Champions League: Massive battle at the Etihad

Champions League playoffs begin! PSG faces Brest, City battles Real Madrid, Juventus hosts PSV, and Sporting takes on Dortmund in high-stakes clashes.

It's the battle of the round at the Etihad, struggling Manchester City against the Los Blancos, this will be some game at the Etihad. (Photo credit: Opta)

The Champions League playoffs kick off on Tuesday, and it’s crunch time for the reigning champions and the team that won it before them; how did they both get into this hole? Story for another day.

Here’s a quick look at the Tuesday fixtures and what we expect from the games. To set the record straight, these sixteen teams were the ones who finished between 9th and 24th on the log after the group phase of the Champions League's new format.

First up is an all-French affair at the home of debutants Stade Brestois as they host their big brothers PSG, a game many expect to go only one way, and we’re inclined to agree because the momentum lies with the log leaders in France right now.

PSG beat Brest recently, but this will be a totally different game. Make no mistake, there’s no shame in Brest crashing out at this stage; not many gave them a chance at the start, but look at them, and PSG must be wary of an upset, but over two legs, the champions should get the job done.

Isn’t it strange that at least four of the teams playing on Tuesday were expected to be among the top eight? PSG, Juventus, Real Madrid, and Manchester City are all playing on Tuesday, and only three of them can realistically advance with the champions of the last two seasons squaring up.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has said the game at the Etihad will be treated like an El Clásico, while Manchester City cannot afford to be as poor as they’ve been recently in this one; this is probably their biggest game of the season.

Real Madrid is depleted at the back while the Premier League champions are depleted on confidence, and if you saw how they laboured past Leyton Orient at the weekend, you’ll understand why they’re not the favourite in this one.

Away from the biggest one, Juventus is home to PSV Eindhoven; luckily for the Italian side, they can field their new star boy, Randal Kolo Muani, despite already playing for PSG; the new rule allows players to play in a new round, so PSV should be prepared for him.

In the final game of the night, two yo-yo clubs go head to head with Sporting Lisbon hosting Borussia Dortmund. How do you explain that Sporting went from a feared side to a poor one? Despite changing managers, BVB is still struggling. Where will this one swing to?