Letters are deaf. They do not care about the status of the stars or the thickness of wallets. This once again was proven by the draws of the UEFA Champions League, which in the round of 16 already brought together several football giants from the continent. "FC Barcelona" against "Manchester City", "Paris Saint-Germain" against London's "Chelsea" and Turin's "Juventus" against Dortmund's "Borussia". These are the three most striking matchups of the Champions League round of 16. "Žinios.lt" reviews all the round of 16 matches and gives its verdict on which team has better chances to go further. "FC Barcelona" – "Manchester City" (55-45%) Do you remember last season's round of 16? It’s possible that both "Barcelona" and even more so, "Manchester City", remember it. The first match in Manchester was especially scandalous, starting with an uncalled foul against the "City" player, and ending with a red card for the hosts and Lionel Messi converting a penalty kick. In that short time, all the dreams of the "City" fans collapsed, and "Barcelona" firmly secured their spot in the quarterfinals. Pressure. This year, only one word will be on the minds of "Man City" players. Will the pressure be enough? It is likely that the "City" team will strengthen during the winter transfer window, but "Barcelona" is also a more serious and solid team this season than under the leadership of Gerardo Martino. This is why the pride of Catalonia has slightly higher chances, and all football fans can only hope that these teams settle their relationship on the field, without any scandalous referee decisions. London's "Chelsea" – "Paris Saint-Germain" (60-40%) Russian oil millions against Qatari oil/gas millions. Clubs with wide bank accounts can buy any player, but judging by the acquisition strategy itself, sympathy should lean towards "Chelsea." Jose Mourinho has a well-oiled machine this season, with Cesc Fabregas at the helm, and goals coming from all over – starting with defenders and ending with Diego Costa. Why is "Chelsea" the favorite? Because the defense of "Paris Saint-Germain" (especially David Luiz) does not inspire any confidence, and in the Champions League, the stage starts where defense and a perfectly executed game plan will determine everything. J. Mourinho has never coached a team that dared not to implement his plan in the most important matches. Dortmund's "Borussia" – Turin's "Juventus" (55-45%) Another breath-taking pair that will undoubtedly provide 180 or even more minutes of fantastic football. Especially intriguing and perhaps crucial will be the battles in the midfield. "Borussia" will offer Ilkay Gundogan, Nuri Sahin, Marco Reus, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, while "Juventus" will field maestro Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, and Arturo Vidal. These clashes will determine the fate of the ticket, and "Borussia" has the upper hand in terms of coaches – Jurgen Klopp is simply better than Massimiliano Allegri.
Gediminas Reklaitis, zinios.lt
