Champions League last 16 gets underway with Newcastle vs Barcelona and three more first-leg ties
Tuesday's programme features two evening kick-offs: Newcastle vs Barcelona at St James' Park and Galatasaray vs Liverpool in Istanbul. The later fixtures see Atletico Madrid take on Tottenham at the Metropolitano and Atalanta host Bayern Munich in Bergamo. The return legs are scheduled for March 17-18.
Newcastle vs Barcelona
Eddie Howe has called this "the biggest game in our recent history," and it is not hard to see why. Newcastle sit 12th in the Premier League after a difficult domestic campaign, but the Champions League has given them a different stage. Barcelona won the reverse fixture 2-1 earlier in the league phase, with Marcus Rashford scoring twice and Anthony Gordon replying for the hosts. Howe has warned his players about Barcelona's midfield control and singled out Lamine Yamal, who has 19 goals across all competitions this season, as the main threat. Barcelona sit four points clear at the top of La Liga after Yamal's goal sealed a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on March 7.
Galatasaray vs Liverpool
Liverpool head to Istanbul with mixed recent form. They lost 2-1 to Wolves in the Premier League on March 3 but bounced back to beat the same opponents 3-1 in the FA Cup three days later. The European pedigree is there, but Galatasaray will look to exploit any inconsistency in front of a ferocious home crowd. The atmosphere in Istanbul has unsettled bigger clubs than this before.
Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham
Tottenham's season has lurched from one crisis to the next. Their most recent Premier League outing saw them lose 3-1 to Crystal Palace after Micky van de Ven was sent off. Travelling to Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid is rarely comfortable, and Spurs will need to be far more disciplined than they were at Selhurst Park. Antoine Griezmann recently delayed a possible move to Orlando City to focus on Atletico's cup ambitions, and his experience could prove telling over two legs.
Atalanta vs Bayern Munich
The fourth tie pits Atalanta against Bayern Munich in Bergamo. Raffaele Palladino's side have been solid in European competition since he took charge in November, while Bayern will be expected to progress but have shown vulnerability on the road this season. Both sides will see this as a winnable tie, which could make for an open and entertaining first leg.
