The knockout stage of the Champions league begins this week with Barcelona looking to extend its successful record against Paris Saint-Germain, and defending champion Real Madrid trying to confirm its favoritism over Napoli.
Borussia Dortmund and its record-breaking attack takes on Portuguese champion Benfica, while Arsenal face Bayern Munich trying to avoid its seventh-straight elimination in the Round of 16. Bayern, which won the title four years ago, is going for its fourth-consecutive semifinal appearance.
Five-time champion Barcelona eliminated PSG in the quarterfinals in 2013 and 2015, and lost only one of the last six games against the French club in the European competition, in the group stage in 2014.
PSG vs Barca
It's not just about Paris Saint-Germain stopping lionel Messi on Tuesday. Barcelona also has to find a way to contain Edinson Cavani.
Cavani has scored nine goals in his last six games, and 33 in all competitions this season, which is one more than Messi has. Cavani is well on track to shatter his career-best mark of 38, set with former club Napoli.
Messi and Cavani enter the duel at Parc des Princes as the Champion league's top scorers — Messi with 10 and Cavani with six.
Barcelona has also been able to rely on Messi's teammates Neymar and luis Suarez, but PSG remains highly dependent on Cavani. Only Brazilian winger lucas has hit double figures this season aside from Cavani.
BENFICA-DORTMUND
Borussia Dortmund thrived in the group stage and set the competition's all-time scoring record with 21 goals in six games, but the squad is under pressure following disappointing recent performances in Germany.
"We're finding it really hard ... to show this sharpness in these games away from the big stage, away from the spotlight," Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said following the Bundesliga loss to bottom club Darmstadt on Saturday, a result that left the team 15 points behind leader Bayern Munich.
Runner-up in the Champions league in 2012-13, Dortmund is trying to make it past the last 16 for the first time since 2013-14. Benfica is playing in the knockout stage for the second straight season, a first for the club. It was eliminated by Bayern Munich in last year's quarterfinals.
Tie him up: lucas jokes on Messi
Paris Saint-Germain winger lucas jokes that the only way to stop lionel Messi is "to tie him up."
The Brazilian can afford to laugh for he doesn't have to defend against Messi on Tuesday night, when Barcelona arrives for the first leg of their Champions league match.
With a quarterfinal place at stake, PSG has only itself to blame for landing Barcelona after finishing second in its group behind Arsenal.
last season's elimination against Manchester City cost Blanc his job despite back-to-back domestic trebles and a hefty new contract signed just months before. losing to Barcelona in the 2013 and 2015 quarterfinals was less unexpected. Knocking out the Catalan giant this time would send out a strong message.
"No team is unbeatable, but of course for me they are the favorites," lucas said.
"They are the best team in the world, you have to respect them."
Messi is playing some of the best football of his career — though that seems to happen most seasons.
Messi is the Champions league's top scorer this season with 10 goals in five games, having missed one.
Asked how to stop Messi, lucas laughs. "legallyIJ" he asks. "For me it's impossible to stop him. You have to tie him up."
More seriously, lucas says, there is no point trying to man-mark a player whose mind works even faster than his feet, and who is as elusive as a ghost. "The tactic is preventing the ball getting to him," lucas said. "You must be very, very organised."