Champions League last 16: Team by team guide

BARCELONA

Coach: Ernesto Valverde
Star player: Lionel Messi
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015
Chances: Barca have been formidable at times in Europe this season, with the LaLiga leaders’ unbeaten Group B campaign having featured a 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven and 4-2 victory at Tottenham. There appears little to suggest Messi and co are not ready to go all the way.
Odds: 5-1
Key stat: Messi set a new record when he netted the eighth Champions League hat-trick of his career in the 4-0 victory over PSV – he has more trebles in the competition than anyone else, having surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of seven.

BAYERN MUNICH

Coach: Niko Kovac
Star player: Robert Lewandowski
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013
Chances: While Bayern have had their struggles this term – the German champions are currently nine points adrift of top spot in Bundesliga – they experienced few in Group E, ending up, like Barcelona, with 14 points. May have been stronger in the past but are still a considerable force to be reckoned with.
Odds: 10-1
Key stat: Lewandowski is the top scorer in this season’s competition with eight goals.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Coach: Lucien Favre
Star player: Marco Reus
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1997
Chances: Dortmund have been hugely impressive both domestically and in Europe in 2018-19. They are unbeaten at the top of the Bundesliga and their Group A results included a 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid – they will provide a significant test for anyone when fully firing.
Odds: 33-1
Key stat: Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho became the second-youngest Englishman to score in the Champions League with his goal in the 4-0 thrashing of Atletico.

JUVENTUS

Coach: Massimiliano Allegri
Star player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1985, 1996
Chances: The summer acquisition of five-time winner Ronaldo seemed a clear statement of intent by Juventus in terms of the Champions League, and topping Group H has made for a good start, although they were beaten by Manchester United at home and at Young Boys. It can be argued that simply on the basis of having Ronaldo the Turin club, who lead Serie A by eight points, are among the front-runners in this competition.
Odds: 6-1
Key stat: Ronaldo is the highest scorer in Champions League history – he has netted 121 times.

MANCHESTER CITY

Coach: Pep Guardiola
Star player: Sergio Aguero
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 2016
Chances: After a shock 2-1 home loss to Lyon in their opener, City have gone about things pretty effectively in Group F, finishing with 13 points and thrashing Shakhtar Donetsk 6-0 en route. Guardiola’s men, beaten for the first time in the Premier League this season last weekend at Chelsea, are certainly one of the favourites to lift this trophy.
Odds: 7-2
Key stat: City’s Riyad Mahrez is joint-top of the list for assists in this season’s competition with four, alongside Valencia’s Carlos Soler.

PARIS ST GERMAIN

Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Star player: Neymar
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 1995
Chances: PSG also finished top having recovered from losing their first game, 3-2 at Liverpool – indeed, they were third after four games before beating the Reds 2-1 and winning 4-1 at Red Star Belgrade. With Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, the Ligue 1 leaders have an attack that can trouble any of their Champions League rivals.
Odds: 15-2
Key stat: PSG scored more goals in the group stage than anyone else – 17.

PORTO

Coach: Sergio Conceicao
Star player: Moussa Marega
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1987, 2004
Chances: Porto only dropped two points in Group D, but it was a somewhat weak-looking pool and one imagines they are the group winners the clubs who finished second would most like to face in the last 16.
Odds: 125-1
Key stat: Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas holds the record for the most Champions League appearances – 173.

REAL MADRID

Coach: Santiago Solari
Star player: Luka Modric
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
Chances: A turbulent season so far for Real has seen some poor results being registered under both Julen Lopetegui and his replacement Solari. They are currently fourth in LaLiga, and although the reigning European champions topped Group G, they were beaten 1-0 away and 3-0 at home by CSKA Moscow. Given they have won the title four times in the last five seasons and 13 times in total, they certainly cannot be written off, but this is a somewhat vulnerable-looking Los Blancos outfit.
Odds: 10-1
Key stat: The second CSKA loss was Real’s heaviest ever European home defeat.

