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Meeting for a second time in this season’s Champions League, Club Brugge and Aston Villa will clash at Jan Breydelstadion on Tuesday evening, in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
Either Liverpool or Paris Saint-Germain will await the winners in the quarter-finals, after the pair convene in Bruges and in Birmingham.
We say: Club Brugge 1-1 Aston Villa
Not only are Club Brugge tough to beat on home turf, but Aston Villa are generally a much weaker team on their travels.
With several forwards in form, though, the English side should score on their second trip to Bruges in the space of four months, keeping them in contention ahead of next week’s return.
> Champions League preview: Brugge vs Aston Villa
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Flashpoints and flair are to be expected in the pick of the Champions League last-16 ties, as bitterest foes Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet at the Bernabeu in Tuesday’s first leg.
While Carlo Ancelotti’s champions needed to eliminate Manchester City from the playoffs just to make it this far, their red and white foes finished in the top five of the league phase table.
We say: Real Madrid 1-1 Atletico Madrid
Atletico’s defence may have held out against Athletic, but Simeone’s men will be all too aware that they rode their luck countless times, and Jan Oblak’s goal will surely be breached at the Bernabeu.
Expect a typically gritty rearguard display from Simeone’s side nonetheless, though, and without Bellingham pulling the offensive strings, we can picture Real being held to a fourth consecutive 1-1 Madrid derby draw, one that will mean advantage Atletico for the second leg.
> Champions League preview: Real Madrid vs Atletico
> Alvarez chasing club record: Predicted Atletico XI vs. Real Madrid
> Bellingham blow, Valverde boost? Predicted Real Madrid XI vs. Atletico
> Bellingham, Valverde latest: Real Madrid injury, suspension news vs. Atletico
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Clashing in European competition for the third year running, Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven and Premier League powerhouses Arsenal meet at the Philips Stadion on Tuesday for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Mikel Arteta’s men earned a direct route to this stage courtesy of a third-placed league phase finish, while their Eredivisie counterparts ended Juventus’ hopes of continental glory in the knockout round playoffs.
We say: PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Arsenal
As toothless as Arsenal may be up front right now, the Gunners are facing a PSV side who have been shipping goals at an alarming rate and may just need one set-piece to breach the hosts’ backline on Tuesday.
Bosz’s potent attack can bite back equally hard, though, so we can only envisage the first leg ending in a low-scoring stalemate, undoubtedly a better outcome for Arsenal before their Emirates reunion.
> Champions League preview: PSV vs Arsenal
> Lewis-Skelly back in the lineup? Predicted Arsenal XI vs. PSV
> Ex-Gunner to be denied reunion: Predicted PSV XI vs. Arsenal
> Attacker running ban risk: Arsenal injury, suspension list for PSV clash
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Fighting for the right to potentially meet Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals, Borussia Dortmund and Lille square off in the first leg of their last-16 battle at the Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday night.
Last season’s beaten finalists progressed past Sporting Lisbon in the knockout round playoffs to earn a date with Les Dogues, who sneaked into the top eight of the league-phase table.
We say: Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Lille
The battle for attacking supremacy between the equally red-hot David and Guirassy is sure to be a fascinating one, albeit one that the latter’s side should come up trumps in.
Kovac’s men are slowly but surely reverting to type, and while Lille are so often clinical in attack, their defence does not always inspire confidence, evidenced by just one clean sheet in their last 11.
> Champions League preview: Dortmund vs Lille
