After what has been a long break, the most exciting club competition in the world, the UEFA Champions League, returns tonight with some tasty round of 16 matches lined up.
Here is a look at some of the games slated for today and Wednesday, as we kickoff with the game in Turin.
Juventus vs Tottenham
Unbeaten in 26 European home games, Italian champions, Juventus welcome English side, Tottenham to the Juventus stadium, in Turin.
Spurs are one of five English sides to have qualified for the knockout phase of the competition, the first time five teams from the same country have done so.
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🏟 @ChampionsLeague mode 🔛#JuveTOT 🏳🏴 #TOGETHER pic.twitter.com/98F6fjJwdU
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) February 11, 2018
It’s the first meeting between the two sides in any UEFA club competition, but for Spurs’ manager, Mauricio Pochettino, it’s a sort of homecoming.
“No matter the distance, I have always felt Piedmontese, because that was my upbringing,” Pochettino said, according to UEFA.com The Argentine’s family roots can be traced back to a small town in Turin called Piemonte, where his great grand father left for pastures green in Argentina in 1867.
Basel vs Manchester City
Swiss side, Basel are up against it, as they host Premier League leaders, Man. City at the St. Jakob Park. This is the first competitive meeting between the two sides, but the Swiss champions have only lost once to an English opposition.
For City, they’d be hoping to improve their record at this stage of the competition, having only made it beyond the knockout stage once, in the 2015/2016 season, when they reached the semifinals.
Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain
On Wednesday, it’s the tie of the round, as defending champions, Real Madrid take on the big spenders from France, Paris Saint-Germain.
While these two have met before, with two wins, and two draws apiece from their four previous games, it’s the side from Paris who have the upper hand when it comes to knockout competitions.
📸 All set for @PSG_English! 👊 pic.twitter.com/usIuyrrNtp
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 13, 2018
PSG have eliminated Los Blancos in their two knockout meetings, both coming in the UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners Cup respectively. But the defending champions of the CL have the advantage over PSG in the CL.
Both sides met in the group stages of the competition back in the 2015/2016 season, with Real winning one, and drawing the other without conceding a goal.
However, going into this game, PSG are in better form and shape, having won their last six games in all competition, and find themselves atop of the Ligue 1 table, while their host have struggled to defend their domestic titles, and currently lie 17points behind Barcelona in the league.
Porto vs Liverpool
And finally, in Portugal, it’s Porto against Liverpool, with both sides set for their fifth European meeting.
The Reds are unbeaten against the Portuguese, and will go into this one in very confident mood, led by the firepower of their Egyptian star, Mohamed Salah and his magical left foot.
Full fixtures
Tuesday, 13 February
Juventus v Tottenham
Basel v Man. City
Wednesday, 14 February
Real Madrid v PSG
Porto v Liverpool