GROUP RUNNERS-UP

AJAX

Coach: Erik Ten Hag
Star player: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1971, 1972, 1973, 1995
Chances: Ajax performed very commendably in Group E, going unbeaten and drawing both of their matches against Bayern. Do not look like proper contenders, but can cause problems.
Odds: 80-1
Key stat: In each of the last three seasons Ajax failed to make the group stage of the Champions League, suffering elimination in the third qualifying round.

ATLETICO MADRID

Coach: Diego Simeone
Star player: Antoine Griezmann
Champions League/European Cup best: Runners-up 1974, 2014, 2016
Chances: The 4-0 defeat at Dortmund was the only real disappointment for Atletico in Group A and they finished with the same amount of points (13) as the Germans, who they beat at home 2-0. Simeone has taken them far in this competition in recent years and could well do so again.
Odds: 20-1
Key stat: Atletico accrued the most amount of points of all the second-placed teams.

LIVERPOOL

Coach: Jurgen Klopp
Star player: Mohamed Salah
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005
Chances: Liverpool’s group campaign was a very mixed bag of three wins and three losses, with the dramatic victory over PSG sharply contrasting with a 2-0 loss at Red Star Belgrade. Certainly Klopp’s men, who are undefeated in the Premier League this season and top of the table, have the ability to hurt any opposition when things are clicking and Reds fans will be dreaming of them bettering last term’s effort of being beaten finalists.
Odds: 10-1
Key stat: Klopp has been a Champions League runner-up both with Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund (2012-13)

LYON

Coach: Bruno Genesio
Star player: Memphis Depay
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 2010
Chances: Having beaten City, Lyon drew all five of their remaining games in Group F. They are fourth in Ligue 1 and look like a favourable club to be drawn against.
Odds: 125-1
Key stat: Lyon conceded more goals in the group stage than any other team who made it to the last 16 (11).

MANCHESTER UNITED

Coach: Jose Mourinho
Star player: David De Gea
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1968, 1999, 2008
Chances: United’s disappointing Premier League campaign sees them currently lying sixth, and they have looked unconvincing a lot of the time in Group H – but the 2-1 win at Juventus showed they do have it in them to overcome major opponents.
Odds: 40-1
Key stat: Mourinho is looking to win the Champions League with a third club, having previously triumphed with Porto (2004) and Inter Milan (2010).

ROMA

Coach: Eusebio Di Francesco
Star player: Edin Dzeko
Champions League/European Cup best: Runners-up 1984.
Chances: A team with Dzeko up front is always dangerous but Roma are not firing on all cylinders by any means this season, and sit a lowly eighth in Serie A with only five wins from 15 matches so far. Things were only slightly better in Europe and though they advanced they lost three group games. Outsiders for sure.
Odds: 150-1
Key stat: Dzeko is joint third in the top scorers in the competition so far this season with five goals, despite the indifferent form of his side. The Bosnian forward always gives his side a chance.

SCHALKE

Coach: Domenico Tedesco
Star player: Nabil Bentaleb
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 2011.
Chances: Schalke have the longest odds of any team into the last 16 and it is not hard to see why. Though they amassed 11 points in the relatively weak Group D to progress in Europe, their Bundesliga form speaks of wider problems. They sit 13th in the table with only four wins from 14 matches.
Odds: 200-1
Key stat: Schalke relied on their defence to get out of the group, winning three and drawing two of their six games despite scoring only six goals.

TOTTENHAM

Coach: Mauricio Pochettino
Star player: Harry Kane
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 1962
Chances: Tottenham began their Champions League campaign slowly, taking just one point from their opening three games, but dug deep to make it through with a draw in Barcelona. They can play with the best on their day, but consistency is the key issue for Pochettino’s side.
Odds: 25-1
Key stat: Unusually for a side featuring Kane, finding a clinical edge has been the problem for Tottenham in the Champions League this term – only four teams have had more attempts (105) but 11 have scored more goals (nine).

:: Odds taken from bet365 via oddschecker.com
:: Stats for Ronaldo and Casillas do not include qualifying matches

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