Just 16 teams remain in the UEFA Champions League, each of them returning to action this week as the road to the final in Budapest continues.
The eight teams with the best league phase records return to action, joined by the eight teams who advanced through a dramatic edition of the knockout phase playoffs. A handful of repeats of league phase fixtures await -- the headliner is Manchester City's trip to Real Madrid, but Liverpool's clash with Galatasaray and Barcelona's tie against Newcastle United also offer plenty of intrigue. Chelsea's trip to Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, offers the first of two rematches of July's Club World Cup final, which the Blues won 3-0.
Champions League title contenders Arsenal and Bayern Munich also return to action against Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta, respectively, while Tottenham Hotspur take a break from their Premier League relegation woes but face a stiff challenge at Atletico Madrid. The week's action is rounded out by Sporting Lisbon's trip to Bodo/Glimt, who became the first Norwegian side to advance in the Champions League knockouts in four decades after their aggregate win over Inter.
Here's how the CBS Sports team thinks this week's action will shake out.
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Champions League burning questions: Six English teams in the quarterfinals? Can Man City, Chelsea Spurs win?
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James Benge: Chelsea -- It should be a fairly open question, how surprising it would be for Paris Saint-Germain to be beaten, given that Rennes, Sporting, Monaco and Paris FC have beaten the Champions League holders. They might not have even gotten this far if Monaco hadn't insisted on getting red cards at inopportune moments. There are heavy legs and tired minds in the PSG side thanks to the Club World Cup, though of course that is equally true of the team that beat them in that final.
Chuck Booth: Chelsea -- After already displaying how to deal with PSG's midfield during the Club World Cup, Chelsea's balance will give them every chance to get past the Parisians in the round of 16. Both of these are flawed sides, but with Joao Pedro in form, Chelsea have been ruthless once the ball gets to their number nine. If PSG fall asleep for a moment, which has been happening often lately, Chelsea will score.
Real Madrid vs. Man City: Which is better built to win UCL?
James Benge: Manchester City -- Neither of these teams feel quite balanced enough to rank alongside Bayern Munich and Arsenal as Champions League favorites, but City have one quality Madrid don't: institutional stability. Are you absolutely certain that Alvaro Arbeloa wouldn't get sacked if the first leg went wrong? City might still look like a collection of ill-fitting parts, but they have Pep Guardiola to puzzle together a solution.
Francesco Porzio: Real Madrid -- To be fair, I don't see either of the two teams mentioned winning the tournament this season, but Real Madrid despite all their issues have had that kind of European aura that stands out. When you have players like Vinicius Jr, anything can happen, even if injuries are deeply shaping their recent performances and ambitions for the current spell.
Chuck Booth: Real Madrid ... assuming Kylian Mbappe plays --
James Benge: Newcastle vs. Barcelona -- A big European night at one of Europe's finest grounds? A possible underdog story (or as much as is possible when the relative minnow has Premier League and Saudi money)? A truly fascinating clash of styles, embodied in Anthony Gordon trying to dart behind that Barcelona line? This game really does tick all the boxes you might have for a prime Champions League tie.
Pardeep Cattry: Real Madrid vs. Manchester City --
Francesco Porzio: PSG vs. Chelsea -
Chuck Booth: Atletico Madrid vs. Tottenham -- Benge has the technically correct answer of Barcelona, but while Tottenham have fallen into a relegation race in England, this is a true test of whether their European form can continue to transcend that of their Premier League form. Of course, there's a different manager at the helm now with Igor Tudor taking over for Thomas Frank, but that only adds to the strange allure as Tottenham, of all teams, could end Atletico's best chance in quite a while at making it to the Champions League final.
