PARIS: The Champions League narrative is so often about Manchester City and Real Madrid.
The past two champions of Europe were the only teams to sweep through the group stage with six wins. They also are first in action on Tuesday when the most prized competition in club football resumes in the round of 16.
City are away to a FC Copenhagen team playing in the knockout stage for the first time in 13 years and Real are at RB Leipzig for the first leg.
Pep Guardiola has been busy playing down City’s chances of repeating their remarkable treble triumph of last year, when they retained the English Premier League title and won the FA Cup before claiming their first ever Champions League crown.
Yet City seem to be finding their very best form again just at the right time, and they head to Denmark on a run of 10 straight wins in all competitions.
Copenhagen are into the knockout phase of Europe’s elite club competition for just the second time, and first since 2011.
They held City at home in last season’s group stage and beat Manchester United 4-3 earlier this season at their Parken Stadium, so Tuesday’s game will perhaps not be straightforward for the reigning champions.
But Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne’s comebacks from injury make the holders look formidable.
City’s winning run, that began while Haaland and De Bruyne were still sidelined by injury, has only gained momentum since they made their return.
Haaland scored his first goals since November as City eventually broke down Everton to win 2-0 at the Etihad on Saturday.
De Bruyne had started on the bench with the Champions League in mind as Guardiola manages the Belgian’s minutes after his season began with a hamstring tear that ruled him out for five months.
But the 32-year-old has looked like his old self since returning with seven goal contributions in eight games this season and Guardiola’s team will surely be far too strong over two legs.
Led by Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, Real should also have too much for Leipzig, whose coach Marco Rose shut down suggestions his side would be outsiders.
“They’re in good shape. They know what it means to play in this competition and win it, we have to concentrate on everyone,” Rose told a press conference on Monday.
“But we have a good squad, good players. We’re going to give everything on the pitch and take our chances. We want to get a good result for this first leg, we want to be competitive with the ball, in possession. We are not afraid of anyone.”
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real are in superb form in La Liga despite being hampered by a cascade of injuries in defence.
Bellingham has a La Liga-leading 15 goals after also scoring twice in a 4-0 rout of second-placed Girona on Saturday. But Bellingham has an ankle injury, having asked to be substituted Saturday, and is a doubt to face Leipzig.
At the same time Real were imperious in their domestic title-chasing clash, Bayern Munich were falling to an embarrassing 3-0 loss at Bayer Leverkusen in their own table-topping game.
Bayern now trail Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen by five points and their run of 11 league titles is at risk again after barely holding on to the trophy on the last day last season.
The 2020 Champions League winners visit Lazio on Wednesday with their aura dimmed despite Harry Kane’s 28 goals this season and coming through the group stage unbeaten for the sixth straight year.
Kane and his team-mates will hope that the return to continental competition brings out the best in them, especially with the increasing prospect that the England star’s first season in Germany might end without a major trophy.
Also on Wednesday, Paris St Germain host Real Sociedad, the surprise winners of a group ahead of last season’s beaten finalists Inter Milan.
PSG are the in-form team though they were edged for first place in a tough group won by Borussia Dortmund.
The French champions — with Kylian Mbappe in the last few months of his contract — are unbeaten in all competitions for three months, since a 2-1 loss at AC Milan.
PSG have been eliminated in the first knockout round in five of the last seven seasons, and it seems certain that this will be their last chance to win the Champions League with Mbappe in their ranks.
The France captain’s future appears likely to lie elsewhere — most probably with Real — as his contract expires after this campaign.
The first-leg games continue on Feb 20 when Inter go to Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven host Dortmund. On Feb 21, Napoli host Barcelona and Porto host Arsenal. Second-leg games are played from March 5-13.
By AFP
