The six English representatives in the Champions League will each aim to restore a flicker of pride this week in the second-legs of their respective last-16 ties following a barren showing last week, in which all six teams failed to win.
Arsenal, who remain the outright favourites to lift the trophy for the first time, are best positioned of the six clubs following a 1-1 draw away to Bayer Leverkusen. Newcastle’s tie against Barcelona also hangs in the balance as the duo prepare for a rematch at the Nou Camp, while Liverpool will hope to overcome a one goal deficit at home to Galatasaray. As for Manchester, Tottenham, and Chelsea they must each conjure up a miracle comeback, with each side three goals down following their disastrous away trips.
Below, we run through the stats you might see in each of the eight second-legs.
Stats you might see
Sporting CP vs Bodø/Glimt
- Bodø/Glimt are aiming to become the first Norwegian club to reach the Champions League quarter-finals since Rosenborg in 1996-97.
Bodø/Glimt continued their dream Champions League run after they beat Sporting CP 3-0 in the first-leg, which followed victories over Man City, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan (twice). The three-goal advantage puts them in an excellent position to become the first Norwegian club to reach the Champions League quarter-finals since Rosenborg back in 1996-97.
As for Sporting CP, they will be aiming to overturn a three-goal deficit in UEFA competition for the first time since the 1963-64 Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals when they lost 4-1 to Manchester United, before storming back to win 5-0 en route to lifting the trophy that season.
Arsenal vs Bayer Leverkusen
- Arsenal will be looking to win a two-legged tie against German opposition for the first time in their last six attempts, having lost the last five.
Arsenal rescued an 89th minute equaliser in the first-leg after Kai Havertz scored a penalty against his former side. It could prove to be a priceless goal for the quadruple-chasing Gunners as they bid to win a two-legged UEFA tie against German opposition for the first time in their last six attempts.
Arsenal, who have won 16 and lost just one of their last 22 home European games, face a Bayer Leverkusen side who have lost their last six Champions League round-of-16 ties, although the German side have won four of their five previous UEFA two-legged ties against English teams.
Chelsea vs PSG
- Chelsea will be looking to become only the second club in Champions League history to overcome a three-goal first-leg deficit against the holders.
Chelsea were looking in great shape at 2-2 away to PSG last week, only to ship three goals in the last 16 minutes to leave the World Champions with one heck of a task to overcome their French foes at Stamford Bridge.
Only on one occasion in Champions League history has a club gone on to eliminate the holders in the knockout stages after losing the first-leg by as many as three goals. Blues boss Liam Rosenior will no doubt be showing his players highlights of Deportivo de La Coruna, who lost 4-1 away to defending champions AC Milan in the 2003-04 quarter-final first-leg, only to storm back 4-0 on home soil. So, it is possible.
As for PSG, they will be looking to win their fourth straight UEFA two-legged tie against Premier League opposition, having dispatched of Liverpool (last-16), Aston Villa (quarter-finals), and Arsenal (semi-finals) in last season’s competition.
Manchester City vs Real Madrid
- At 25 years and 248 days Vinicius Junior can make history at the Etihad by becoming the youngest player to reach 80 appearances in the Champions League proper.
Speaking of three goal deficits, Manchester City’s Champions League hopes were significantly punctured in a first-leg 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, thanks to a stunning first-half hat-trick from Federico Valverde.
Real Madrid have won the last two ties against Man City and are now in pole position to make it a third as they seek to secure their 14 progression from their last 16 round-of-16 ties.
Their man Vinicius Junior (25 years and 248 days) can make history on Tuesday by becoming the youngest player to reach 80 appearances in the Champions League proper, which would surpass the record of his teammate Kylian Mbappe (26 years and 33 days).
Barcelona vs Newcastle
- Newcastle will be looking to become the first English team to win at the Nou Camp since Liverpool back in 2006-07.
Newcastle will still be livid at the timing of the late penalty they conceded against Barcelona, which denied them a memorable first-leg victory and made their chances of progressing a little more tricky.
History favours Barcelona heading into the return leg. The Catalan club have won 15 of their last 16 last-16 ties and have lost just two of their last 37 European home matches against English opposition, with their last home defeat to a Premier League team coming back in 2006-07 against Liverpool.
There is some encouragement for Newcastle, though. The Magpies have won the second leg in seven of their last 10 European ties, losing only twice in that span.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal – who scored the crucial equaliser in the first leg – now sits on nine Champions League goals and needs just one more to match Kylian Mbappe’s record of 10 goals before turning 19.
Bayern Munich vs Atalanta
- With 48 goals to his name, Harry Kane is closing in on history as he needs just two more to become the first Englishman to reach the 50-goal milestone in the Champions League (excluding qualifying).
This tie, as a contest, is effectively over after Bayern Munich stormed to a 6-1 victory in Italy. With such a huge advantage, Bayern could now set their sights on surpassing their own record for the largest aggregate win in Champions League history, which was a 12-1 demolition of Sporting CP back in 2008-09.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane, who was an unused substitute in the first-leg due to a recent calf issue, could return and set a new record. The former Spurs striker has the opportunity to become the first English player to reach 50 Champions League goals. He currently sits on 48, eight of which have come across eight games in the competition this season.
Liverpool vs Galatasaray
- If Mo Salah scores at home to Galatasaray he will become the first African player to score 50 Champions League goals (excluding qualifying).
Liverpool’s topsy turvy season continued as they fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat away to Galatasaray last week in Arne Slot’s 100th match in charge. They do, however, have the advantage of playing the second-leg under the lights at Anfield, where they have won 15 of their last 19 games in Europe.
Mo Salah remains on 49 Champions League goals meaning he has another opportunity to become the first African player to score 50 in the competition.
Galatasaray have won 14 of their 17 previous two-legged European ties after winning the first leg at home and will be desperate to upset the Reds as they target a first quarter-final appearance since 2012-13.
Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid
- Tottenham face a difficult task of overcoming a three-goal deficit, but could extend their unbeaten home streak to 25 matches in European competition.
Tottenham sank to a heavy 5-2 defeat away to Atletico Madrid, in a chaotic match that saw the Londoners fall 3-0 behind before substituting their own goalkeeper after just 17 minutes.
The history books offer little encouragement for Spurs either, with the North London side having lost each of their last four UEFA ties against Spanish opposition. They are still searching for their first win under Igor Tudor, while they’ve scraped just two victories in their last 16 matches across all competitions.
There is at least some hope heading into the return leg. Tottenham have been formidable at home in Europe, winning all four of their Champions League matches this season without conceding, and are currently unbeaten in 24 European home games, winning 20 of them.
