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Champions League preview: Tottenham have a mountain to climb; Liverpool eyeing comeback

The clubs will yet again battle on the field as a part of home and away format, trying their best to keep the aggregate score in their favour.

Tottenham

Bengaluru, March 10: The first leg of UEFA Champions League round-of-16 witnessed thrilling clashes between the 16 teams, vying to mark their places in the quarterfinals of Europe's premier tournament.

The clubs will yet again battle on the field as a part of home and away format, trying their best to keep the aggregate score in their favour.

Two matches of the week -- PSG vs Borussia Dortmund and Valencia vs Atalanta -- will be played behind closed doors as part of measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Atalanta players are travelling from Bergamo in the Lombardy region which is amongst the worst hit parts of Italy by the dreaded virus.

Fixtures | Results

With MSL Media inputs, myKhel.com takes a look on match day 1 of high-octane clashes scheduled for the second leg of round-of-16.

Leipzig vs Tottenham: Wednesday, March 11, 1.30am IST, Live on Sony Ten 2/HD

Leipzig vs Tottenham: Wednesday, March 11, 1.30am IST, Live on Sony Ten 2/HD

If there is a blueprint for how an underdog team can successfully open a two-legged advantage against a quality club, RB Leipzig showcased it to perfection in the first leg against Spurs in North London. Going into the second leg, RB Leipzig looks to be holding all the aces against an injury-hit Tottenham as they welcome the English team to Germany.

Even though the German side looked a lot sharper than Spurs in the first leg, Jose Mourinho's men are far from convincing on their home ground, losing 0-2 to Lyon at this venue and only drawing 2-2 with Benfica in the group stages. Tottenham have a mountain to climb without injured front men Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, but the form of the home team on their home ground will give them a few moments in the game to get a grip on the tie and qualify for the quarterfinals.

Valencia vs Atalanta; Wednesday, March 11, 1.30am IST: Live on Sony Ten 1/HD

Valencia vs Atalanta; Wednesday, March 11, 1.30am IST: Live on Sony Ten 1/HD

Atalanta firm favourites to book their spot in the quarterfinals as the Italian outfit heads to Valencia for the second leg after having registered a a 4-1 victory in the first leg.

The atmosphere would bound to have been red-hot had supporters been allowed inside the stadium, but Valencia will not be able to draw energy from their fans as they attempt to turn the tie around.

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid; Thursday, March 12, 1.30am IST; Live on Sony Ten 2/HD

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid; Thursday, March 12, 1.30am IST; Live on Sony Ten 2/HD

Champions Liverpool welcome Atletico Madrid and will look to pull off another famous comeback after losing 0-1 away to at a raucous Wanda Metropolitano. Diego Simeone's men put in a display of trademark resilience once Saul Niguez had given them a fourth-minute lead in the first leg, but still fresh in the memory is the manner in which the Reds incredibly overturned a 0-3 first-leg deficit against Barcelona in last season's semifinals at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp will hope to rekindle the spirit of that amazing night and will look to start on the front foot from the outset in this return fixture. Atletico holds an advantage, but it is a tenuous one with only a draw needed to qualify. Liverpool on the other hand, must break Simeone's stalwart defense to keep hope alive of winning the European trophy in successive seasons.

PSG vs Dortmund, Thursday, March 12, 1.30am IST: Live on Sony Ten

PSG vs Dortmund, Thursday, March 12, 1.30am IST: Live on Sony Ten

PSG are under pressure to perform after losing 1-2 to Borussia Dortmund in Germany but they do possess the talent to turn this Champions League tie around. The French aristocrats looked dangerous for long periods of the second half at Westfalenstadion and were rewarded with a goal from Neymar but Erling Haaland, who is on a sensational goal scoring spree, took his UEFA Champions League tally for the season to ten with two strikes to stun the traveling Paris fans.

The 19-year-old became the first teenager to score 10 goals in a Champions League season, having previously netted eight times for RB Salzburg in six Group E games. With England winger Jadon Sancho and 17-year-old Giovanni Reyna also impressing up front in the opening encounter, Dortmund have a youthful and vibrant forward line playing without fear but the French side are usually much stronger on home turf and the likes of Neymar and Mbappe will look to tear down the Dortmund defence with their immense pace and skills.

Story first published: Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 11:15 [IST]
Other articles published on Mar 10, 2020