PSG vs Bayern Munich and more: betPawa BIG match insights
We all love the glitz and glamour that the Champions League constantly provides. This season’s round of 16 is almost upon us, so we’re previewing all 4 of this week’s ties so that you’re ready to take it all in.
Tuesday 14th February
Writing ahead of their weekend match with Torino, AC Milan have lost 3 consecutive matches in Serie A, including a painful defeat to Inter. The Rossoneri are well adrift of the frightening title pace set by Napoli in 2022/23 and appear unlikely to successfully defend their Scudetto. They should lean heavily on the vast experience of French national team all-time leading goalscorer Olivier Giroud, a long-term rival of Spurs from his time at Arsenal and Chelsea.
Spurs won their group thanks to a stoppage-time Pierre-Emile Højbjerg goal in Marseille on matchday 6. All eyes, however, will be on Tottenham’s all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane, who’s now 1 of only 3 people to hit a double century of goals in the EPL. He’s looking to guide his side all the way in this tournament after defeat in the 2019 final to Liverpool. Pedro Porro, a new wing-back signing from their group-stage opponents Sporting, adds Champions League quality and depth to the group.
Milan and Spurs will probably feel as though they’re underachieving in their domestic leagues this season, increasing the pressure to advance from this tie.
A rematch of the 2020 final in Lisbon sees the recently dominant forces of France and Germany do battle for a place in this season’s quarter-finals. The major injury news for the Parisians is that they will be without French talisman Kylian Mbappé.
The spotlight therefore falls, as it always tends to do, on Lionel Messi. PSG lost last midweek in the Coupe de France against Marseille. Amazingly, that is the only competition that Messi has participated in throughout his competitive career and not won. He has BIGGER fish to fry though, with Champions League success seemingly the driving force behind his move to the French capital.
The Argentine is a minor doubt himself with a hamstring injury but is expected to be okay. Reports of an impending new contract for club captain Marquinhos may help PSG in their preparations for this tie, so it’s not all bad news for manager Christophe Galtier.
As for Bayern, they’re leading the Bundesliga as of Friday 10th February, but have had a few hiccups lately by their ridiculously high standards and are in the thick of a genuine title race. At the time of writing, Julian Nagelsmann’s team had drawn 3 of their last 4 league matches but did bounce back with an action-packed 4-2 win away to Wolfsburg recently.
Kingsley Coman, scorer of the only goal against PSG in the 2020 final, bagged a brace in that game. Leroy Sané scored 4 times in the group stage, while African duo Sadio Mané and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting got 3 apiece. That’s not to mention the attacking quality of Jamal Musiala, Thomas Müller and Serge Gnabry. This team can hurt you from all angles. Loan signing João Cancelo from Man City is another creative string to their bow and has started life well in Bavaria.
Neither of these sides are perfect but both are packed to the brim with talent and they should produce great entertainment. Judging by their 2020 showdown, there’s also likely to be no love lost.
Wednesday 15th February
Dortmund drew their last 3 matches in the group stage but they’re in fine form in the Bundesliga, winning their first 4 games in 2023 and rattling in 13 goals in the process. They had 5 different goalscorers in their 5-1 win over positional rivals Freiburg, so BVB are clearly not overly reliant on any single player.
In one of 2023’s more feel-good stories, Ivorian striker Sébastien Haller is back in action after recovering from testicular cancer. Experienced duo Emre Can (scorer of a recent screamer in the DFB-Pokal against Bochum) and Marco Reus add depth and quality to a largely young side.
Prior to the most recent EPL weekend, Chelsea had won just 1 of their last 7 games across all competitions and clocked up consecutive 0-0 draws. Graham Potter’s new-look side will need time to gel and they might be putting a lot of their eggs in this basket, given their lowly position in the EPL and early domestic cup exits.
BIG-money signing Mykhailo Mudryk caught Chelsea’s attention with his performances for Shakhtar Donetsk with 3 goals in this season’s group stage and now it’ll be expected of him to produce the goods on the same glittering stage for the Blues. The same can be said for record signing Enzo Fernández. This will be a BIG test of Chelsea’s progress and that should make it a cracking tie.
Surprise package Club Brugge performed admirably in the group stages, winning their first 3 games and qualifying for the knockouts ahead of former finalists Bayer Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid. They’re struggling domestically though, by their standards, with a run of 1 league win in 9 prior to the weekend leaving them 21 points adrift of Belgian leaders Genk.
Watch out for Dutch livewire wide man Noa Lang. Another tasty subplot to keep an eye on is Ukrainian striker Roman Yaremchuk, who signed for Club Brugge from Benfica last year.
Portuguese giants Benfica topped a group containing PSG and Juventus this season. Of course, losing Enzo Fernández to Chelsea is a BIG blow, but the significant cash raised from that sale will mean that they can reinvest. For now, Benfica continue to be one of the BIGGEST producers and acquirers of young talent in world football and possess one of the most sustainable business models around.
They’re flying in the Portuguese Primeira Liga under Roger Schmidt, leading Porto by 8 points at the summit ahead of the latest round of matches. Rafa Silva and João Mário have 4 goals apiece in this season’s Champions League, while Mário and WC22 star Gonçalo Ramos are joint-top scorers in the Primeira Liga with 12 goals. These guys cannot be taken lightly.