UEFA Champions League

Robert Lewandowski moved to the head of the goalscoring charts in the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League by scoring his 11th goal of the campaign in Bayern Munich's 3-0 drubbing of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Serge Gnabry scored Bayern's other two goals in west London to put the German champions within touching distance of the quarter-finals. 

Dries Mertens, meanwhile, is tied on six goals with Gnabry after he scored for Napoli in their 1-1 first-leg draw against Barcelona at the Stadio San Paolo. Antoine Griezmann came up with the equaliser soon after the break. 

Here are the updated top-scorer standings following Tuesday's action:

• 11: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
• 10: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund, Red Bull Salzburg)
• 6: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)
• 5: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Heung-Min Son (Tottenham Hotspur), Memphis Depay (Lyon), Mauro Icardi (PSG), Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan)

Full standings available via the BBC website.

                  

All of Bayern's goals came in the second half, and they were no more than the visitors deserved at Stamford Bridge.

Former Arsenal player Gnabry scored in the 51st and 54th minutes for a similarly devastating performance as when he produced four goals against Tottenham when Bayern beat Spurs 7-2 in north London in October.

The 24-year-old's goals were both set up by Lewandowski and were both first-time finishes from around eight yards, the first with his right foot and the second with his left.

Then came the goal of the night 14 minutes from time, but it was all about the setup from 19-year-old Alphonso Davies.

The Canada international picked up the ball just inside his own half, left four Chelsea players in his wake and put the ball on a plate for Lewandowski to turn home.

It was a chastening night for the Blues, and it only got worse when Marcos Alonso was sent off in the 83rd minute.

There was also a late dismissal at the San Paolo when Arturo Vidal was issued consecutive yellow cards for a late tackle on Mario Rui and his subsequent attempted headbutt.

That reduced the visitors to 10 men for stoppage time.

In the preceding 90 minutes, Barca had been sucker-punched by Mertens' beautiful goal from the edge of the box on the half-hour mark during a first half in which the Blaugrana had 70 per cent possession but managed no shots on target.

Finally, though, in the 57th minute, Griezmann hit the back of the net after an inch-perfect through ball from Sergio Busquets was squared into his path by Nelson Semedo.

Barca were indebted to Marc-Andre ter Stegen for brilliantly denying Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon in the aftermath of their equaliser, and they will be favourites to advance from the return leg at the Camp Nou on March 18.

But the Spanish champions were unconvincing in Naples and were arguably fortunate to come away with a draw. 

Ten-man Barcelona came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Napoli in the first leg of their 2019-20 UEFA Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Dries Mertens put the hosts ahead with a brilliant strike in the first half at the Stadio San Paolo, but Antoine Griezmann's goal early in the second half meant honours finished even.

Barca did, though, finish the game a man down when Arturo Vidal was sent off late on for two simultaneous yellow cards. 

The Blaugrana's away goal should give them an edge for the return leg at the Camp Nou on March 18, especially since Napoli have won just one of their last nine away games in the Champions League.

For the first 45 minutes, Napoli played Gennaro Gattuso's game plan to perfection.

The hosts allowed Barca to have almost all of the ball, but they were so organised in defence that the Blaugrana could find no way through.

Only once in the entire first half did Napoli lose their shape, and Lionel Messi found some space through the centre in the 27th minute. But the Argentinian could not provide the right ball for Griezmann to have an opportunity on goal.

Three minutes later, Piotr Zielinski pick-pocketed Junior Firpo deep in Barca's half and squared across the edge of the penalty area to Mertens. The Belgian produced a superb, curling finish into the top corner that Marc-Andre ter Stegen could only stand and watch.

Just before half-time, the German goalkeeper was almost left stranded again, but Kostas Manolas' effort from eight yards whistled narrowly wide of the post. 

Per Squawka, despite their 70 per cent possession, Barca failed to muster a single shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

After 12 minutes of the second half, though, they had the ball in the net.

Sergio Busquets, who will miss the second leg along with Vidal after picking up a yellow card, threaded a beautiful ball to Nelson Semedo beyond the Napoli defence, and Griezmann side-footed his squared pass high into the net past David Ospina.

