After a brief hiatus, the Champions League continues with the second legs of the round of 16 this week, and while some ties are practically decided, there are a few that remain up for grabs.
One of them is Liverpool's matchup with RB Leipzig. While a 2-0 away win gives the Reds a sizeable advantage entering Tuesday's game, Leipzig is duking it out with Bayern Munich atop the Bundesliga table as Liverpool's struggles keep mounting. However, with a place in the Premier League's top four in jeopardy, the Champions League might be Jurgen Klopp's top priority.
Elsewhere, Juventus will try to overcome a 2-1 deficit from its first leg against Porto. Borussia Dortmund, fresh off a heartbreaking loss to Bayern on Saturday, holds a 3-2 lead over Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain is all but through to the quarterfinals after a thumping 4-1 win vs. Barcelona last month.
Here is one storyline to monitor for each game this week.
Juventus vs. Porto
Can Juventus capitalize on Porto's choppy form?
A lot has changed for Juventus and Porto since their first leg on Feb. 17.
Following a gutsy victory over Juve, Porto has been eliminated from the Portuguese Cup and fell 10 points behind Primeira Liga leaders Sporting CP. Three draws, including a 0-0 vs. Sporting, in the last five matches practically ended the Dragons' hopes of another league title.
Juventus, on the other hand, has won three of its last four league matches, including Saturday's victory over Lazio. Alvaro Morata completed a brace and Federico Chiesa was arguably the man of the match for Juve.
Morata's return could be especially crucial to Juventus' hopes of overcoming its deficit and advancing to the quarterfinals. The Spanish forward is in the elite percentiles in categories like non-penalty goals, assists, shot-creating actions and pressures. In short, he's a complete striker who has solid chemistry with Cristiano Ronaldo, which should shine through this week.
Alvaro Morata's per 90 stats in the last calendar year and percentile ranking among strikers in Europe's top five leagues. (via FBRef.com)
Borussia Dortmund vs. Sevilla
How will Dortmund respond after Bayern loss?
Losing to Bayern Munich after leading 2-0 always stings, but it's especially painful for Borussia Dortmund, who has traditionally folded against the Bundesliga giants.
Bayern 4-2 Dortmund
Dortmund 2-3 Bayern
Dortmund 0-1 Bayern
Bayern 4-0 Dortmund
Bayern 5-0 Dortmund
Bayern have won five straight Der Klassikers pic.twitter.com/RD0qIu8R6a— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 6, 2021
The manner of the defeat and the result are difficult to stomach for Dortmund, but the reaction to that loss is paramount for this second leg against Sevilla. Die Borussen have a 3-2 lead after winning in Seville, but the Spaniards will have their tails up having seen how Bayern dismantled the Black and Yellows after conceding the opening two goals.
As the match continued, Dortmund dropped deeper and deeper in its defensive third. This isolated Erling Haaland and hindered the team's threat on the counter-attack.
Dortmund's passmap speaks volumes about how deep they got on the ball on average. Haaland very isolated. pic.twitter.com/jp04ByfpbA
— Between The Posts (@BetweenThePosts) March 7, 2021
But due to Dortmund trying to exploit Bayern's flanks, whenever the full-backs pushed up, this left tons of space for the likes of Kingsley Coman, Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller to occupy. That helped spark the comeback.
This is where Sevilla can pounce, provided they start with wingers – such as Munir El-Haddadi and Lucas Ocampos – who will track back. Otherwise, Dortmund will run rampant on the counter-attack again.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona
What will Kylian Mbappe do for an encore?
Kylian Mbappe was the star man in Paris Saint-Germain's sensational first-leg win over Barcelona thanks to his hat trick. That has PSG on the brink of the quarterfinals.
Now, a 4-1 away win is a resounding advantage, even for a club like PSG that's experienced a couple of dramatic collapses in Europe. That's why most viewers will be paying attention to Mbappe's encore.
The fact his hat trick came against Lionel Messi's Barcelona was transformative in a way, as if it was a glimpse into a post-Messi and Ronaldo world. Mbappe's numbers alone are Messi and Ronaldo-like, recording 25 goals in 31 appearances across all competitions. Adding to that tally on Wednesday while eliminating Barca would add more fuel to the "life after Messi and Ronaldo" narrative.
Liverpool vs. RB Leipzig
Will we see a repeat of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League run?
The last time Liverpool finished outside the top four whilst competing in the Champions League was 2005, when the Reds finished fifth and won the European Cup that same year.
Liverpool is in an eerily similar situation 16 years later.
It's true that Liverpool's recent form at Anfield has been historically poor, but luckily for the defending Premier League champions, this second leg against RB Leipzig won't be played on Merseyside.
A 2-0 lead from the "away" leg in Budapest gives Liverpool some margin for error. Plus, with Diogo Jota, Fabinho and Naby Keita fully fit again, that gives Klopp extra options for the midfield and defence. If the Reds maintain the same organization off the ball and force the same errors from the first leg, that should be enough to advance.
