Since 1964, January has been a month that the Champions League would "sleep through", but with the new system this season, it has become crucial when it comes to the first phase of UEFA's elite.
The first month of the year will bring the last two rounds during which important decisions will be made - the names of the eight teams that will directly advance to the round of 16 will be revealed, as well as the other XNUMX that will have to compete for it through the playoffs.
Currently, only Liverpool and Barcelona have secured a place in the knockout phase, but all teams, including these two giants, will have their own calculations and fight for the best possible positions before the European spring.
Tuesday and Wednesday bring the matches of the penultimate seventh round, and the absolute derby tomorrow will be played between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City - not only because of the strength of both rivals, but also because the loser would risk relegation after the first phase of the Champions League.
Currently, the "Saints" hold 25th position, the first below the line that guarantees passage, while the "Citizens" are 22nd.
When it comes to today's program, the most notable pairing is Atletico Madrid - Bayer Leverkusen, and it is these two teams that show how small the difference is between the teams that are in the Top 8 and those that are struggling to break into that group - the German champion is currently in fourth place with 13 points, while the "Colchoneros" are in 11th place with just one point less.
- We are playing against a phenomenal rival, who plays fast, has great transition and players who position themselves perfectly. Xabi Alonso "He's doing a great job, he showed it last season, and this season he's on a great path to do it all again," he said. Diego Simeone, Athletics coach.
And how good Bayer is this season is also shown by what they have done. Florian Wirtz and teammates have won 11 games in a row and are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions.
An important match will be played in Belgrade, where Red Star welcomes PSV Eindhoven. The Serbian champion, who has survived catastrophic defeats this season, but also “danced” like against Stuttgart, could stay in the game for the next phase with a victory and maybe decide everything in the last round against Young Boys in Bern. On the other hand, “Phillips” are 23, so it is clear that even the leader of the Dutch championship has no room for error tonight.
- PSV is at a high level in all segments, and we will have to play at the edge of the maximum. And the fans will have to help us, although I know it will be cold. The timing is strange, but let's all give our maximum... If that happens, the result will come - he emphasized Vladan Milojevic, coach of Red Star.
Liverpool, the leader and the only undefeated team, is calm when it comes to the knockout stage, but tonight they will have an interesting rival - French Lille, who have defeated Real and Atletico this season, and played to a draw with Juventus.
When it comes to the great from Turin, he has a match against Club Brugge away and perhaps a new opportunity for our Vasilija Adžić that after a few minutes against Milan at the weekend, he will play on the big stage again.
The Atalanta-Sturm and Monaco-Aston Villa matches start at 18.45:21 PM, and the remaining seven at XNUMX PM.
Bonus video:
