two high-impact victims. Ferrán Jutgla, who this season has played 31 games in which he scored 10 goals and provided 6 assists, suffered a hip injury and is ruled out.. Another major player like Andres Skov Olsen is also suffering from an injury and will not be able to make the roster to play in the series. Battered by injuries but confident of their performance in the group, the Belgian side are hoping to hit the finish line again and progress to the quarter-finals.

From 5pm and with the Fox Sports television signal in charge of the broadcast, it will take place this cross between two of the revelation teams of this UEFA Champions League.