Form, experience, tactics: What to expect in the Champions League last 16
Manchester City
FORM: Although City do not exude the same dominance as last season, they can look back on an outstanding record. They have won all of their last 10 competitive matches, with their last defeat coming in early December at Aston Villa. The dress rehearsal was also a success. Erling Haaland scored a brace in the 2-0 win against Everton.
However, coach Pep Guardiola was not happy with the performance. The English champions had major problems in the first half, with Pep criticising the team's lackadaisical body language.
EXPERIENCE: Last year, City proved that they don't get nervous in the decisive moments. Pep Guardiola's team won the UEFA Champions League final against Inter Milan 1-0 in an unspectacular but confident manner - just like a top team. They have participated in the UEFA Champions League every year since 2011/12.
TACTICS: Guardiola returned to a nominal back four for the current season. The Catalan is happy to rely on four skilled centre-backs. In attack, the City players follow the positional play perfected in recent years. Compared to previous Pep teams, fast, direct passing plays a rather back-seat role.
Instead, the players are allowed to dribble more often and create space through individual actions. The role of Argentinian world champion Julian Alvarez is also interesting. The 24-year-old often plays as a hanging centre-forward behind striker Erling Haaland.
FC Copenhagen
FORM: The Danish league does not start again until February 18th. Third-placed Copenhagen will then face Silkeborg IF. In order to keep themselves warm ahead of the important games against Manchester City, they have played numerous test matches. These were rather mixed.
They only managed to win three of their six games. On Thursday, they at least defeated the traditional Norwegian club Molde 3-1.
EXPERIENCE: Copenhagen cannot take wintering in the European competition for granted. The last time they reached the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League was 13 years ago, and in 2019/20 they made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Portuguese midfielder Diogo Goncalves has the most experience of the top flight in the squad with 19 appearances.
TACTICS: Coach Jacob Neestrup has close ties to the club. The 35-year-old came through the club's own academy, but had to end his playing career early. Today, he is regarded as one of Denmark's greatest coaching talents. His team can play in a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, with captain Viktor Claesson playing an interesting role in the recent past.
The 32-year-old Swede often acted as a shadow striker - although he is actually at home in central midfield. Neestrup generally favours a cultivated midfield pressing style. In addition, the team exudes a great deal of goal threat after set-pieces thanks to intelligent positioning in the penalty area.
Match Centre: FC Copenhagen v Manchester City - Tuesday, 20:00 GMT
RB Leipzig
FORM: RB Leipzig are on fire. They have only won one of their last six Bundesliga games and have lost all of their first three competitive matches in the new calendar year. The 5-2 defeat against VfB Stuttgart at the end of January was particularly painful for the Red Bulls. On Saturday, they only managed a draw against FC Augsburg.
EXPERIENCE: RB Leipzig's DNA is to continuously raise young players to the next level and then sell them on at a profit. Accordingly, the squad is relatively young. Regular players such as Xavi Simons (20), Benjamin Sesko (20) and Castello Lukeba (21) are extremely talented, but are currently taking their first steps on the big stage. However, the club is now a permanent fixture in the Champions League. In 2023/24, they will be in the knockout phase of the competition for the fourth time.
TACTICS: The Red Bulls usually play in a 4-2-2-2, with the double-six around Xaver Schlager initiating and coordinating aggressive forechecking. Creative players such as Xavi Simons, Dani Olmo and Christoph Baumgartner occupy the attacking half-spaces. The front two usually consists of a dynamic pace striker and a target player - in this case Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko. In the Champions League in particular, Marco Rose also occasionally opted for a five-man defence.
Real Madrid
FORM: Real are in the flow and have won four of their last five La Liga games. On Saturday, they celebrated an outstanding 4-0 home win against runners-up Girona to extend their lead over them.
EXPERIENCE: Real Madrid are the record winners of the UEFA Champions League with a total of 14 titles. In the past ten years alone, the Madridistas have lifted the trophy five times into the European night sky. For players such as Toni Kroos (144 appearances in the Champions League), Luka Modric (122) and David Alaba (117), the premier class is familiar territory. Coach Carlo Ancelotti also knows the world-famous anthem inside out.
TACTICS: Ancelotti is not known for revolutionising tactical ideas. Nevertheless, the Italian manages like no other to give his players the right advice and assign them the perfect tactical role. As assistant coach, his son Davide is responsible for translating this minimalism into a suitable match plan.
Real traditionally play in a 4-3-3, but with Jude Bellingham on the pitch, this formation often changes to a 4-4-2 diamond. The Englishman is out for the first leg at least. He is likely to be replaced by Joselu, a classic striker.
Match Centre: RB Leipzig v Real Madrid - Tuesday, 20:00 GMT
Bayern Munich
FORM: Bayern Munich have had a difficult few weeks. After an embarrassing 1-0 defeat against Werder Bremen in mid-January, coach Thomas Tuchel was already being criticised. Things got even worse on Saturday evening. They conceded a 3-0 defeat in the top match against Leverkusen. As a result, the German championship is now a distant prospect and the Champions League is the only remaining chance of winning a title this season.
