By Ken Andrew
kenakikenyi@gmail.com
As couples celebrate the month of love football lovers are not left out.
The month of February to them means the return of one of the world’s most loved competitions, the UEFA Champions League.
The Champions League round of 16 kicked off on February 15 after taking a break right after the group stages since December and some tasty ties are lined up. The start offs were Real Madrid playing against Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at the Parc Des Princes. The game came to an end with the teams having 0-1 respectively.
PSG has reached the Final and Semi Final the past two seasons and will be looking to go a step further and win it this season. The signing of Lionel Messi added more pressure on PSG to deliver the trophy.
Another monumental clash will see Inter Milan, the Italian Champions, make their return to the round of 16 after almost a decade out. They face a tough test against the 2019 champions Liverpool who have signed Luis Diaz from Porto to add to their already stacked forward line.
Manchester United return to the Round of 16 after 2 seasons away. They face an Atletico Madrid side that has struggled at the start of the season but it would not be wise to write off Diego Simeone’s troops. United boss Ralf Rangnick will be seeking a good run in the Champions League since the Premier League title charge is over for United.
The first legs of the ties took place on the 15 February with PSG playing against Real Madrid, and Sporting Lisbon against Manchester City. Manchester City secured a win with 5 goals.
The others will take place as follows 16, 22,and 23 February with the return legs taking place on 8, 9, 15, and 16of March.
Round of 16 ties
PSG vs Real Madrid
Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester City
RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich
Inter Milan vs Liverpool
Chelsea vs LOSC
Villareal vs Juventus
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United
Benfica vs Ajax