The 2023/24 Champions League last-16 first legs hardly set the world alight, but the intrigue is set to be turned up a notch over the next couple weeks.
The reverse fixtures are on the horizon and while the absence of away goals will reduce the likelihood of upsets, we’re bound to enjoy two weeks of continental drama.
Manchester City and Real Madrid will both be confident of securing their respective passages into the quarter-finals, with Paris Saint-Germain also in a strong position. There’s plenty of work for Bayern Munich to do, however.
Here’s how 90min sees this week’s second legs panning out.
Tuesday 5 March
Defeat in Rome completed a dire period for Bayern Munich, who need to overturn a 1-0 deficit heading into Tuesday’s second leg at the Allianz Arena.
The German behemoths were woeful in the first leg, completely devoid of any collective cohesion, and lost further ground to Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen after they were pegged back by Freiburg on Friday night.
They may be vulnerable, but it’s still going to be a tough ask for Lazio to complete the job in Munich. The last team to beat Bayern home and away in a Champions League campaign was Real Madrid in 2016/17 and Lazio have never won in Germany in this competition. Still, a draw will do for Maurizio Sarri’s side.
PSG are in a strong position heading into their second leg against Real Sociedad, but their knack for second-leg collapses means this tie is far from over.
Sociedad’s season is crumbling before their eyes and they face a battle to merely qualify for Europe next season. However, the Anoeta will be buzzing for this contest, with PSG failing to win any of their Champions League matches away from Paris this season. They take a 2-0 lead into Tuesday’s game.
|
Kick-off Time (GMT) |
Fixture & Prediction |
|---|---|
|
20:00 |
Bayern Munich 2-0 Lazio |
|
20:00 |
Real Sociedad 1-1 PSG |
Wednesday 6 March
There’s expected to be less drama on Wednesday night, with two of the competition’s favourites, Man City and Real Madrid, taking leads into their second legs which they’ll respectively host.
RB Leipzig made Madrid work for their 1-0 win in Saxony, with the Germans guilty of missing a barrage of chances before Brahim Diaz struck in the second half with a superb solo effort. Marco Rose’s side could make a good fist of it in Madrid, but they have a huge job on their hands.
City should enjoy another serene European night at the Etihad as they welcome Copenhagen to Manchester. The Danes have overachieved by reaching this stage of the competition and their journey is bound to end on Wednesday.
The Cityzens prevailed 3-1 in the first leg.
|
Kick-off Time (GMT) |
Fixture & Prediction |
|---|---|
|
20:00 |
Man City 3-0 FC Copenhagen |
|
20:00 |
Real Madrid 2-1 RB Leipzig |
