Neymar: “I understand the criticism but I feel very good. I will keep playing at my best for Paris Saint-Germain and I’ll do that until the end of the season”. 🔵🔴🇧🇷 #PSG
“I trust myself, I’ve big confidence and we will try to show the best version of PSG”.
Kylian Mbappe has returned to training ahead of schedule before Paris St-Germain’s Champions League last-16 first-leg tie with Bayern Munich
- Manchester City v RB Leipzig
- Real Madrid v Liverpool
- Tottenham v AC Milan
- Chelsea v Borussia Dortmund
There’s plenty of English interest for you. For the fifth time in six seasons there are at least four Premier League teams in the Champions League last 16.
Manchester City and Chelsea won their groups, Liverpool advanced with a game to spare, while Tottenham put their fans through the wringer, snatching qualification from the jaws of elimination on matchday six.
England’s top tier isn’t the only league excelling in Europe. There are also four German teams in the knockout stages, including Bayern Munich – the only side to boast a perfect group-stage record.
Italy are represented by three clubs, Portugal have two, Belgium, France and Spain have one. Speaking of Spain…
Liverpool seek Real revenge
La Liga may only have one side in the last 16 for the first time since the tournament was expanded in 1999-2000, but you can’t do much better than the holders and record 14-time winners Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side take on Liverpool in a repeat of the 2018 and 2022 finals – and Los Blancos have fond memories of both, winning 3-1 and 1-0.
Liverpool’s best chance of Champions League qualification might be through winning the competition. They sit nine points off the top four in the Premier League.
They will have to end their rotten run against their Spanish rivals to progress, having lost six of the past seven meetings against Real.
Another final repeat
If you like final repeats, you’ll love the prospect of Bayern Munich against PSG.
The pair played each other in the 2020 final with Bayern winning 1-0..
A year later and things got even tighter with their quarter-final finishing 3-3 and the Parisians advancing on away goals – a rule that has now been scrapped.
Can World Cup winner Lionel Messi, alongside losing finalist Kylian Mbappe – if fit- pull off another statement win over the six-time champions?
SPORTGLOBE 
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