The second leg of the Champions League round of 16 continues tonight with two very tight ties. Paris will travel to to Germany for this game and they must absolutely win if they want to to qualify for the quarterfinals. The hosts will only need a draw to advance. Tottenham welcomes Milan in London and Antonio Conte's side have to win this second leg after losing the first one 1-0 in Italy.
Bayern Munich v PSG (Allianz Arena; 1-0)
Julian Nagelsmann's men enter this return game against Paris in a very confident way. The Bavarian side is top of the Bundesliga with 49 points and won the first leg of Champions League round of 16 away from home in Paris. Despite being top of their domestic league, they are still in a very tight battle. Their defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach at the weekend allowed Dortmund to come back to equal points with them.
In the Champions League, Bayern Munich played a very good game against Paris. Despite Benjamin Pavard's red card in the late stages of the match, everything was perfectly managed. They were very threatening and didn't allow the French team to have dangerous attacks until Kylian Mbappe came in and changed the dynamic of the game. Munich defended well for the last twenty minutes and are now entering the return leg, at home, in the best way possible.
Nagelsmann told the press that he is aware that Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are the major threats for them:
He’s going to play from the start tomorrow, we can’t stop him every time. That’s what Thomas [Muller] said. Mbappé had three good opportunities in the first leg. We can’t be defending all the time, otherwise it will be difficult.
Talking about the Argentinian genius, the German coach said it will be important for them to "cut off passes to Messi and to keep him from changing direction".
PSG managed to bounce back from their bad form and came back winning all there games since that defeat to Bayern Munich in Paris. Christophe Galthier's side were on a run of three straight defeats against Monaco in the league, Marseille in the cup and Munich in the Champions League.
Many fans were wondering if there team could change their losing dynamic into a winning one. It is the small victory against Lille, 4-3 that made Paris go back to winning ways. They are now on a run of three consecutive wins including one against Marseille away from home (3-0). They will hope to continue that run as they travel to Germany in the search of a win that will keep their European hopes alive.
Galtier has made it clear that Champions League is their biggest objective this season:
At Paris all matches are important. The Champions League is a goal for the Club.
Club star Kylian Mbappe told the media that the outcome of this match will not determine his future at the club:
I don't think this match will have an impact. I am here and I am very happy to be here. I am not thinking about anything other than making PSG successful.
Galtier confirmed that Neymar is out for the season.
Tottenham v Milan AC (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; 0-1)
Tottenham will welcome Milan tonight and a win is the only solution possible to make it through to the next round. They will enter this game with a one goal deficit after loosing in Italy 1-0. An early goal from Brahim Diaz in the seventh minute allowed Milan to beat the Spurs.
The London side are on two defeats in a row including a cup loss against second division Sheffield United. They might have been preparing for today's Champions League game but nevertheless it remains an embarrassing defeat for Antonio Conte's team. They're currently in the race for a Top 4 place in the Premier League, and are only three points ahead of Liverpool in the league with a game at hand.
Antonio Conte will be back by the sideline after he had a successful surgery. He says he has a lot of "energy" and that he stated:
I will try to transfer my energy to my players because it is an important game for us.
He also added that their main problem is to work with pressure:
Maybe if there is one thing that we have to try to improve, the whole environment here, is to live with the pressure. To live with the pressure means to sometimes be a bit stressed and not always to be in peace with yourself, but to stress yourself and to put pressure in a positive way.
Stefano Pioli's Milan enter this return leg with a one goal lead. Thanks to their victory at home in the San Siro stadium against Tottenham, they only need a draw to make it to the quarter finals.
In the league, Milan are still in touching distance of their biggest rivals and second place Inter Milan. There is only eights points separating second placed Inter to sixth placed Atalanta. Milan are in a very good position to make it to the quarter finals. They will need to play there best football if they want to continue and end up winning this title.
Milan will travel to England without one man and it is the one that gave them the victory in the first leg. Brahim Diaz sustained a knee injury after that match against Atalanta.
SEE ALSO: Paul Scholes Concerned By Lisandro Martinez Trait That Cost Man United At Anfield