The equaliser prompted a change in system from Napoli, who began to press much higher, and in the 10 minutes following Barca's goal, Ter Stegen came up with two brilliant saves to deny Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon.

Napoli may live to regret those chances going begging, especially given Barca could come up with nothing better themselves in a much more open final 20 minutes.

The Blaugrana did, though, lose Vidal after he was issued two yellow cards in the 89th minute for first fouling Mario Rui and then squaring up to him with a weak and brainless headbutt.

                          

What's Next?

Barcelona visit the Santiago Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid on Sunday in a top-of-the-table El Clasico clash in La Liga that could decide the destination of the title this season.

Napoli, meanwhile, host Torino in Serie A on Saturday. 

Chelsea's chances of reaching the quarter-final of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League look doomed after losing 3-0 at home to Bayern Munich in the first leg of the last 16 on Tuesday night.

Serge Gnabry bagged a brace to add to the four goals he netted in London against Tottenham Hotspur during the 7-2 win in the group stage back in October. Gnabry's latest goals were both assisted by Robert Lewandowski, who returned to his more natural role of goalscorer to add a third for the Bundesliga giants at Stamford Bridge.

Lewandowski was unplayable, with Marcos Alonso's nefarious attempts to stop him earning the left-back an 82nd-minute red card after a VAR review. Alonso and Jorginho will both miss the return game after the midfielder was booked during the first half.

The result leaves Frank Lampard's young Blues with it all to do during the second leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, March 18.

Bayern were the more controlled side during an entertaining and even first half. The visitors made intelligent use of space, with Thomas Muller superb playing as a natural No. 10.

Muller's runs were dragging the Chelsea back three out of shape and giving Die Roten a man over in midfield. Bayern were also bossing the engine room thanks to the assured distribution of Thiago Alcantara.

Thiago and Muller combined to play in Kingsley Coman for a chance, but the winger drilled his effort into the side netting. Next, Lewandowski went close when trying to meet a through pass from Gnabry, only for Willy Caballero to be quick off his line and collect.

Caballero made more than one decent stop and stayed alert to danger, regularly sweeping up in support of his defence. The 38-year-old was justifying Lampard's contentious decision to start him ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world's most expensive goalkeeper.

Yet as well as Caballero was playing, the amount of work he was getting through had to concern Chelsea. While the Blues played well in sporadic moments, Bayern looked like a classy and composed outfit, with Muller heading off the bar from a fine Thiago cross.

The hosts did create one good chance shortly before the break when a one-two between Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic saw the latter tee up Alonso. His low shot forced Manuel Neuer into a smart save.

Chelsea were dealt a blow moments after the restart when Jorginho was booked for protesting a Coman foul on Kovacic. Jorginho's demands for sterner punishment than the yellow card Coman received, earned him an omission from the second leg.

A minor setback became full-blown disaster when Gnabry found the net twice in three minutes. Lewandowski played in the winger on both occasions, finding space behind raiding right-back Reece James and delivering inch-perfect passes for a finisher who is in ruthless form in the English capital this season.

Gnabry should have had a hat-trick moments later when Muller teed him up, but the former's technique deserted him and he blazed over.

Bayern's momentum was temporarily stalled when Coman had to be withdrawn after pulling up with an apparent hamstring problem. Philippe Coutinho came off the bench to replace him, ensuring Die Roten maintained their high levels of guile and skill in midfield.

It's been an indifferent campaign for Coutinho, but the Barca loanee could have put the tie to bed shortly after his introduction. However, his scuffed volley from Muller's cross drifted harmlessly across the face of goal.

The miss proved to be only a temporary reprieve for Chelsea, with Lewandowski adding a third 14 minutes before time. His tap-in was created by a buccaneering run from left-back Alphonso Davies, who skipped clear and fizzed a cross into the path of an in-form No. 9 who needed no second invitation.

Lewandowski's movement was causing problems, and Alonso took matters into his own hands when he felled the striker with an open arm. A look at the VAR monitor encouraged the referee to change his initial booking to a straight red card.

Chelsea's best chances to earn a slight foothold in the tie came from substitutes Willian and Pedro, both of whom angled teasing crosses across the box, but neither found a teammate alert enough to apply a telling touch.

