As we head towards the Champions League quarter-final ties, one stands out in particular: Barcelona v Bayern Munich.
Of all of the eight teams left in the competition, the pair are the only sides to have previously won it.
The prospect of two of Europe’s heavyweights going head-to-head over a single knockout game is mouth-watering, not least because there are so many individual battles to be played out.
Manuel Neuer v Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Robert Lewandowski v Gerard Pique, Lionel Messi v Jerome Boateng, Alphonso Davies v Nelson Semedo, Arturo Vidal v Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry v Jordi Alba…
For the neutral football fan this will surely be manna from heaven and whilst the Bavarians may be the overwhelming favourites, you can never write off a team with Leo Messi in it.
Particularly when the Argentinian is hunting his fifth Champions League title and the Catalans are, unusually, being labelled as the underdogs. That’s unlikely to sit well at the Camp Nou.
With over 50 goals this season, the expectation that Lewandowski might settle the tie is acknowledged, and there’s another reason why the Polish front man will be hungry for more goals.
At present, he already has 13 in this season’s competition per Mundo Deportivo, just four behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 17 which was achieved in the 2013/14 season.
Against an ageing and reasonably laboured Barca central defensive pairing, Lewandowski could have some rich pickings in Lisbon.
With the potential for two more games after this one, Ronaldo’s record could be in danger.