After a short hiatus, the UEFA Champions League is back in action this week as the round of 16 resumes with the second leg matches.
Eight teams continue the long journey, all of them focused on working their way towards May’s final at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The crew of FAN 590’s European Weekly Football podcast (Derrick Brandao, Gordon Brunt and Dan Riccio), and sportsnet.ca’s John Molinaro offer their picks, predictions and analysis of Tuesday’s group stage matches.
And just a reminder that the European Football Weekly podcast takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE. To listen to European Football Weekly on iTunes, CLICK HERE and follow European Football Weekly on Twitter.
Tuesday programming alert: Watch Barcelona v AC Milan on Sportsnet and Schalke v Galatasaray on Sportsnet World. Live coverage begins at 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Bayern Munich v Arsenal on Sportsnet and Malaga v FC Porto on Sportsnet World. Live coverage begins at 3:30pm ET/12:30pm PT
Barcelona vs. AC Milan
Dan Riccio: It’s hard to tell if Barcelona’s dip in form is a serious issue or just an anomaly. The 2-0 loss to Milan in the first leg was followed by two losses to Real Madrid, but in between the Blaugrana had some nice victories. Two things have been consistent in that time frame: Lionel Messi scoring goals, and Barcelona conceding at least one goal a game.
The problem with allowing a goal in this second leg is that Barcelona would need to respond with four of their own to advance. A goal will not come easy for Milan though, as in-form striker Giampaolo Pazzini suffered a knock in the Rossoneri’s 2-0 over Genoa in Serie A this weekend and will miss this match. Without a true ‘number 9’ striker like Pazzini to hold up the ball and aid the counter attack, Milan will have trouble executing as well as they did in the first leg.
It will come down to whether or not Barcelona can stop Stephen El Shaarawy and company, because there is no way Milan will hold the Catalans scoreless for a second straight match. Barcelona will win, but their defensive issues will see their tournament come to an end.
Prediction: Barcelona wins 3-1, but Milan advances on away goals tiebreaker.
John Molinaro: I’m loathe to quote poetry, even from a master such as Dylan Thomas. But I just don’t see Barcelona going “gentle into that good night.”
No doubt, the Catalans have gone in a bit of a tailspin, losing back-to-back games against Real Madrid and the first leg in Milan. Still, if any team has the ability to overturn a two-goal advantage at home and totally run rampant over their opponent, it’s Barcelona.
Milan did very well to contain and thwart Lionel Messi and company in the first leg. Don’t expect them to be able to do it again, though. With a spot in the quarter-finals on the line, Messi will come good and punish a Milan defence (who could be missing Philippe Mexes through injury) that is susceptible to making mistakes under pressure.
The loss of Giampaolo Pazzini doesn’t hurt Milan as much as the potential absence of midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng. The Ghanaian was brilliant in the first leg, but could miss the return match because of a muscle injury, even though he travelled to Spain. Without Boateng pulling the strings in midfield, Milan will have an even harder job ahead of them.
Prediction: Barcelona wins 4-1 to advance.
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Schalke vs. Galatasaray
Gordon Brunt: Unbeaten in the Champions League this season, Schalke needs to keep Galatasaray off the score sheet on Tuesday at the Veltins-Arena in Germany.
Jermaine Jones was the unlikely hero for Schalke in the first leg, scoring the equalizer in an exciting first half. A scoreless second half left the Germans with the away goal advantage in the series.
The new-look Turkish giants will have to rely heavily on the Champions League’s second highest scorer, Burak Yilmaz, to pressure the defence and hope January signings Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder can inject a glimmer of their past European glory into the starting 11.
The first game in Turkey displayed the excitement and attacking style both sides exploited to advance this far. Each team, however, lacked finishing, squandering numerous opportunities to go-ahead in the match.
Look for Schalke to control the game and score early to end Galatasaray’s hopes before halftime.
Prediction: Schalke wins 2-0 to advance.
Derrik Brandao: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has been ruled out after suffering a knee injury on the weekend in a huge victory over Borussia Dortmund, which means Schalke will have to find goals from another source.
Their goal scorer from the first leg, Jermaine Jones, is also out due to suspension. Manager Marco Hoger has a few changes to make to his side and because of his away goals lead, don’t expect an extremely adventurous game plan on his part.
The investment made by Galatasaray in the January transfer window suggests that they are looking to make it past this stage of the Champions League. The three-headed attacking group of Burak Yilmaz, Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder will have to be more effective as a unit in this game. They need to hold up play more and pin Schalke back, hopefully stopping the back and forth action from the first game.
Prediction: Galatasaray wins it in penalties after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes to advance.
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