The lack of sharpness in front of goal summed up the gulf in class between the two teams. Bayern exuded cool experience and machine-like efficiency, defending without a fuss, taking care of the ball and maximising the best chances.

Those are habits Lampard's youthful charges still need to learn, while the 41-year-old will likely reassess the wisdom of trusting a back three and leaving proven talents like Willian and Pedro out of the starting XI.

  

What's Next?

Chelsea are away to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, the same day Bayern travel to Hoffenheim in the German top flight.

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes the club can only truly cement themselves as an elite side by winning the UEFA Champions League. 

The German spoke ahead of City's clash with Real Madrid in the last 16 of the competition on Wednesday.

Per Goal's Jonathan Smith, he said:

"The Champions League is maybe the most prestigious competition in the game, and if you don't win it, as much as we are a great team, you feel like there's always something missing.

"Obviously, we try to do our best, but it's not something that you can talk about and then it comes. It’s something you have to try to achieve."

City have been one of the dominant forces in English football over the last decade, in which they've won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups.

Last season, they won all three as part of an unprecedented domestic treble in men's English football.

However, European success has continued to elude them. They've reached just one Champions League semi-final, even after bringing in Pep Guardiola, who has won the competition twice, as manager.

This season could be their last experience of Champions League football for some time after UEFA hit them with a two-year ban from European football for breaching financial fair play regulations.

Guardiola has been quick to reassure fans and players of his intention to remain at the Etihad Stadium despite the ban, though:

"Unless they sack me, I will stay here" 🔵

Pep confirms he is 100% staying at Man City! 👍 pic.twitter.com/5I7YeZ7cm9

— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) February 19, 2020

Pep Guardiola has told Man City players: “Whatever league we are in, I will still be here. Even if they put us in League Two, I will still be here. This is a time for sticking together." City CEO Ferran Soriano told players: “Trust me like I trust you, this will be dropped.”

— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) February 17, 2020

The coach believes City's lack of historical success in Europe has made it more difficult for them to compete with the likes of Madrid and other giants.

City's only European trophy is the Cup Winners' Cup they won in 1970—a far cry from Real's 13 Champions League titles and two UEFA Cups.

However, they've qualified for the tournament every season since the 2010-11 campaign, so the club should have plenty of experience by now.

Gundogan believes a statement result against a side like Real could help them resolve the issue:

"It's so difficult to explain it—I think we need a big game that we win. And to get through thinking 'this was so hard today,' where we need to struggle as well. We have to overcome difficulties, something like that is needed."

City should fancy their chances of getting a result at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

Real have failed to win three of their last four matches in all competitions, having lost to Real Sociedad and Levante and been held to a draw by Celta Vigo. In the Champions League group stage, they drew two of their home matches, one of which was against a Club Brugge side who finished the match with 10 men.

What's more, Los Blancos will be without Eden Hazard for both legs after he was diagnosed with a fractured ankle on Sunday.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has accepted Bayern Munich are considered the favourites for their UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday but said his side can still come out on top if they're at their best.

The Blues host the German side at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their last-16 tie. 

Lampard said:

"When you look at their team, the talent they have, the medals they have, the experience they have...maybe we don't have that experience.

"But it's there to turn it around; to overcome being the underdog. Those are the best stories in sport. I understand if people call us the underdogs because Bayern are so strong."

Goal's Nizaaar Kinsella relayed further comments from the coach:

Lampard on his message to youth players: "They have to understand the levels and the mindset going in. We have to make sure going into the game that every detail and box is ticked. We can't get caught up in moments. There will be times when we will suffer." #CFC #UCL

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) February 24, 2020

Lampard is aware of what it takes to overcome a Bayern side as an underdog. He was part of the Chelsea team that beat the Bundesliga giants on penalties in the 2012 final at their Allianz Arena.

There is probably a bigger gap between the two sides this time around, though. Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Saturday, but in their five matches prior to that their only victory came against Hull City in the FA Cup.

They haven't always convinced at Stamford Bridge this season, either. The Blues have already lost seven times there in all competitions as well as being held to four draws.

By contrast, Bayern have won 10 of their last 11 games in all competitions, drawing the other.

