1 Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur
First leg 13 February Second leg 7 March
Tottenham fans of a certain disposition might have panicked at drawing the mighty Juventus, but then again those same supporters might not have exactly welcomed being matched with Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the group stage either. And maybe they really shouldn’t be scared: Juve were not exactly convincing in the first round and currently sit an unthinkable third in Serie A. They might be back fully firing by the time this tie comes around in February but Tottenham’s ability to get themselves roused for (most) big games could see them chop down another Euro giant. Either way, this could be the tie of the round.
2 Basel v Manchester City
First leg 13 February Second leg 7 March
Once he’s finished wiping milk out of his eyes, and if he has a sudden, uncharacteristic burst of brotherly and civic pride, José Mourinho might be able to give Pep Guardiola a warning about taking Basel lightly. The defeat in Switzerland was the only blemish on Manchester United’s group stage, but it would be one of the bigger shocks of recent years if City were similarly undone. City have blown away virtually every team that has crossed their path this season, and it is certainly tempting to wonder by how many goals they will win, rather than if they will. Barring a City calamity or a perfectly executed Basel defensive plan, Guardiola’s side will progress.
3 Porto v Liverpool
First leg 14 February Second leg 6 March
This might be the tie where anything could happen. Neither side exactly strode through to this stage with imposing swagger, Liverpool’s twin implosions against Sevilla rather cancelling out taking Maribor to the cleaners. Porto limped through probably the worst group in the round, with only a pair of thrashings against a gutted Monaco side to boast about, although they are yet to lose a domestic game. You never know quite what to expect from Liverpool: they’re equally capable of handing out the hiding of a lifetime, eking their way through unconvincingly or completely collapsing. But, if pushed for a prediction, they should just go through.
4 Sevilla v Manchester United
First leg 21 February Second leg 13 March
A ticklish one for Manchester United. The last two teams to win the Europa League meet in the big cup, and while obviously United are favourites and should go through, they might not know what to expect from Sevilla. The Spanish side have suffered a slightly patchy domestic season so far and a European campaign that, despite those fine draws against Liverpool, was otherwise pretty up and down. Plus, while it seems crass to mention it in this relatively unimportant context, Eduardo Berizzo’s prostate cancer diagnosis (he recently had successful surgery) adds another layer of uncertainty. Sevilla are capable of shocking United, but they probably won’t.
5 Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain
First leg 14 February Second leg 6 March
The big daddy. The colossus. The tie that will leave Uefa’s suits jumping up and down, clapping and squealing like a toddler who’s just got a new puppy for Christmas. Old money vs new money, the established nobility vs the fresh upstarts. This feels like one of those films in which one giant being or robot hits another giant being or robot for two hours. Whether you find those sort of movies entertaining or not is entirely down to your personal taste, as with this game: you might think it’s more a celebration of finance than football, but it will certainly be a spectacle. And, for the sake of variety, it might be better for the competition if PSG go through.
6 Shakhtar Donetsk v Roma
First leg 21 February Second leg 13 March
Comfortably the most low-key tie of the round, this feels like one of those games that could actually turn out to be a humdinger, and one of those that the 23 people who watch it on TV will talk about for years. Shakhtar certainly produced one of the more impressive performances in the first round in qualifying ahead of Napoli, trailed by some as a dark horse to go deep into the tournament, while Roma’s two games against Chelsea displayed their own potential, too. You get the sense that Roma haven’t quite clicked this season, but in a tight tie they should just about have enough to go through.
7 Chelsea v Barcelona
First leg 20 February Second leg 14 March
Ronaldinho’s magnificent toe-punt. Michael Ballack chasing referee Tom Henning Ovrebo. Fernando Torres irresponsibly ignoring his defensive responsibilities and scoring one of the greatest goals in Chelsea’s history. Andrés Iniesta arrowing his shot into the top corner. Didier Drogba in flip-flops bellowing “It’s a disgrace” into the TV camera. When paired together Chelsea and Barcelona almost seem allergic to tedium, incapable of producing anything but drama and thrilling encounters in the Champions League. Who knows what will happen this time, but these are two talented yet flawed teams with a history of needle-filled excitement. Strap in.
8 Bayern Munich v Besiktas
First leg 20 February Second leg 14 March
No easy games in the Champions League, anyone can beat anyone on their day, etc and so on and so forth: but this is probably the easiest tie of the round to call. Bayern Munich might have started the season in stuttering form under Carlo Ancelotti, and even now with Jupp Heynckes they aren’t exactly the undefeatable giants they could be. But they will surely make relatively short work of Besiktas, whose squad list reads like a who’s who of “Oh, I was wondering where he’d gone.” The Turkish side topped their group but are a distant fourth in the Super Lig, so even a slightly off-colour Bayern will have too much.
The Guardian Sport
