English teams face a make-or-break moment in Europe
Following disappointing results in the first legs of the round of 16, the nine Premier League representatives must step up their game to reach the quarter-finals.
Tuesday sees Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in action. The Gunners are in the strongest position, having secured a valuable draw against Bayer Leverkusen in Germany. By contrast, Chelsea and Manchester City must overturn three-goal deficits against PSG and Real Madrid, respectively. It looks like a tall order for them to achieve.
Wednesday’s outlook is no easier for the English sides either. Newcastle face a make-or-break match at Camp Nou against Barcelona following the first-leg draw. Tottenham are all but out after being thrashed by Atlético Madrid and given the Londoners’ current run of form. Finally, Liverpool must overturn a one-goal deficit at Anfield against Galatasaray. Arne Slot’s side have the quality and potential to pull it off.
Champions League Round of 16 second-leg fixtures
- Arsenal - Bayer Leverkusen (17/03 20:00 TNT Sports, TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+)
- Chelsea - PSG (17/03 20:00 TNT Sports 2 and Discovery)
- Manchester City - Real Madrid (17/03 20:00 Amazon Prime Video)
- Barcelona v Newcastle (18/03 17:45 TNT Sports, TNT Sports 2 and Discovery+)
- Tottenham v Atlético Madrid (18/03 20:00 TNT Sports, TNT Sports 3 and Discovery+)
- Liverpool v Galatasaray (18/03 20:00 TNT Sports, TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+)
Different situations in the Europa League and the Conference League
In the Europa League, the English teams find themselves in different situations. Nottingham Forest, who are fighting for survival in the Premier League, travel to Denmark aiming to overturn the tie against a Midtjylland side that won by the narrowest of margins on English soil. The situation is clear: if Forest fail to win, they will be eliminated from Europe.
Aston Villa are in a better position. Unai Emery’s side secured a valuable narrow victory against Lille in France, so at Villa Park they must seal their place in the Europa League quarter-finals. The Birmingham side are one of the favourites to win the second-tier European competition and this is another route for them to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
Finally, in the Conference League, Crystal Palace will face AEK Larnaca in a one-off tie in Cyprus. Last week’s match in London ended goalless, so everything will be decided in Cyprus. The Londoners are the stronger side and have better players, but they must prove it on the pitch or they will be knocked out sooner than they’d like.
Europa League and Conference League second-leg fixtures
- Midtjylland - Nottingham Forest (19/03 17:45 TNT Sports, TNT Sports 2 and Discovery+)
- Aston Villa - Lille (19/03 20:00 TNT Sports, TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+)
- AEK Larnaca - Crystal Palace (19/03 17:45 TNT Sports, TNT Sports 3 and Discovery+)