Lampard is also aware of the threat posed by Robert Lewandowski, who is enjoying a sensational season even by his standards:

Lampard on facing Lewandowski: "Concern isn't the word. Form of his life is something significant for him because he has been some player for a number of years."

"He is just top class, everything about him, having looked at Bayern, that shines through." #CFC #UCL

— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) February 24, 2020

The Pole has notched 38 goals in just 32 matches this season:

Robert Lewandowski's 2019-20

Bundesliga
👕 23
⚽ 25

DFB-Pokal
👕 3
⚽ 3

Champions League
👕 5
⚽ 10

Incredible 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FZp2lac4mE

— GOAL (@goal) February 21, 2020

He needs one more strike to make this his most prolific season in the Champions League, and six more overall for this to be the most prolific of his career.

The 31-year-old would be dangerous enough to any side, but Chelsea could be particularly vulnerable.

Of the teams to reach the last 16, only Tottenham and Atalanta shipped more goals in the group stage than the Blues.

In the Premier League, 10th-place Burnley are the only top-half side to have conceded more than Chelsea's 37 goals.

Barcelona and Chelsea feature in the first legs of the 2020 UEFA Champions League last 16 on Tuesday against Napoli and Bayern Munich, respectively.

The Spanish champions are on the road in their opening encounter, with the Blues welcoming the Bundesliga titleholders to west London.

Bayern advanced with a perfect record through the group stage, and Barca and Napoli remain undefeated during the current competition.

            

Tuesday's Fixtures

Chelsea vs. Bayern: 8 p.m. GMT, 3 p.m. ET, BT Sport 2 (UK), TNT (USA)

Napoli vs. Barca: 8 p.m. GMT, 3 p.m. ET, BT Sport 3 (UK), TNT (USA)

Both matches can be streamed live via BT Sport Player and B/R Live.

                 

Odds (via Caesars Palace)

Chelsea 63-20, Bayern 77-100, draw 31-10

Napoli 9-4, Barca 23-20, draw 13-5

               

Napoli vs. Barca

The Blaugrana cruised through as Group F winners into the knockout rounds, with Lionel Messi looking to win the competition for the fifth time in his career.

However, Napoli will provide significant resistance to the Catalans' hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. The Serie A team finished second behind Liverpool in Group E, but they haven't tasted defeat in Europe's biggest club competition this season.

Both sides have experienced contrasting fortunes in domestic competition, and they enter the Champions League last 16 with new managers.

Gennaro Gattuso replaced Carlo Ancelotti in Naples in December, while Quique Setien was handed the reins at the Camp Nou after Ernesto Valverde's dismissal in January.

Barca continue the season without first-choice striker Luis Suarez after a serious knee injury, and forward Ousmane Dembele will also miss the remainder of the campaign with a hamstring injury. 

Martin Braithwaite has joined Barca from Leganes as an emergency signing, but the Denmark international isn't eligible to feature on Tuesday.

Barca should have plenty of firepower, though, with Messi partnering Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati.

According to Football Italia, Gattuso highlighted the challenge of crossing swords with Barca and their talismanic Argentinian:

"As a player against Barcelona, we looked them in the face and said that we play a different sport. We didn't touch the ball and they never let you get hold of it.

"For four days you felt like you were on a different planet. That's the feeling I had as player against Barcelona. They destroyed you mentally.

"You can't stop Messi, but in these moments my players have to try. We are playing against Barcelona, not only Messi. It doesn't make sense to have a player man mark Messi. We will try some things today and then we'll see."

Napoli have been inconsistent in Serie A this season, but a run of six wins in their last seven in all competitions has come at the right time ahead of the visit of Barcelona.

               

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

It's been a stressful period for Frank Lampard after his return to Chelsea as head coach, but his team have been able to cling on to fourth place in the Premier League despite some concerning results.

The Blues are on a run of only four wins in their last nine matches in all competitions, and the inexperience and lack of depth in the Blues' squad is evident.

Bayern have suffered the odd blip during their campaign, but they remain a winning machine in all competitions.

Hansi Flick arrived at Bayern as Niko Kovac's assistant last summer and took the reins of the club when the former Croatia international departed in November.

