The last-16 ties will begin to reach their climax…
This week sees the return of the Champions League last-16 ties, with the second legs of each respective clash. After cagey reverse fixtures, where teams were understandably unwilling to overstretch themselves, making sure they didn’t put the game beyond themselves, we can expect to see some top performances from some of Europe’s biggest names this time around.
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Here are the five players we can’t wait to see in action:
Diego Costa (Chelsea)
The former Atletico Madrid striker will want to go one better this season, after his Champions League final heartbreak last season against Real Madrid. With Chelsea’s tie against PSG perfectly poised for this week’s second leg, the eyes of all Blues will be on Costa to deliver after scoring 17 Premier League goals.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain)
Widely regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous hitmen, Ibrahimovic had a couple of opportunities in the first leg at Parc-des-Princes. The Swede was part of the squad which was defeated by Chelsea in the quarter-finals last season and won’t want Stamford Bridge Groundhog Day. He has the ability to drive the team on and will be looking to fire PSG through.
Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk)
The Brazilian is this year’s Champions League top goalscorer, racking up nine so far with five coming in Shakhtar’s 7-0 demolition away at BATE Borisov. If the Ukrainians are to have any chance of victory in their daunting away leg against Bayern Munich, they will surely look to their talisman.
Jackson Martinez (Porto)
According to the Express, Jackson Martinez is being lined up for a summer move to Liverpool and with Porto’s Champions League tie against Basel being tantalisingly poised, the Colombian will hope he can be the difference. Martinez, who played with Real Madrid star and countryman James Rodriguez at the Portuguese giants, has scored an impressive 22 goals in 30 appearances this season. This week will provide a chance for Liverpool fans and management to look at him.
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
Gareth Bale has come in for heavy criticism, along with Ballon D’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, following Real Madrid surrendering top spot in La Liga following their 1-0 loss against Athletic Bilbao. The Welshman will see their home game against Schalke as a chance to get back into form after a frustrating few weeks.
David Luiz
The curly-haired Brazilian won’t be looking to take any prisoners on his return to Stamford Bridge. With Paris Saint-Germain needing to score a goal, David Luiz will be in determined mood. The first leg saw Luiz show he wouldn’t show his former employers any special treatment and it is likely to be a similar story this time round.