The UEFA Champions League round of 16 comes to a close on Wednesday, English teams once again taking center stage as they grapple with the consequences of underwhelming first leg outings.
Three English teams resume play on Wednesday with varying tasks awaiting them, though some have steeper hills to climb than others. The day’s action begins with Newcastle United’s trip to Barcelona, that tie still hanging in the balance after last week’s 1-1 draw. Liverpool kick things off later as they welcome Galatasaray, who won 1-0 in Istanbul last week but have not always been at the peak of their powers away from home.
Meanwhile in north London, Tottenham Hotspur will attempt to reverse course after a shocking 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid. Spurs are one of four teams to enter the second leg with a three goal deficit, something Manchester City and Chelsea were unable to overcome in their respective ties against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Sporting Lisbon, though, did turn things around against Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.
The action is rounded out by Atalanta’s trip to Bayern Munich, the latter of whom offered a stark reminder of their title credentials with a 6-1 win in Bergamo. Bayern, though, are likely to return to play with a new goalkeeper – 16-year-old Leonard Prescott is expected to play on Wednesday after all of their first-team choices fell victim to different injuries.
First leg scoresNewcastle United 1, Barcelona 1Atletico Madrid 5, Tottenham Hotspur 2Galatasaray 1, Liverpool 0Atalanta 1, Bayern Munich 6Wednesday’s Champions League schedule
All times U.S./Eastern