Bayern have been one of the Champions League's most impressive outfits this term, scoring 24 goals in their six Group B games to storm past their opponents.

The German side will be difficult to beat over two legs, and Chelsea must find a way to curb their fluctuating defensive performances of recent weeks. 

The Blues conceded nine goals in the group phase, and they might not have the quality to stop Bayern's attack.

Real Madrid welcome Manchester City to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

Los Blancos have been crowned European champions 13 times in their history, more than any other team, and face a Manchester City side that have never made it past the semi-finals of Europe's top tournament.

Zinedine Zidane's side have home advantage on Wednesday but have hit something of a slump. The Spanish giants were beaten 1-0 by Levante on Sunday and have won only one of their last four.

    

Date: Wednesday, February 26

Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET

TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK), TNT (U.S.)

Live Stream: BT Sport Live (UK), B/R Live ( (U.S.)

Odds (courtesy of Caesars Palace): Real Madrid 7-4, Draw 11-4, Manchester City 7-5

   

Match Preview

Real Madrid have been hit with a major blow as summer signing Eden Hazard has been ruled out after fracturing an ankle against Levante. Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has said the former Chelsea man will miss at least three months, per AS (h/t ESPN's Adriana Garcia).

Hazard has only made 15 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid in his debut season in Spain but has still had a positive impact, as highlighted by Opta:

53,3% - Real Madrid win percentage without @hazardeden10 since he joined the club (1,9 goals per game), compared to 61,9% with him (2,2 goals per game), all comps. Worry pic.twitter.com/SYVaeGYhgE

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 24, 2020

Zidane does not lack for attacking options to come Hazard. The most likely candidates are Isco, Gareth Bale, Vinicius Jr. or Rodrygo, but Luka Jovic, James Rodriguez and Lucas Vazquez are also options.

Karim Benzema is a certain starter in attack but has hit a dry patch. The Frenchman has 18 goals in all competitions in 2019-20 but has gone four games without finding the back of the net and missed three clear chances against Levante.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also failed to shine at the weekend. The Belgium international appeared to pull his hands away from Jose Luis Morales' shot that flew into the back of the net for the winner.

Courtois has otherwise had a strong season and boasts a good record in Europe:

🚫 Thibaut Courtois has 14 clean sheets in 38 #UCL games 🙌@thibautcourtois | @realmadriden pic.twitter.com/OAxIIXJAeD

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 24, 2020

Zidane has told reporters Manchester City will head to the Bernabeu with "extra motivation" after being handed a two-season ban from UEFA club competition for breaching financial fair play (FFP) rules.

Pep Guardiola's side cruised into the knockout stages by topping Group C without tasting defeat against Atalanta, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb.

Yet they have never won a knockout game away in Spain in UEFA competition and were thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona on their last trip to Spain in the Champions League.

The visitors should have key men Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte available for Wednesday's clash which will be a boost, per Stuart Brennan at the Manchester Evening News:

Pep says Sterling will be fit for Wednesday - and there is no problem with Laporte despite substitution #MCFC

— Stuart Brennan (@StuartBrennan63) February 22, 2020

Manchester City's hopes of retaining their Premier League title have disappeared, which means the Champions League is their top priority. This may be a good time to play Los Blancos, but the visitors will still need to produce one of their best performances of the season to take a positive result away.

Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso has said "you can't stop" Lionel Messi ahead of his side's home leg against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

The Italian outfit will welcome Barca to the Stadio San Paolo for the opening portion of their knockout fixture, and Gattuso told reporters: "You can't stop Messi, but in these moments my players have to try. We are playing against Barcelona, not only Messi. It doesn't make sense to have a player man mark Messi. We will try some things today and then we'll see."

Napoli have won six of their last seven games across all competitions and are hoping to surprise Barcelona at home before they're due to travel to the Camp Nou for the reverse leg on March 18. 

Gattuso—who earned 73 caps for Italy as a player—added Messi performs moves "you only see on the PlayStation":

"I read that we have to man-mark Messi, but it's not only him. Lorenzo [Insigne] has said that he's a great player, he's not only great at a footballing level. He is the greatest for how he has lived his career. He's an example for the kids to follow, never says anything inappropriate.

