UEFA Champions League Last-16 round resumes Wednesday, featuring matches between FC Barcelona and Manchester City along with the showdown between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus.
FC Barcelona won the opening leg of the matchup, 2-1, and will look to formalize their entry to the quarterfinals when they host Manchester City at Camp Nou.
With a 2-1 lead and playing in front of their hometown crowd, most analysts consider FC Barcelona as favorite to win the Last-16 tie and advance to the next round. FC Barcelona also defeated Manchester City in the Last-16 last season with an aggregate score of 4-1, but Barca boss Luis Enrique said played down the significance of that victory.
"What happened last season has no repercussions," Enrique said via ESPN FC. "This season we have had a good first leg but with only one game you won't go through to the next round. We know we have to have a very good second leg to be capable of getting the better of our rival again."
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has been under fire since losing to Barcelona in the opening leg and because of their recent performances in the Barclays Premier League. But while there are talks suggesting that his job at City is not safe, Pellegrini does not mind as he is focused on scoring a big win against Barcelona.
"We're second in the Premier League, still playing strong and are going to fight to prove it," Pellegrini said on Tuesday. "It is a good opportunity for our team and the only way to prove it is to beat one of the biggest teams in Europe and we have that chance."
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund will look to bounce back from their disappointing loss in the first leg when they host Juventus at Signal Iduna Park in Germany.
Borussia Dortmund took a 2-1 loss to Juventus in Italy late last month with Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata overshadowing the goal scored by Marcos Reus. Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp is still confident of their chances, but he knows that it will not be easy despite playing in front of the fans.
"If things go well for us, then it's going to be exciting for a long time, but I don't think it's very likely that we will shoot them down right at the start," Klopp said. "Juve are a results machine. They are going to play for the result like they did at their place and it's going to be up to us to create a spectacle."
Both matches are scheduled to start at 3:45 p.m. ET. The Barcelona-City match will be available on Fox Sports 1, while Fox Sports 2 will air the Dortmund-Juventus showdown. Fans can also catch the action on Fox Sports Go and Fox Soccer 2Go. Results and live scores will be available here, while highlights will be posted on this link.
