The Madrid derby is the pick of the day as the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 kicks off today, with the Santiago Bernabéu hosts a high-stakes first-leg clash involving Real Madrid and city rivals, Atlético Madrid, reports gulfnews.com.
This iconic Madrid derby marks the 239th encounter between the two sides across all competitions, and their 10th meeting in Europe’s premier club tournament – a record for teams from the same country.
Real Madrid, fresh off a 6-3 aggregate triumph over Manchester City in the knockout round play-offs, are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Real Betis in La Liga, last Saturday. That result allowed Atlético to leapfrog them in the domestic standings, adding extra spice to this already fierce rivalry.
Los Blancos have been formidable at home in Europe, winning five of their last six Champions League fixtures at the Bernabéu, and have never conceded to Atlético in two previous Champions League meetings here.
Atlético Madrid arrive in red-hot form, unbeaten in their last 10 matches across all competitions (W6, D4). Diego Simeone’s side have shown their European credentials this season, finishing fifth in the group stage with six wins and scoring 20 goals – a tally bettered only by Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund.
However, they’ll need to overcome their recent poor record in Champions League away knockout games, having lost their last three. While Atlético carry confidence from recent H2H draws and back-to-back European wins against Real, history heavily favours Los Blancos, who have advanced in all five previous Champions League knockout ties between the two. This promises to be another enthralling chapter in their storied rivalry.
Elsewhere, Arsenal head to Eindhoven for their last 16 game against PSV, looking to improve their mixed record against Dutch opposition on the road. While the Gunners are unbeaten in five home meetings with PSV (W3, D2), they’ve failed to secure a win in their last four trips to face the Eredivisie side (D2, L2). Arsenal’s only away victory in this fixture came over two decades ago, a commanding 4-0 win in 2002.
The London side will be wary of their history at this stage of the competition, having been eliminated in seven of their last eight Champions League round-of-16 appearances. They’ll also remember PSV knocking them out at this stage back in 2006/07, a bitter defeat that adds extra stakes to this encounter.
PSV, meanwhile, are enduring a dip in domestic form, with four winless Eredivisie matches (D3, L1) threatening their title hopes. Yet, they’ve been formidable at home in the Champions League, unbeaten in their last nine matches at the Philips Stadion (W5, D4). This resilience, coupled with a 3-2 comeback win over Liverpool earlier this season, underscores their ability to challenge top-tier opposition.
With Arsenal’s hopes of silverware now firmly pinned on this competition, both sides have everything to play for in what promises to be a thrilling European battle.
In Belgium, Aston Villa will battle with Club Brugge, hoping to overturn their disappointing record against Belgian opposition. Villa have managed just one win in five meetings with Belgian clubs (D1, L3), a narrow 1-0 victory over Anderlecht in the 1981/82 European Cup semifinals, the year they famously went on to lift the trophy.
However, their recent form away from home poses a significant challenge, with just two wins in their last 12 matches on the road across all competitions (D1, L9), failing to score in half of those defeats.
Unai Emery’s side will also be looking for redemption after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium during the league phase, where a controversial penalty decided the contest. Emery, who has guided four different teams to the knockout stages of this competition, will need his players to rise to the occasion if they are to secure their first quarterfinal appearance in decades.
Club Brugge, meanwhile, enter this tie brimming with confidence after a stunning 5-2 aggregate victory over Atalanta in the play-offs. Although their overall record against English teams is poor – one win in their last 16 encounters (D3, L12) – that lone victory came against Villa earlier this season. At the Jan Breydel Stadium, Brugge have been formidable, losing just once in their last 17 home games (W13, D3), including an unbeaten run in their last four Champions League fixtures.