"He does stuff that you only see on the PlayStation, things you can't even imagine. He's been the best ever for years now."

Messi had failed to score in four league matches before Barcelona hosted Eibar on Sunday, but the forward was back to his best as he scored four times as part of a 5-0 rout:

📺 Sit back and enjoy the highlights from this incredible match at the Camp Nou! 🍿#BarçaEibar pic.twitter.com/aXTTh9yGXl

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 22, 2020

The 32-year-old leads La Liga in goals (18) and assists (12) and will be a crucial component if Quique Setien's side are to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals for a 13th consecutive season.

Gattuso compared Messi with 1986 FIFA World Cup winner Diego Maradona, adding: "Diego is the God of football, I'm not just saying that today. I never saw him closely, but I know the champion he was. In these moments, I see Messi do stuff that Maradona did. It makes me sad that I lost out on something that beautiful."

Barcelona confirmed their matchday squad for Tuesday's Champions League clash, which includes January signing Martin Braithwaite, despite the player not being registered to feature in the European competition:

[📋 THE SQUAD]
🗓 25/02 - 9pm CET
⚽ #NapoliBarça
🔵🔴 #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/GKAN7lTyJe

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 23, 2020

Napoli are one of only three teams to have defeated Premier League leaders Liverpool this season—Atletico Madrid and Aston Villa being the others—and will hope they can upset Barca on home soil also.

They moved up to sixth in Serie A after beating Brescia 2-1 away from home on Friday, capitalising upon AC Milan's 1-1 draw at Fiorentina in Week 25:

Eurosport's Siavoush Fallahi praised the Napoli chief for his recent turnaround in form, with the club having gone nine games without a win between late October and early December:

Gennaro Gattuso with six wins in seven matches but when I told people he worked wonders with Milan they laughed at me

— Siavoush Fallahi (@SiavoushF) February 22, 2020

Milan legend Gattuso added he always has faith in his team and highlighted their habit of performing worse against lesser outfits, suggesting they could hit their stride at home to the Blaugrana:

"I have underestimated that there was something that wasn't going well. The goals conceded.

"I have already said it. We weren't a team defensively, we played without smelling the danger. The team have improved a lot on this aspect. We are all working together. I hear the journalist say something that we never hit the target at Brescia. The problems against the lesser teams have always been there."

The tactician is right to expect threats from all areas of Barcelona's squad, although Messi's involvement of four goals and six assists in his last four league appearances suggests he remains Barca's standout weapon.

The UEFA Champions League round of 16 continues on Tuesday and Wednesday, with four more mouthwatering clashes to feast upon.

Tuesday will see Chelsea take on Bayern Munich at Stamford Bridge, while Barcelona travel to Napoli. The following day, Lyon host Juventus and Manchester City take on Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Here's the schedule for the week's action, including score predictions for each game:

                

Tuesday, February 25

Chelsea 1-2 Bayern Munich, 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET, BT Sport 2

Napoli 2-2 Barcelona, 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET, BT Sport 3

                

Wednesday, February 26

Lyon 1-3 Juventus, 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET, BT Sport 3 

Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City, 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET, BT Sport 2

                

All matches can be streamed live via BT Sport Player and B/R Live.

             

Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich

Chelsea will take on Bayern in a rematch of the 2012 Champions League final, which they won on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

The Blues might be at home on Tuesday, but they will be the underdogs for this tie. Bayern are flying under interim manager Hansi Flick, having won 10 of their past 11 matches in all competitions, and they are unbeaten since December 7.

Robert Lewandowski has been central to their excellent form, and he has 38 goals in just 32 games this season:

Robert Lewandowski's 2019-20

Bundesliga
👕 23
⚽ 25

DFB-Pokal
👕 3
⚽ 3

Champions League
👕 5
⚽ 10

Incredible 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FZp2lac4mE

— GOAL (@goal) February 21, 2020

He netted a brace on Friday to help them record a 3-2 win over Paderborn:

Chelsea claimed a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, but they haven't been in particularly good form of late, failing to win in four of their past six matches.

They have often struggled at Stamford Bridge too. On 11 occasions in all competitions this season, Chelsea have failed to win at home, including seven defeats.

