GWT: Champions League - Round of 16

[bluesfan94]

European football is back! For the first leg, Bayern head to Paris, while London get to face arch-nemesis Olivier Giroud. We get a non-big 5 league match up with Brugge hosting Benfica, while Chelsea obviated a Tuchel derby by firing the poor lad, and keeps Auba from returning to the Rhineland. In the second week, we get a fun replay and a chance for European nights at Anfield to refresh the Scousers, while Man City heads to Leipzig wondering what their penalties may be. Napoli plays a couple Americans in Frankfurt, while Porto joins Tottenham in a trip to Milan.

Ministerial notes: Leg 2 will be added here as well, but I imagine we'll be using a different thread for the QF.

Spoiler: Leg 1

Home	Away	Time and Date (CST)	Venue
Paris Saint-Germain	Bayern Munich	Tues., Feb. 14, 2:00 PM	Parc des Princes
AC Milan	Tottenham Hotspur	Tues., Feb. 14, 2:00 PM	San Siro
Club Brugge	SL Benfica	Wed., Feb. 15, 2:00 PM	Jan Breydel Stadium
Borussia Dortmund	Chelsea	Wed., Feb. 15, 2:00 PM	Westfalenstadion
Liverpool	Real Madrid	Tues., Feb. 21, 2:00 PM	Anfield
Eintracht Frankfurt	SSC Napoli	Tues., Feb. 21, 2:00 PM	Deutsche Bank Park
RB Leipzig	Manchester City	Wed., Feb. 22, 2:00 PM	Red Bull Arena Leipzig
Internazionale Milan	FC Porto	Wed., Feb. 22, 2:00 PM	San Siro

Home	Away	Time and Date (CST)	Venue
Chelsea	Borussia Dortmund	Tues., Mar. 7, 2:00 PM	Stamford Bridge
SL Benfica	Club Brugge	Tues., Mar. 7, 2:00 PM	Estadio da Luz
Bayern Munich	Paris Saint-Germain	Wed., Mar. 8, 2:00 PM	Allianz Arena
Tottenham Hotspur	AC Milan	Wed., Mar. 8, 2:00 PM	Tottenham Stadium
FC Porto	Internazionale Milan	Tues., Mar. 14, 3:00 PM	Estadio do Dragao
Manchester City	RB Leipzig	Tues., Mar. 14, 3:00 PM	The Etihad
SSC Napoli	Eintracht Frankfurt	Wed., Mar. 15, 3:00 PM	Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
Real Madrid	Liverpool	Wed., Mar. 15, 3:00 PM	Santiago Bernabeu

Click to read more...

 

[bluesfan94]

Matches start tomorrow.

 

[Savant]

Published findings here:

 

[Power Man]

Bennacer is injured and will miss the 1st leg vs Tottenham

Dammit

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Last week Spurs are off a big win and Milan hadn’t won in seven matches and I was confident.

Then this past weekend Tottenham look like a championship level club and Milan get a win. I have a feeling that Giroud is going to be a killer.

 

[luiginb]

Bennacer is injured and will miss the 1st leg vs Tottenham

Dammit

Bigger loss even than Maignan.

 

[Evilo]

PSG is going to be played off the pitch. As I said, I don't even believe they'll win L1 at this point.

 

[bluesfan94]

PSG is going to be played off the pitch. As I said, I don't even believe they'll win L1 at this point.

To be fair, it’s not like it’s a lock Bayern wins the Bundesliga either.

 

[Incubajerks]

PSG, Tottenham, Benfica, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Napoli, City, Porto.

 

[Savant]

So many of these teams have fallen off the cliff since the World Cup. No one is in amazing form except for like Napoli. Honestly believe Benfica could have made a run if they kept Enzo

 

[koyvoo]

Benfica can still make a run.

@Evilo I’ll bet you $6 PSG wins the league.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

So many of these teams have fallen off the cliff since the World Cup. No one is in amazing form except for like Napoli. Honestly believe Benfica could have made a run if they kept Enzo

Which makes his move even dumber. Kid went to get paid that’s it.

 

[Savant]

Which makes his move even dumber. Kid went to get paid that’s it.

Yeah, I mean that’s got to be a hard move for a player to turn down, but Benfica with Enzo RIGHT NOW is probably better than Chelsea RIGHT NOW.

 

[Peen]

Enzo has done remarkably well considering he has Cucurella on his left and two guys who shouldn’t be in the 18 atm next to him at CM.

Goes without saying but I imagine he will fare much better when we have some better pieces around him, or just some fitter ones

Anyways Razz didn’t travel which sucks, because I don’t think Madueke and Mudryk are more than 60-65 minute guys. And ziyech sucks.

Hard to even wonder what the team will look like. Are Fofana, Pulisic, Kovacic, Chilwell healthy? If so, they should all start.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

PSG/Spurs/Benfica/Chelsea/Madrid/Napoli/City/Porto

 

[Peen]

Finally felt like Potter handled the media with the right balance today. Showed some conviction.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Forgot Hojbjerg was suspended.

Ugh

How many of those 11 are LEGIT CL players? 5 tops?

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Yeah, I mean that’s got to be a hard move for a player to turn down, but Benfica with Enzo RIGHT NOW is probably better than Chelsea RIGHT NOW.

Not probably

 

[koyvoo]

Zaire staring for PSG

Second youngest player to start a CL game

 

[Power Man]

PSG is going to be played off the pitch. As I said, I don't even believe they'll win L1 at this point.

Idk man, I have the feeling PSG will eliminate Bayern

 

[spintheblackcircle]

I just don't want Spurs to crap the bed. Isn't that sad?

 

[luiginb]

I just don't want Spurs to crap the bed. Isn't that sad?

Milan has been unspeakably bad.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

and shit the bed they do

Romero run over....

 

[hatterson]

Spursy!

 

[gary69]

Good start for Milan, Diaz bungling the ball in.