CL football provides joy where recent events brought only sadness
Chelsea, Bayern, Madrid face tricky away ties
by Madi Williamson
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich restarted the Bundesliga with a blunder at the hands of second-place Wolfsburg after cruising through the first half of the season relatively unchallenged. The German giants Bayern Munich boast five UEFA Champions League titles and are regulars in the knockout stage.
With an impressive roster and Ballon D’or nominee Manuel Neuer between the sticks, their defense is a force to be reckoned with. Up front for the Bavarians, Arjen Robben is a threat down the wing while the world cup winner Mario Gotze is in form with a tidy three goals in five European games. Shakhtar’s danger man is without a doubt their striker Luiz Adriano, who has nine goals in five games.
Prediction: Shakhtar 1 : 2 Bayern
Schalke vs. Real Madrid
The last time the Spanish giants paid a visit to Schalke was the last round of 16 tie. The Spanish giants and defending champions cruised past their German opposition with a 9-1 aggregate victory, six of their nine goals came in Gelsenkirchen. Real Madrid have found this season in La Liga to be anything but a walk in the park. The club that prides themselves on their impressive Champions League history are holding down the first place spot in La Liga but arch rivals Barcelona and city rivals Atletico Madrid are hot on their heels.
Domestically, Roberto Di Matteo’s men are sitting in a hard-fought third place in the Bundesliga thanks to some Italian defensive influence. Their latest game against Borussia Monchengladbach was a good demonstration of their ability to keep the ball out of the net as the Foals frustrated forwards couldn’t get the ball past the teenager Timon Wellenreuther in goal. In spite of some of their star players being injured, Schalke have managed to get crucial results domestically, but Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Ballon D’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will be a new test for Di Matteo’s starting eleven.
Prediction: Schalke 0 : 3 Real Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea FC
Chelsea FC are sitting atop the Premier League table a relatively comfortable seven points clear of second-place Manchester City. Jose Mourinho’s men are seemingly unstoppable in the Premier League and one of their star men, Eden Hazard, will hope to celebrate his contract extension with a goal or two in Paris.
PSG’s star studded roster isn’t fairing as well in their domestic league as their English opponents, but they sit third in an extremely tight race for the top with Lyon and Marseille, despite the weekend’s failure to beat Caen. With the powerful Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edison Cavanni leading the charge, the home side will be looking to run up the goal difference before they travel to the fortress of Stamford Bridge in March and to avenge their away-goal loss to Chelsea in the quarter-finals of last season’s campaign.
Paris Saint-Germain 1 : 1 Chelsea FC
FC Basel vs. FC Porto
FC Basel are no strangers to big Champions League matchups although the Swiss side lack the knockout-stage experience that their Portuguese visitors boast. FC Porto lifted a European trophy as recently as 2011 when they won the UEFA Europa League in Doublin. Their trophy cabinet is also home to two UEFA Champions League victories. Basel’s last round of 16 appearance saw them lose out 7-1 on aggregate with a massive defeat in Munich at the hands of FC Bayern but the Portuguese will hopefully consider the fantastic record that Basel boasts at home.
FC Basel sit at the top of their league table almost ten points clear. Their player to watch will be Shkelzen Gashi, the 26-year-old Albanian international who has no problem finding the back of the net and creating an opportunity out of nothing. Porto dominated in the group stage, finishing five points clear as group winners, thanks to goals from Colombian Jackson Martinez. Martinez will be a thorn in the side of Basel’s defense and quite possibly Porto’s key to the next knockout round.
FC Basel 2 : 1 FC Porto
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