With Bayern and Lewandowski in such excellent form, the Bundesliga giants could easily come away from the first leg with the advantage.

                      

Lyon vs. Juventus

Lyon face the unenviable task of taking on Juventus as they bid to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The Bianconeri, who reached the final in 2015 and 2017, are hoping Cristiano Ronaldo can fire them to European glory. Despite turning 35 on February 5, the forward has been in sensational form of late. 

After an unusually quiet start to the campaign—he had scored just six goals by the end of November—he's racked up 19 in all competitions since December 1.

On Saturday, he marked a milestone match with a milestone goal in Serie A:

✔ 1000th professional match

✔ Scores in 11 consecutive Serie A game

⚫⚪ Cristiano Ronaldo gives Juventus the lead! pic.twitter.com/4radbQkIqm

— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) February 22, 2020

11 – Only 3 players have scored at least a goal in 11 league apps in a row in the Serie A history (considering the same Serie A campaign):

Gabriel Omar Batistuta in 1994/95
Fabio Quagliarella in 2018/19
Cristiano #Ronaldo in 2019/20

Triumvirate.#SPALJuve pic.twitter.com/UW5CWGCMzl

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) February 22, 2020

Ronaldo comes alive in the Champions League knockout phase, with 65 of his record 128 goals in the competition coming from the round of 16 onwards.

As for Lyon, they are seventh in Ligue 1, having won just two of their past six matches in all competitions, so they are unlikely to be much of a match for the Italian outfit.

Barcelona will be the favourites in their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie against Napoli, with the first leg taking place in Italy on Tuesday.

Caesars Palace have handed the Catalan side odds of +115 to win at the San Paolo, while Napoli check in at +225. A draw carries odds of +260.

Viewers can follow the match via BT Sport 3 (UK) and B/R Live (U.S.). Kick-off will be at 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET.

       

Form Guide

Barcelona have won four straight matches in La Liga to reclaim the lead in the standings, overtaking Real Madrid in the process.

Things haven't always clicked under new manager Quique Setien, but the Blaugrana are improving and put together their best performance yet on Saturday in a 5-0 win over Eibar:

Napoli have also been in good form of late, winning four of their last five in Serie A. Gennaro Gattuso's side have had their fair share of luck at times, but they've also shown a ton of resilience.

Their last win, a comeback victory against Brescia, was a prime example:

Napoli sit nine points outside the top four in the Serie A table, and barring a collapse from Atalanta, the Partenopei's only chance of qualifying for the 2020-21 Champions League will be by winning it this year.

       

Preview

Barcelona will be in high spirits after their big win over the weekend, but that came against an overwhelmed Eibar team that barely showed up for the match.

The Catalans have struggled when taking a step up in competition under Setien, with losses against Valencia and Athletic Bilbao―the latter in the Copa del Rey―and a narrow win over Getafe.

Napoli have a tendency to play up or down to the level of their opponents. They struggled against Brescia and Cagliari, but they also beat Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia and bagged a win over Juventus in Serie A on January 26.

They're unbeaten in Europe this season and handed Liverpool their first loss of the campaign in September. The Partenopei are not to be taken lightly, even if Barcelona are favourites.

Lionel Messi carries superb form into this match, after scoring four goals against Eibar and assisting six in his previous four matches. He's having another fantastic season:

⚽ ✅ Top scorer: Messi (18)
🎁 ✅ Top assists: Messi (12)#Messi is having a 🔝 class season for @FCBarcelona in #LaLigaSantader! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/tWLYjstdvS

— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) February 23, 2020

Barcelona's dependence on the Ballon d'Or winner is no secret, and he's the one man Napoli will try to mark out of the contest.

In Kostas Manolas, the Italian side have someone with experience of that assignment, as he had a key role in AS Roma's shutout win at home in April 2018, which knocked Barca out of the competition at the quarter-final stage.

The Camp Nou side will have to find a way to slow down the extraordinary Fabian Ruiz, who is a master at conducting the Napoli midfield and is finding his form at a crucial time, with two goals in his last three matches. That task could fall to Frenkie de Jong, who should be fresh after a substitute appearance against Eibar.

        

Prediction: Napoli 2-2 Barcelona