We get the second set of four Round of 16 ties in the Champions League this week and they pose some tricky away tests for Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund.
Match of the week
Zenit St Petersburg-Borussia Dortmund, Tuesday, Petrovski Stadium
Dortmund have yet to find the form that took them to last season’s final, and Jurgen Klopp has major injury problems, with Sven Bender, Mats Hummels, Ilkay Gundogan and Jakub Blaszczykowski all set to miss the trip to Zenit.
St. Petersburg is never an easy place to go, especially in late February. But the huge advantage there for Dortmund is that Zenit have not played a competitive game in over two months due to the Russian winter break. It is really tough to stay match sharp when you don’t play in that long a period of time.
The other matches
Olympiakos-Manchester United
David Moyes has been talking up the fact that United are trying to do a “Liverpool” by qualifying for the Champions League next season by winning the competition.
While Olympiakos are a power domestically, they have all but sealed another league title, they have failed to beat an English in 11 attempts in Europe. It will be a major upset if that streak does not continue.
Schalke 04-Real Madrid
This is the first time these two sides have met in the competition. While Real have been in superb form since the start of the year, they have struggled historically against German sides with 22 wins, 20 defeats and ten draws. Bundesliga sides have also ended their European runs in the last two seasons, with Bayern accounting for them in the semi-finals in 2012 and Borussia knocking them out at the same stage last season.
Galatasaray-Chelsea
Quarter-finalists last season, the Turkish giants are on the prowl again this year. The two sides last faced off in 2000, when Chelsea won 1-0 and 5-0, while their coach Jose Mourinho has won all four of his meetings with Gala boss Roberto Mancini. Adding a little extra spice to what is sure to be a typically white-hot atmosphere at the Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi is the reunion between the Blues and Didier Drogba, who helped them lift the Champions League in 2012.
