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The first leg of the round of 16 in the highly anticipated UEFA Champions League kicks off today, with the first game starting at 12:45 PM ET sharp. Stick around for our in-depth analysis of today’s top two games, including a classic Mardrid Darby between Atletico and Real Madrid, all while PSV takes on the mighty Arsenal both at 3 PM ET.
We’ve got the best insight on today’s Champions League matchups, so it’s up to you whether you want to fade or follow our picks!
Arguably the most highly anticipated game of the week, both Madrid giants clash in the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The last time these two clubs met was in the Spanish La Liga on February 8, ending in a 1-1 draw. Both teams have been battling for 1st place (along with FC Barcelona) in the Spanish League since then, where Real Madrid would unfortunately drop points in their most recent matchup with Real Betis 2-1. This led them to fall from 1st place to 3rd in this past week.
However, they overcame one of two of the most difficult English Premier League teams Manchester City, in the previous UCL group stage, where they’d net 6 goals against the English Champions. Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe have 7 goals each in the competition, while Rodrygo has 4 goals to his name. Without Jude Bellingham in this matchup (misses 1st leg due to yellow card accumulation), the three amigos will have to throw down some serious goal-scoring chances to break Atletico’s defense, and we expect Kylian Mbappe to hit the back of the net at least once in this bout.
Atletico, having won their most recent game in La Liga, also dropped points over the last two weeks with an unwanted draw with Celta Vigo on February 15. Then, on the 25th, they’d head to the Nou Camp to face an intimidating Barcelona squad in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey Semi-final where they’d fire off 4 goals to come back and tie the Catalonian squad 4-4. Athletico will be riding in high spirits at the start of this one, although heading to Real’s Santiago Bernabeu is an important factor to consider. Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez will need to look sharp in front of the net to add to their Champions League tally of 6 goals each so far this season, and Alexander Sorloth may be crucial to clutching up in this one with his late goal-scoring ability.
PSV Eindhoven takes on the strong contenders of Arsenal today and the 2nd place Eredivisie team will look to make a statement in this next match, especially considering they’ve dropped considerable points in the Dutch League in their last five games. Still, it was impressive to see them overcome a 2-1 deficit against Serie A’s Juventus in the second leg of the Knockout Phase Playoffs at home with a necessary 3-1 win to move on to the next round. They are the underdogs in this matchup, and without many stand-out goalscorers on the team in the Champions League this season, they’ll most likely rely on team play to even have a chance against Arsenal.
Arsenal are holding on strong to 2nd place in the English Premier League, and while the gap between Liverpool and 1st place grows ever larger, the Gunners still have a shot at showing their stuff in the UEFA Champions League. They’ve won their last three in the Premier League and look to be in form in recent weeks, even as far back as their previous Champions League victory against Girona on January 29, where they won 2-1.
With Real’s Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and Dani Cabellos on injury watch and a tentative Federico Valverde on the sideline, this might be the perfect chance for Atletico to steal a victory in the first away leg. However, Mbappe should be able to find the back of the net in front of Real’s home fans at least once, especially after recording a hattrick against Manchester City in the most recent UCL contest.
Both Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz lead the way with 4 goals for Arsenal, although they will both sit out on injury in this first leg with hamstring injuries. If the Gunners midfield can spray passes out wide to their wingers, including the likes of Leandro Trossard, Arsenal should have success. Taking on PSV even at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven won’t be easy, but we expect Trossard to set up his teammates for a goal at least once.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.