Here's the scorecard in R16 so far:
Home Teams: 6
Away Teams: 20
The second legs aren't shaping up to be particularly compelling.
Home Teams: 6
Away Teams: 20
The second legs aren't shaping up to be particularly compelling.
Yup, three ties seem surely decided (PSG-Bayer, Dortmund-Zenit, Real-Shalke), two more are near locks for the home side (Bayern-Arsenal, Barca-City), two more should strongly favor the home side but are still somewhat interesting (Atletico-Milan, Chelsea-Gala), and then we have ManU-Olympiakos, where no result would surprise me.Titans Bastard said:Here's the scorecard in R16 so far:
Home Teams: 6
Away Teams: 20
The second legs aren't shaping up to be particularly compelling.
SoxFanInCali said:I am finding myself less and less impressed with the Bundesliga as this match continues.
Schweinsteiger got sent off, and Javi Martinez picked up a yellow. They'll both miss the second leg.
It was a snarky in-game comment about how the runaway champions of the Bundesliga couldn't beat the worst Manchester United team in a generation. Nothing more.Schnerres said:
How does this match influence your opinion about the Bundesliga?
DennyDoyle'sBoil said:The little horse gets it done. Mourinho is pretty freaking good at what he does.
Zlatan is not amused.
Infield Infidel said:
3-1 after the home leg is a surprisingly tenuous lead.
Schnerres said:Real go on after losing 2-0 in Dortmund. I didn´t see the match, but ticker said there were enough chances (Mikhitaryan hits the post in front of the goal) to score a third goal.
Obviously, had di Maria scored on the penalty early at 0-0, the match would have been over, but...
Who saw the match and can say something about Real´s performance?
Schnerres said:1st half was so boring. United stayed defensively focused and Bayern did not find the last pass in the last offensive third.
In the 2nd half, ManU had to open it up at least a little (when it´s 0-0, they are out) and maybe they got a little tired, too. And still they got their chance and the 0-1 on that goal. This goal by Evra was struck perfect, he may shoot that thing 100 times and score it twice, because the rest is either blocked, saved by Neuer or leaves the stadium. But it clearly shows Bayerns trouble: they aren´t great in back-tracking. When they had corners (yes, it was 2-1 or 3-1 then), you could see De Gea catching the ball, shooting it over 70 yards and it was a 1vs1 for Lahm or Alaba vs. Welbeck or someone else. How can this happen? Guy falls over his feet and it is 2-2 and you´re out.
Of course the 2nd half of Bayern was just overpowering and they could have scored like six times. Robben and Ribery were ridiculous and you could clearly see that it helps a lot when you have Mandzukic in the middle as a fixture, compared to last week. Olli Kahn said it in german tv and i guess this is somehow true. Chelsea will be tough because they will be defending very hard and hard to overcome in London. Atletico almost never lose these days and will probably also be tough because they more or less will try to re-act and counter.
The easiest opponent for Bayern could be Real. They will be trying to play offensive football (which won´t be a good idea vs. Bayern), have trouble defending and have a lot of problems away from home.
Schnerres said:Real - Bayern
Atletico - Chelsea
Perfect for Bayern, Chelsea will be happy, too.
Bayern will be looking for a nice away result with at least a draw+goal and Chelsea will be happy if they go home with a one-goal loss. Could prove costly. Will be a very, very close battle, i think. Yes, usually Chelsea turn it around at home, but maybe Atletico are able to hold on in London. So a 1-0 for the Rojiblanco could be enough with a 1-1 or 0-0. Problem is, the season now gets long and longer and the only team remaining that could rest to some degree is Bayern. Yes, they also play the DFB cup semifinal next week, but it is vs. 2nd league team Kaiserslautern in Munich, which could result in Guardiola fielding 3 youngsters like Weiser, Hojberg, ... and Pizarro up front and the game still ending 4-0.
So if Real and Atletico are still in the title hunt for LaLiga (how could they not be..), i think the best chance for a final could be..Bayern vs. Chelsea. Although i hope for Atletico to advance.