Inter surge back; Barcelona, Napoli get last chance in Champions League
After Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid and Manchester City seized centre stage last week, the Champions League spotlight can now shine on others.
The four remaining first-leg games in the round of 16 this week have the beaten finalists last season, the champions of Italy and Spain, plus the team with the best record in any of the top European leagues this season.
Inter Milan host Atletico Madrid today as the clear leader in Serie A and looking a more solid contender now than on their run to the final against Man City last year.
Napoli host Barcelona tomorrow in a pairing of teams unlikely to retain their domestic league titles and seem to have just one chance left to win a trophy this season. PSV Eindhoven are hot favourites to win the Dutch league, having dropped the fewest points (four, drawing two of 22 games) and amassed the widest goal difference (60) in any of the major European leagues. PSV host Borussia Dortmund today in a clash of clubs that each lifted the European Cup trophy once. Arsenal go to Porto tomorrow after back-to-back away wins by a combined score of 11-0 in the English Premier League (EPL).
Arsenal are the only English team in European action this week, though their title rivals at home, Liverpool and Man City, have an EPL game in midweek.
INTER’S PROGRESS
Inter Milan were unexpected finalists last season, avoiding any English or Spanish opponents in the knockout rounds until the final. An unlucky 1-0 loss to Manchester City in Istanbul showed doubters the three-time European champions were worth their place.
Inter go to Madrid after six straight wins in Serie A helped them build a nine-point lead ahead of Sunday’s games.
Inter and Atletico will put up their traditionally solid defences against productive attacks this season: Inter’s Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram have combined for 35 goals in all competitions, while the Álvaro Morata- Antoine Griezmann duo has 37 for Atletico.
LAST CHANCE
Much is at stake for Barcelona and Napoli in their two meetings over the next three weeks, starting at the Italian club’s stadium named for Diego Maradona.
Each trail by a distance in defence of their domestic league title, both are out of the domestic cup and whoever are eliminated in the Champions League cannot qualify for the lucrative 32-team Club World Cup that FIFA relaunches next year in the United States of America.
Barcelona coach Xavi will leave at the end of the season, and his successor likely will inherit a Champions League entry.
Napoli are currently ninth in Serie A, and the only route back to the Champions League for coach Walter Mazzarri, who replaced the fired Rudi Garcia during the group stage, could be to win this one.