FC PORTO VS ARSENAL
Arsenal have never won the Champions League before, but FC Porto were winners under José Mourinho with a certain Benni McCarthy in their side in the 2003/04 season. The Portuguese side were also champions in 1986/87.
The Gunners will be favourites for this tie given the star-studded nature of their squad, but Porto are defensively sound and have several matchwinners in their team too. The sides have met six times before in the Champions League, but not since 2010, when Arsenal romped to a 5-0 success. Overall, the London club lead the head-to-head 3-2 with a single draw, but all three of their victories were at home without conceding a goal.
NAPOLI VS BARCELONA
Italian champions Napoli have not been able to rediscover their form of last season but come up against a Barça side who are nowhere near as dominant as they once were when Lionel. Messi used to run the show. Nigeria star Victor Osimhen is the obvious danger from the Napoli side, with his lethal finishing in the box and ability to create chances for others. He will relish this challenge. The first leg will be played at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, named after the man who represented both these clubs with such distinction. Napoli reached the quarterfinals last year, their best finish in the Champions League. They lost to Barça in the round of 16 in 2019/20. The Spanish giants are five-time winners of the competition, but not since 2014/15. They have won five of their eight matches against Napoli, with two draws and a single defeat.
5 Erling Haaland equalled Lionel Messi's tally for the most goals in a single UEFA Champions League round of 16 game when he scored five against RB Leipzig in 2022/23. Messi netted five against another German side, Bayer Leverkusen, in 2012.
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Soccer Club.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 2024-utgaven av Soccer Club.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
WORLD CUP DREAM BURNS BRIGHT
Neil Tovey Former Bafana Bafana captain
CONTINENTAL QUEENS
AS BANYANA BANYANA WAIT TO DEFEND THEIR TITLE AT THE WOMEN'S AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS, WE LOOK BACK AT THEIR PAST PERFORMANCES IN THE COMPETITION
TABLE TOPPERS
THE TOP 10 IN THE ALL-TIME PSL TABLE SINCE THE START OF THE 1996/97 SEASON MAKES FOR INTERESTING READING
WHO ARE BAYER LEVERKUSEN?
'Invincible' Bayer Leverkusen swept to a maiden German Bundesliga title in 2023/24. But who are they?
SET-PIECE SECRET
THE THROW-IN MAY SEEM A MUNDANE PART OF FOOTBALL, BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYE
PSL SHARPSHOOTERS
AS THE NEW 2024/25 SEASON BEGINS, BOTH BRADLEY GROBLER AND PETER SHALULILE CAN TAKE AIM AT THE PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE'S GOALSCORING RECORD AS WE RUN DOWN THE TOP MARKSMEN SINCE 1996
BALANCING THE BOOKS
CAPE TOWN CITY HAVE TO FOREVER SELL PLAYERS TO BREAK EVEN. HERE ARE 11 TOP STARS THEY HAVE ALLOWED TO LEAVE IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS
INTO THE BIG TIME
CLINTON LARSEN HAS LED LITTLE KNOWN LIMPOPO CLUB MAGESI FC TO THE ELITE LEAGUE OF SOUTH AFRICAN FOOTBALL
REDEMPTION
THEMBINKOSI LORCH FACES ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SEASONS IN HIS CAREER IN 2024/25
AFRICA'S PIONEERS
AFRICA'S INFLUENCE ON ELITE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL IS NOT A NEW THING