Barca Continue Their Quest for Champions League Repeat

The round of the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League is well and truly under way. Last week, Wayne Rooney inspired Manchester United to victory at the San Siro, Real Madrid lost yet again in Lyon, Bayern stole a last-minute advantage over Fiorentina and FC Porto overcame Arsenal thanks to some fortuitous refereeing.

What’s in store for tonight?

Tuesday, 23 February 2010

Olympiakos v Bordeaux

Hot or Not: Olympiakos – Second in the Greek Super League, two points behind leaders Panathinaikos, champions Olympiakos have scored 9 goals in their last 3 matches on the way to picking up 7 crucial points in the hunt for the title. Bordeaux – The Ligue Un leaders have become a force to be reckoned with under Laurent Blanc. The French champions play very much in the style of their manager – stingy at the back and graceful in possession. But a lack of goal power has seen Blanc‘s men triumph only three times in their last six league fixtures.

History: Not much. The two respective national champions have never met in Europe’s elite club competition.

One to watch: Yoann Gourcuff. The current golden boy of French football is having another scintillating season in the Bordeaux midfield. But Gourcuff still has a point to prove on the continent. Having failed to make the grade during his spell at AC Milan, Gourcuff knows that a strong showing in Europe will go a long way to convincing the doubters.

Yoann Gourcuff - The best player in France lost his way in Serie A

VFB Stuttgart v Barcelona

Hot or Not: VFB Stuttgart – The second lowest ranked team left in the competition (Fiorentina lie 10th in Serie A), Stuttgart have failed to replicate their impressive 3rd place finish of last season. Despite their current 9th place Bundesliga position, coach Horst Heldt‘s team welcome Barca on the back of an impressive 5-1 win over Cologne. Barcelona – The reigning European Champions sit top of La Liga but only by whisker. Real Madrid capitalized on Barca‘s first league loss of the season ten days ago, cutting the gap at the top to two points. But Pep Guardiola‘s side bounced back in style over the weekend thrashing Racing Santander 4-0

History: Barcelona and Stuttgart last pitted their wits back in the group stages of the 2007-08 competition. Stuttgart lost both matches, 2-0 at home and 3-1 at Camp Nou.

One to watch: Xavi. The magician at the heart of all Barca’s dazzling attacking play. Xavi has created 25 shooting opportunities for his teammates during this year’s tournament – that’s more than any other player in the competition. Look for that number to sky rocket against a Stuttgart side who haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last seven matches at home in the Champions League.

Xavi - The heartbeat of Barcelona

Check back tomorrow for the last of the first leg fixtures…

Wednesday, 24 February 2010

Inter Milan v Chelsea

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla