Champions League 2021-2022

Chelsea resume the defence of their Champions League crown when Lille pay a visit to Stamford Bridge for the first leg of their last-16 battle on Tuesday night.

The Blues could only finish second in Group H to set up a tie with the Ligue 1 champions, who topped the rankings in the tightly-fought Group G.

The defending champions’ second-place finish in the group stage may not have been ideal, but Chelsea was comfortably through the knockout stages, despite Zenit St Petersburg’s thrilling 3-3 draw with Thomas Tuchel on the final match day.

Proceedings could hardly have started worse for Lille continentally and domestically under Jocelyn Gourvennec, who witnessed his side take just two points from their first three clashes in Group G as an early exit appeared imminent.

Lille are always at risk of breaking through when David and Yilmaz are doing well, but Les Dogues’ form since the start of the year makes it hard to imagine a shock to the English capital.

Chelsea are far from exciting, despite their good results, but a refreshed squad will hopefully produce a convincing winner and secure a healthy first-leg advantage at the Pierre-Morroy Stadium.

Europa League series winner Unai Emery is aiming to progress in the Champions League, as Villarreal host Juventus in the first leg of the round of 16.

The Yellow Submarines finished second in Group F, behind Manchester United, while Juventus lead Group H, ahead of defending champions Chelsea.

Emery’s glittering success in the second tier of Europe’s continental competition is unparalleled, but the former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain boss will be more aware than anyone that his side are major underdogs to lift the Champions League trophy aloft.

Forcing the defending champions to second place in the group stage certainly bodes well for a chaotic Juventus side, long overdue for success on the European stage, as they also struggle to re-assert their domestic dominance.

With Juve’s ongoing absentee woes in the final and defensive third, a Danjuma-inspired Villarreal ought to sense a major opportunity to gain the upper hand in the tie amid their hot streak of form.

The injured Bianconeri should never be underestimated, but their struggles without a full squad were evident in the Turin derby, where we could see Emery’s Villarreal taking a slender first-leg advantage to Turin.

Manchester United will travel to the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday night for an advantage in their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie against Atletico Madrid.

The Red Devils finished first in Group F to advance to the knockout stages, while Atletico finished second in Group B behind Liverpool to ensure they have a chance at this stage.

Atletico will start the action after a 3-0 win over La Liga’s Osasuna on Wednesday, with Joao Felix, Luis Suarez and Angel Correa among the top scorers, but the Spanish champions have disappointed in the league this year.

United, meanwhile, will be in action following Sunday’s 4-2 win over Leeds United, with Fred and Anthony Elanga coming off the bench to collecting crucial three points for the Red Devils, who sit fourth in the table, four points clear of West Ham United on the same number of matches (26).

The 20-time England champions have scored huge victories over Brighton and Leeds in the past two games, but will now turn their attention to the Champions League as they realize how important will be the second leg at the Old Town to go back home with a positive first-leg result at Trafford next month.

Both teams would see a draw ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford, as a positive result and we find it difficult to separate them here. United are capable of scoring in Madrid, but Atletico are also counting on a goal in the Wanda Metropolitano, so this game could end up 1-1.

Two unfancied names for the Champions League crown will lock horns in the first leg of their last-16 clash on Wednesday, as Benfica play host to Ajax at the Estadio da Luz.

Nelson Verissimo’s team finished second in Group E and advanced to the knockout stages, while their opponents strolled through Group C without dropping a single point.

Many would believe to have correctly predicted the outcome of Group E before the first ball was kicked, but while Barcelona continued to under-perform under Ronald Koeman, Benfica took full advantage to pip the Catalan giants to second place behind Bayern Munich.

Refusing to let continued speculation surrounding the Manchester United job affect him, Erik ten Hag continues to oversee stellar progress at Ajax, who simply swept aside the competition in Group C to finish top with 18 points to their name.

A trip to Benfica will be a tougher test than what Ajax have endured in the Eredivisie, but the hosts are still on their feet under Verissimo and can’t be expected to easily emulate their group-stage win over Barcelona .

Borussia Dortmund, Sporting and Besiktas have all been unable to take on the prolific and well-defended Ajax side in the group stage, and we expect the ten Hag’s side to win in the first leg on Wednesday. A healthy lead.