The UEFA Champions League returns for the Round of 16 after very competitive and exciting group stages that saw some of the big names kicked out.
Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund are some of the heavyweights that will not be taking part at this stage. They will be joined out in the cold by FC Porto and Italian giants AC Milan.
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Here we assess the recent form of the teams heading to the Round of 16 ahead of their clashes and of course Manchester City have the best run of form in their last 10 matches, having managed nine wins and a draw. The finalists in last season’s edition, City will be looking to go one better this season and they are set to face Sporting in this round, with the Portuguese champions currently on seven wins, two losses and a draw.
The closest to Manchester City is Ajax Amsterdam, with nine wins and one loss in their last 10 matches. Ajax were among the best performers in the group stage and they have the current lead scorer in the competition, Sebastian Haller. Ajax will face Portuguese giants Benfica.
Only German giants Bayern Munich get closer to Ajax and Manchester City, as they have eight wins and two losses in their last 10 matches. They will be up against Salzburg in the next round.
Newly crowned World Club champions Chelsea who will be up against French champions Lille, are tied with Inter Milan and Liverpool, all with seven wins, two draws and a loss in their last 10 matches. Liverpool and Inter are set to face off in the coming round.
One of the most anticipated matches at this stage will see French giants PSG face off with Real Madrid. The French side have seven wins and three draws in their last 10 matches. Real Madrid in the meantime, have six wins, two draws and two losses.
Other teams going to this round with six wins from their last 10 matches are Salzburg, Juventus and Villarreal. Salzburg have also had three losses and one draw, Juventus have three draws and a loss in addition to their six wins while Europa League holders Villarreal have also posted two draws and two wins. Juventus and Villarreal will face off in the next round.
French champions Lille go into their game against Chelsea with a run of five wins, three draws and two losses. This fixture will not favor them at all, with Chelsea coming from a triumphant trip in Asia where they won the Club World Cup.
Spanish champions, Atletico Madrid, Portuguese giants Benfica and Premier League side Manchester United are the lowest performers going in the next round. Each one of the three sides has four wins in the last 10 matches. Manchester United have an additional four draws and a loss, Benfica have four losses and two draws on top of the four wins while Atletico are the worst performing with five losses and a draw in addition to the four wins.
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