The round of 16 is coming to an end, and the results were unsurprising. All the major teams such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Real Madrid and PSG won their matchups and have made it through to the next round. Some of the games were close, but in general the stronger teams seemed to cruise through.
One matchup I would highlight would be the Porto vs. Arsenal matchup. Recently Arsenal have been playing well above their normal standard and are doing much more than what is expected of them, but in a matchup that a lot of people thought was going to be easy for them proved surprisingly challenging. The two teams were very evenly matched with similar stat lines throughout both games, with the final game going to penalties to decide who would advance. Arsenal won on penalties 4-2, advancing them to the next round. These games were very interesting to watch because for both teams it is very hard to predict what will come from a game against a good opponent, as the playstyles of the teams rely on outperforming certain positions which is not always possible.
Three of the four powerhouse teams (Bayern Munich, Manchester City and PSG) won quite easily, but Real Madrid only won by one goal overall against a strong RB Leipzig squad. The games were tight and entertaining with both teams seeing similar amounts of the ball. In the second game, RB Leipzig had many more shots but those couldn't be converted into shots on target. The next round will be interesting, especially because there is a good chance two of the powerhouses will be drawn against each other which could show how strong the teams truly are against other top contenders.
There are still two games left to play, and both of the matchups are very close. The first matchup being Dortmund vs. PSV, the leg is currently matchup is currently tied at 1-1 and although these teams are not real contenders they are underdogs who have a lot of talent and can surprise any team still in the competition. The other matchup is Athletico Madrid vs. Inter Milan, The score is currently 0-1 in Inters favor, before this matchup started I thought last years finalists Inter would cruise through this round, but Athletico Madrid managed to keep the score within one goal. Although Athletico Madrid didn't have a shot on target in the first leg, I still believe if they play well they can make it through. Even though there was a clear gap in quality between the two teams in the game is still very open and anyone can win.
Overall this years competition is one of the most interesting of recent times as there are many very good teams in the competition.
Colin Kirk
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