UCL – PL sides battle Serie A sides for a place in the round of 16
The UEFA Champions League returns tonight for the first set of games of the last match day and it’s all set to be action-packed. Some teams have their destinies in their hands while others will have to rely on other results to favor their quest to make it to the UCL round of 16 stage.
The likes of Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Napoli, and PSG will definitely steal the spotlight for Tuesday’s fixtures as they are so near and yet so far with regards to qualification to the next stage. It’s effectively a battle between the Premier League and the Serie A on which league’s sides seal a place to the next stage tonight.
The Premier Leagues sides such as Liverpool and Tottenham have to win tonight to stand a chance of making it to the next stage. Liverpool welcome Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli to Anfield tonight in Group C.
The Reds currently sit third on the log with 6 points having shot themselves in the foot by shockingly losing to the group’s supposed whooping boys, Red Star Belgrade, 2 nil away from home and are condemned to beat Napoli.
They also lost 1 nil away to Napoli who currently sit top with 9 points and will now have to return the favor by beating Carlo Ancelotti’s men convincingly with at least a 2 goal margin to stand a better chance with regards to goal difference and H2H rules.
A convincing win for Liverpool means that they’ve sealed a place in the next stage regardless of PSG’s result away to Red Star Belgrade.
Meanwhile, PSG are currently on 8 points and will have to win away at Serbia to boost their chances. However, the home side have proved a hard nut to crack in front of their fans with 1 win and 1 draw to show for their efforts at home. Therefore, PSG will have to be wary of any potential threats from the Serbians.
Thomas Tuchel’s men appear to have the easier game on paper but they’ll have to work hard to earn a point or all 3 tonight as a loss for them could see them end on third if Liverpool beat Napoli.
Group B also has the second slot open for grabs but Tottenham have been imposed with the gargantuan task of beating Barcelona at the Camp Nou. This is the same Barcelona side that beat them 4:2 at Wembley.
However, the Catalans have already sealed a place in the next round and also have some injury worries. Regardless, they wouldn’t want to drop points at home where they’ve been formidable for a while.
It remains to be seen if Ernesto Valverde will use his best legs in this game as this could determine if Spurs can nick a win or not. It’s still a big ask for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
Inter Milan will have on eye on this game but will do well not to forget that they must beat PSV at home to stand a chance and hope that Spurs don’t grab maximum points at the Camp Nou. They obviously have the easier task and will fancy their chances.
Inter boss, Luciano Spalletti has been speaking on how Barca can help his team by beating Spurs. Well, he also has his part to play by ensuring that they beat PSV.
It’s definitely a battle of the Premier League versus the Serie A tonight as the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham have Seris A sides standing on their path to the round of 16 and vice versa. We wait to see the League that comes out tops tonight.
