Dortmund were comfortably able to secure a 2-0 win in the first leg against Atalanta, putting them in a commanding position to feature in the Champions League round of 16. Atalanta struggled to create any noteworthy chances - despite having more of the ball than Dortmund, the visitors managed just seven shots worth 0.47 xG. 

Meanwhile, Dortmund were devastatingly efficient on the counter, registering nine shots worth 2.1 xG. The Black and Yellows have been strong in the final third recently and have scored multiple goals in each of their last five matches across all competitions. Serhou Guirassy, in particular, comes into this clash in a purple patch, with six goals in those five matches. 

It’s going to be a tough ask for Atalanta to keep Dortmund out, but the Bergamo side will definitely pose more of a threat on home turf. They secured a 2-1 win against Napoli at the weekend, which will provide a much-needed confidence boost. 

With that being said, Benfica do need to push for goals in order to try and progress here,  and for me, there’s enough to like about their forward line to suggest they’ll get on the scoresheet here and give the 15-time champions something to think about.

Whilst they did lose three of their four away league phase games to nil, these were against high-calibre opposition in Chelsea, Newcastle, and Juventus, who can likely beat most teams without conceding on a going day at home. They will likely take confidence in the fact that they have recently put four past this very side, and knowing they are chasing a game means they will have to fashion chances from the start to stand any chance of reaching the last 16.

Even in the admittedly weak Portuguese league, they still average 1.91 goals per game away from home, and with the experience in the ranks of Vangelis Pavlidis and Rafa Silva, they’ll be hopeful of forcing a close tie.

That means the visitors can afford to lose by one or two goals, and they will still progress to the next round.

Still, Galatasaray will want to keep things tight, knowing that they won’t be able to find as much success in the final third as they did on home turf. They are likely to sit in a deep, pragmatic block, aiming to keep things compact. That means Juventus could control possession and exert a lot more dominance on the game than they did in the first leg. 

Juventus managed just seven shots in the reverse, but they were reduced to ten men in the 67th minute, and this should be a very different game. They are averaging 18.39 shots per game at the Allianz Stadium, with 6.5 shots on target. That has translated to an average of 4.61 opposition saves per game, so Ugurcan Cakir will have to keep his wits about him.

Monaco mustered up just 20% possession in the first leg, as they opted for quite a pragmatic approach from the first whistle. They also weren’t helped by the red card. Because of that, they registered eleven fouls, to PSG’s four, resulting in two yellow cards and the red.

This selection also landed comfortably when these sides met in the league back in November.

Once again, Monaco were shown a straight red card - this time awarded to Thilo Kehrer for a last man challenge against his former club. Monaco were shown an additional three yellow cards.

Monaco have been an aggressive side this season, and they are averaging 2.57 cards per match, rising to 3.11 when playing away. If the game does get stretched, there should be space for PSG to exploit, which makes cynical fouls probable, and cards a target.