High-profile rematches top the bill

The UEFA Champions League resumes this week with the first four Round of 16 ties getting under way. Two of them are rematches from last season, with Schalke entertaining defending champions Real Madrid again and Paris Saint-Germain welcoming Chelsea, the team who knocked them out in last year’s quarter-finals. Elsewhere, Shakhtar Donetsk receive a visit from Bayern Munich and Basel play host to Porto.

The continental elite are very well represented in the final stages of this season’s competition. No fewer than 13 of the top 16 clubs in the UEFA ranking have won through to the last 16, with the only absentees being Benfica, Manchester United and Valencia. The three sides replacing them are Basel, Juventus and AS Monaco, who are respectively ranked 17th, 21st and 74th.

Reigning world champions Germany are the only country to have all four of their representatives still in the running (Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke), the same quartet that flew the flag for the nation last year. They are followed by Spain and England with three clubs apiece, France with two and Italy, Portugal, Switzerland and Ukraine with one each.
This week’s fixtures

Tuesday 17 February 
Paris Saint-Germain-Chelsea
Shakhtar Donetsk-Bayern Munich

Wednesday 18 February 
Basel-Porto
Schalke-Real Madrid

Fifa.com              

Maher Taki

You might also like
Latest news
Minister al-Ali  discusses with Syrian doctors  in Germany ways to support the health sector Eid al-Fitr Initiative " a message of hope and love for children and families” The organization of Islamic Cooperation condemns the ongoing Israeli attacks on Syrian territory The health sector in Gaza is suffering a catastrophic situation Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli attacks on Syria          Turkey holds Israel responsible for threatening regional security First phase of prisoner exchange deal between the government and the SDF completed Repeated Israeli raids on Syria receive wide condemnation Presidential Decree announcing the ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republ... United Nations condemns repeated Israeli escalation in Syria Emmanuel Macron:Trump's tariffs are a shock to international trade Will Syria Be Affected by Trump’s Decision of imposing Tariffs Qatar calls for urgent international action to stop repeated Israeli raids on Syria Prisoner exchange between the Internal Security Directorate in Aleppo and the SDF involves 250 priso... Syrian doctors in Germany launch campaign to perform hundreds of surgeries in six Syrian provinces Delegation of Syrian Jews in Washington meet with members of US Congress, call for lifting sanctions... Jordan and Egypt condemn the latest Israeli aggression on Syria Funeral of the martyrs in the Israeli aggression that targeted Nawa city in Daraa Jordan's King stresses need to support Syria's efforts to maintain its security and stability Trump's new tariffs affect Syria by 41%