The second set of UEFA Champions League round of 16 first legs offer up another selection of potential headline-makers, intriguing sub-plots and players to keep a close eye on.
Presented by Expedia, we run the rule over what might have people talking when the knockout stage continues to take shape.
Debutants meet old-timers
The contrast in pedigree at this level is plain to see. Salzburg are the first-time upstarts looking to muscle in on the old guard, but their maiden round of 16 assignment could scarcely be trickier. Bayern have won 13 of their previous 17 ties and have lost only one of the last ten.
The German Bundesliga champions are expert travellers, too, having gone 21 matches unbeaten on the road in Europe. The last time they tasted defeat away from Munich was a 3-0 loss to Paris on Matchday 2 of the 2017/18 campaign. If not already daunting enough, it will not have escaped Matthias Jaissle’s attention that Bayern racked up a perfect group stage, too.
Liverpool return to San Siro
The Reds will be in the unusual position of playing away at the same stadium for the second successive game – albeit against different opponents. Jürgen Klopp’s charges will know their way around San Siro having won 2-1 against Inter’s city rivals AC Milan on Matchday 6 to sign off from the group stage with a 100% record.
The Nerazzurri are back in the last 16 for the first time since 2011/12, but can draw confidence from their impressive home record against English opponents (W11 D3 L2). Indeed they have won their last five, most recently when they beat Tottenham 2-1 in the 2018/19 group stage.
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