The first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 kicks off Tuesday and continues through next week. Here’s a quick look at the matchups. All matches begin at 2:45 p.m. EST.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea
First leg: Tuesday in Paris (Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3/Watch ESPN).
Second leg: March 11 in London.
Diego Costa will be back in the lineup for Chelsea after serving a three-match ban for stomping on Liverpool’s Emre Can last month. Costa has 17 goals in 19 Premier League matches this season. Chelsea beat PSG in the Champions League quarterfinals last season.
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich
First leg: Tuesday in Lviv, Ukraine (Fox Sports 2, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go).
Second leg: March 11 in Munich.
The unrest in eastern Ukraine means the first leg will be played in the western city of Lviv instead of Donetsk. Shakhtar hasn’t played in a match that’s counted since early December because of the Ukrainian league’s long winter break and hasn’t won a home game against a Bundesliga team since 1980. Bayern Munich is looking to become the first team to reach the Champions League quarterfinals 14 times.
FC Basel vs. Porto
First leg: Wednesday in Basel, Switzerland (live stream on Fox Soccer 2 Go, tape-delay broadcast on Fox Sports 2 at 8 p.m.).
Second leg: March 10 in Porto, Portugal.
Basel is the only Swiss team to ever reach the Champions League knockout round but has never made the quarterfinals. Porto last advanced past the round of 16 in 2008-09.
Schalke 04 vs. Real Madrid
First leg: Wednesday in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3/Watch ESPN)
Second leg: March 10 in Madrid.
The two teams met in last year’s round of 16, with Real Madrid storming to a 9-2 aggregate win on its way to the title. But Roberto Di Matteo is now Schalke’s coach, and the 2012 Champions League winner with Chelsea has the team back in the Bundeliga’s top four.
Manchester City vs. Barcelona
First leg: Feb. 24 in Manchester, England (Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go).
Second leg: March 18 in Barcelona.
Like Schalke and Real Madrid, Manchester City and Barcelona also met in last year’s round of 16, with Barcelona winning 4-1 on aggregate. City is looking for its first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals while Barcelona is looking to advance for the eighth straight year, breaking the record it shares with Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund
First leg: Feb. 24 in Turin, Italy (Fox Sports 2, Fox Soccer 2 Go, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3/Watch ESPN).
Second leg: March 18 in Dortmund, Germany.
The teams haven’t met since the 1997 Champions League final, which Dortmund won, 3-1, for its only major title besides the 1966 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Arsenal vs. Monaco
First leg: Feb. 25 in London (Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go, Fox Soccer 2 Go, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3/Watch ESPN).
Second leg: March 17 in Monaco.
Arsenal Coach Arsene Wenger was Monaco’s coach from 1987 to 1994 but has never faced his former club. Arsenal last advanced past the round of 16 in 2009-10, having gone out in the first knockout round in four straight appearances.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid
First leg: Feb. 25 in Leverkusen, Germany (Fox Sports 2, Fox Soccer 2 Go).
Second leg: March 17 in Madrid.
Atletico Madrid looks for another strong showing after advancing to last year’s Champions League final.
After spending the first 17 years of his Post career writing and editing, Matt and the printed paper had an amicable divorce in 2014. He's now blogging and editing for the Early Lead and the Post's other Web-based products.
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