The 2019-20 Uefa Champions League knockout stage began with some huge results in the round of 16 first legs. But there is now as much focus on the impact of the coronavirus outbreak as the football.
Barcelona confirmed on Tuesday that their game against Napoli on March 18 would take place behind closed doors, and it is expected that Chelsea's tie with Bayern Munich the same night will also be a lock-out.
On Monday Paris Saint-Germain were ordered to play Wednesday’s home tie against Borussia Dortmund behind closed doors after banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people to try and slow the spread of the disease.
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The clash between Valencia and Atalanta tonight will also be played in an empty stadium, and Uefa has done away with the pre-match handshakes, following in the footsteps of the Premier League.
On the pitch Spurs travel to Germany this evening and even though his team lost 1-0 Jose Mourinho was in a positive mood after the first leg.
“It’s not 10-0 and the result is still open,” said Tottenham boss Mourinho. “It’s as simple as that. We wouldn’t be the first team to lose 1-0 at home and then win the tie away. So why shouldn’t we believe?”
Despite losing 1-0 in the Spanish capital, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes the power of Anfield can help his side progress to the last eight on Wednesday night.
He said: “I am really looking forward to the second leg. It’s half-time and we’re 1-0 down. The second half will be played in our stadium and they will feel it.”
Chelsea require a miracle after losing 3-0 at home in their first leg against Bayern Munich, but may not have to contend with raucous home support if the tie does take place in an empty arena, while Manchester City will be confident of progressing after winning 2-1 at Real Madrid.
Here we take a look at the round of 16 second leg fixtures and pick out the pundit predictions ahead of the games on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Champions League last-16 second leg fixtures
Tuesday 10 March: RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (1-0 on aggregate); Valencia vs. Atalanta (1-4)
Wednesday 11 March: PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (1-2); Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (0-1)
Tuesday 17 March: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (2-1); Juventus vs. Lyon (0-1)
Wednesday 18 March: Barcelona vs. Napoli (1-1); Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3-0)
All matches kick off at 8pm (GMT) and are live on BT Sport
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(Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Predictions: RB Leipzig vs. Tottenham (1-0)
Bwin
“Only Timo Werner’s 58th-minute penalty separated these sides in London, but the Bundesliga outfit looked much the better team for large parts of that contest. We’re backing Julian Nagelsmann’s men to come out on top again on home turf.”
Football Predictions
“We’ve got the feeling that RB Leipzig look likely to get the goals that they need when they face Tottenham, who will not find it easy to score. We’re predicting a decent 2-0 winning margin for RB Leipzig after 90 minutes.”
Pinnacle
“A Timo Werner penalty proved enough to separate these sides for the first leg in London, and Leipzig are heavily expected to finish the job and book their quarter-final place at the expense of a Tottenham team who are clearly struggling in the absence of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min. Percentage chance of qualifying: RB Leipzig 80.20% Tottenham 19.80%.”
Football Tips
“If Mourinho’s strike-force options don’t improve, then the prognosis, like our predictions, suggest a heavy loss that will send Spurs out of the Champions League knockout rounds with a bitter aftertaste.”
BettingPro
“Leipzig are unlikely to risk their away goal lead and chase the game with the same fearless aggression from the start, so we’re going to go with a low scoring game in the return leg, with a Leipzig 1-0 win the most likely outcome.”
Infogol
“The Infogol model predicts a 61% chance of a win for RB Leipzig. There is a 20% chance that Tottenham Hotspur will win. The draw is a 19% chance.”
Predictions: Valencia vs. Atalanta (1-4)
Football Predictions
“In our opinion, Atalanta and Valencia should both be able to score more than once here although it’s hard to pick a clear winner. Shouldn’t be much in it, and there should be goals with a draw being quite a realistic outcome. With that in mind, we reckon that it will be a 2-2 when the full-time whistle blows.”
Football Tips
“We can see this one fizzling out into a draw. Valencia have to come forward to try and come from behind in the tie, but Atalanta have the quality to pick them off on the break and as such, we expect the two sides to cancel each other out in this game for a draw.”
Pinnacle
“Valencia found themselves hopelessly overpowered by a free-scoring Atalanta side that have netted the third most goals [70] in Europe’s top five leagues this season, and the odds give them less than a 10% chance of overturning their 4-1 defeat. Percentage chance of qualifying: Valencia 9.72% Atalanta 90.28%.”
(Image credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Predictions: Liverpool vs. Atletico Madrid (0-1)
Squawka
“All their good work will be undone as [Diego] Simeone heads to Anfield and tries to defend for 90 minutes; only to find that Liverpool’s relentless will to win and his own side’s mental fragility means there will be only one outcome from such an approach. They will hold as long as they can, but eventually they will cave to the pressure as they always do. Liverpool to advance.”
Football Tips
“The fortress that is Anfield has played host to many historic Champions League games down the years, paired with a wall of red banners and the cacophonous singing Kop. Combine this with the Reds’s gegenpressing, attack-dominant starting XI and the chances of another comeback are more than likely.”
Pinnacle
“Defending champions Liverpool fell foul of a typically stern and defensively organised Atletico performance in the first leg, although they are still very narrowly favoured to remain in the competition ahead of Diego Simeone’s side. Percentage chance of qualifying: Liverpool 51.12% Atletico Madrid 48.88%.”
Predictions: PSG vs. Borussia Dortmund (1-2)
Bwin
“Past evidence suggests Borussia will struggle to keep PSG at bay on the road. They lost 3-1 at Barcelona and 2-0 at Inter during this season’s group stage, while last term they went down 2-0 away to Atletico Madrid in their pool and were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham in London at this point. Take 11/1 for a 3-1 home victory.”
Pinnacle
“Whilst an impressive brace from this season’s breakout star Erling Braut Haaland led Dortmund to a first leg victory, the odds give PSG a slight edge in advancing to the quarter-finals for what would be the first time in four seasons. Percentage chance of qualifying: PSG 52.11% Borussia Dortmund 47.89%.”
(Image credit: Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)
Predictions: Man City vs. Real Madrid (2-1)
Pinnacle
“A Kevin De Bruyne masterclass enabled Manchester City to come from behind and defeat La Liga leaders Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, and the market indicates they have reason to feel confident about their chances of reaching the quarter-finals. Percentage chance of qualifying: Man City 86.99% Real Madrid 13.01%.”
Predictions: Juventus vs. Lyon (0-1)
Pinnacle
“A fortuitous Nicolas Tousart goal condemned Juventus to defeat versus Lyon in arguably the most shocking result amongst the first legs, and whilst they are still favoured to advance, their chances have dropped from an initial 85% rating to just under 55%. Percentage chance of qualifying: Juventus 54.60% Lyon 45.40%.”
(Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Predictions: Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea (3-0)
Pinnacle
“Bayern Munich produced a thoroughly impressive and ruthlessly clinical second half performance to dismantle Chelsea in the first leg of their tie, leaving Frank Lampard’s side virtually zero chance of advancing and all but ending their campaign.”
Predictions: Barcelona vs. Napoli (1-1)
Pinnacle
“Napoli turned in a determined display to earn a respectable 1-1 draw at home against Barcelona, although the market indicates that will not be enough to secure a spot in the quarter-final. Percentage chance of qualifying: Barcelona 77.72% Napoli 22.28%.”
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