With the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw announced, one of the most open editions of the tournament, in recent years at least, brings several classic clashes as early as this pre-quarter round.
Here we give you three of the most high-profile games to watch out for when the first leg kicks off on February 13/14:
Real Madrid vs Paris St Germain
Reigning champions Real Madrid take on a star-studded PSG in this heavyweight clash. Madrid finished second in their group, behind Tottenham Hotspur, and have had a relatively poor season, by their standards. Sitting fourth in the Spanish league table, eight points behind leaders Barcelona, it seems to be a case of 'CR7's form is Real's form' situation, as the club is overly reliant on their 'golden' boy.
PSG, on the other hand, are making amends for their disappointing 2016-17 season that included a CL quarterfinal implosion against Barcelona and losing the domestic title to Monaco. The Parisiens sit nine points clear atop the Ligue 1 table and topped their CL group, having upset German giants Bayern Munich.
After a record back-to-back titles with Madrid, one wonders what tricks Zinedine Zidane has up his sleeve to contain the Neymar-Cavani-Mbappe combo.
Chelsea vs Barcelona
First it was Chelsea stunning a rampant Barcelona 4-2 in 2005 in the second leg of the Round of 16 to overturn a 2-1 deficit. Then there was the Andres Iniesta stunner in extra time to draw level in the controversial semifinal of 2009. And, who can forget Chelsea 'parking the bus' in the 2012 semifinal for Fernando Torres to score his most iconic moment in a Chelsea shirt? And the best part, they are always stormy affairs.
Barcelona may have lost Neymar, but the team is making all the right moves this season. Lionel Messi and company aren't the beast they were under Pep Guardiola, but Barcelona is Barcelona, and the quality of football is always a nightmare for opposition defences.
Domestic champions Chelsea are having a below-par season, languishing 14 points behind league toppers Manchester City and finishing second to Roma in the CL group.
Anything short of a dramatic standoff between these two, this time, will be a disappointment.
Juventus vs Tottenham
The curious case of Tottenham Hotspur's season continues to baffle experts and fans alike. Despite crushing European champion Real Madrid and Germany's Borussia Dortmund, on the way to collecting the most points by a team in the group stages this year, Spurs have had a contrasting domestic season—they lie sixth on the table, after finishing runners up to Chelsea last year.
Italian champions Juventus haven't looked too good in the domestic circuit either, where, after five years of dominance, they are third behind Inter Milan and Napoli. Having collected the silver medal after losing to Madrid in the final last year, the Old Lady of Turin finished second to another Spanish team, Barcelona, in their group stage.
The two teams have never met in the tournament before and this will be a great way to create history. A clearly frustrated Juve goalkeeper and Italy legend, Gigi Buffon, said earlier in the season that he will retire in 2018 unless his club wins the Champions League. A hurricane called Harry Kane could decide his fate.