EXPERIENCE: FC Bayern Munich have only failed to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League twice since 2008/09. The German record champions last won the European trophy in the 2019/20 season, which was plagued by COVID-19.
Thomas Muller (147) and Manuel Neuer (134) can each look back on over 100 appearances in the top flight. Coach Thomas Tuchel has won 38 of his 61 CL matches to date, which corresponds to a win rate of over 62%.
TACTICS: Thomas Tuchel wanted to jump over his shadow at the weekend. So the Bayern coach dispensed with the traditional 4-2-3-1, which promises a lot of stability and superiority in midfield. Instead, he tried to mirror Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen - without success. Against Lazio, the German record champions will probably opt for the tried and tested again.
The problem is that the double six has not promised any real balance since the start of the season. The right partner for Joshua Kimmich has not yet been found. Both Leon Goretzka and Raphael Guerreiro have a lot of attacking spirit in them and are not made for keeping the withdrawn playmaker Kimmich's back free in defence.
Lazio
FORM: In Italy's Serie A, the capital city team are fighting to keep up with the European places. After a 3-1 win at Cagliari on Saturday, Lazio are still five points behind fourth-placed Atalanta Bergamo. Throughout the season, the Italians have repeatedly suffered from periods of weakness, while consistency has been sorely missed.
EXPERIENCE: For Lazio, reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League is not a matter of course. The last time the Romans achieved this feat was in the 2020/21 season, when they faced Bayern but lost both the first and second legs.
In recent years, they have played in the Europa League, but have always failed to reach the semi-finals. The most experienced Champions League professional in the squad is Spaniard Pedro with 82 appearances. The 36-year-old won the title in LaLiga three times with his former club Barca.
TACTICS: Maurizio Sarri generally favours a 4-3-3 formation, which is characterised by a few special features. Ex-Frankfurt player Daichi Kamada, for example, has an interesting role to play. On paper, the Japanese is a central midfielder, but in practice, Kamada almost always plays on the attacking wing.
In possession, Sarri favours a direct passing game in which triangles are formed time and again. The aim is to lure the opponent out of their defensive formation by means of steep passing combinations and then quickly overplay them. In defence, the centre is often tightened up, which in turn means that the wingers have to continuously participate in the defensive work. Ciro Immobile is a fixture in the centre of attack. The 33-year-old enjoys a high standing with Sarri and therefore has a lot of tactical freedom.
Match Centre: Lazio v Bayern Munich - Wednesday, 20:00 GMT
Paris Saint-Germain
FORM: At the start of the season, the Parisians were still struggling to get used to the football under Luis Enrique. After disappointing performances in Ligue 1, Nice surprisingly looked set to snatch the league title away from the Sheikh's club.
However, PSG are now unbeaten in 16 league games. In the new calendar year, they celebrated seven wins in eight competitive matches. On Saturday, they had no problems at home against Lille and won 3-1.
EXPERIENCE: PSG and the UEFA Champions League are at war. Despite massive investment, the French champions have never won the trophy. Nevertheless, with coach Luis Enrique and the players Keylor Navas, Achraf Hakimi, Lucas Hernandez and Marco Asensio, they have a few former Champions League winners in their squad.
TACTICS: Luis Enrique is known as an advocate of an extreme possession game - but one that sometimes lacks attacking penetration. In the French Ligue, PSG have possession for an average of 15 seconds at a time. However, they are rarely in a hurry on the way to goal. Kylian Mbappe naturally has a key role to play. The 25-year-old star striker has already scored 29 goals in 28 competitive matches this season.
Real Sociedad
FORM: Imanol Alguacil's team has seen better days. Their last win in La Liga came against Celta Vigo on January 20th. They have failed to score in each of their last four competitive matches - but have also conceded just one goal. Qualifying for the Champions League again seems unrealistic, as they are already 11 points behind fourth place.
EXPERIENCE: Reaching the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League is a huge success for the Basques. The last time Real Sociedad achieved this was in the 2003/04 season, and striker Andre Silva has the most Champions League experience in the squad with just 22 appearances.
TACTICS: Following the retirement of David Silva last summer, coach Alguacil was forced to rethink his approach. Without the legendary playmaker, the Basques are once again focussing more on attacking down the flanks. This suits the Japanese player Takefusa Kubo very well. The dribbling 22-year-old is always looking for one-on-one situations and thus creates space for his teammates.
Central midfielders Mikel Merino and Brais Mendez often make dangerous runs into the opposition penalty area. The defensive line, organised by Robin Le Normand, also has its strengths. With only 22 goals conceded, Real Sociedad currently have the fourth-best defence in Spain.
Match Centre: PSG v Real Sociedad - Wednesday, 20:00 GMT
