Champions League: Madrid derby takes center stage, Arsenal faces PSV

Real Madrid faces Atletico in a fierce UCL clash, Arsenal battles PSV amid struggles, and Dortmund takes on Lille. Can Aston Villa redeem their season

Real Madrid's stuttering season will be tested by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, which of them will make it to the last 8? (Photo credit: Opta)

Real Madrid suffered a shock defeat at Real Betis over the weekend, a result they take into their round of 16 clash against city rivals Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the Champions League.

The reigning champions didn’t need full brilliance to dispatch Manchester City in the playoffs, with the latter struggling and not able to put their best foot forward but, a game against a team they have a rich history with on home front and in Europe will hit differently.

Jude Bellingham will sit this one out; the England midfielder bagged a yellow card against Manchester City in the playoffs, which rules him out of this one, while the champions will also be without Dani Ceballos, who is carrying an injury.

Atletico Madrid will once again deploy their orthodox 4-4-2 formation, which is built on the midfield grit of Rodrigo De Paul and Marcos Llorente. How will they fare this time against their fiercest rivals? It’s undoubtedly the fixture of the round.

Elsewhere on the night, Arsenal will be away to PSV Eindhoven. It’s a game between two struggling sides, but there won’t be excuses, especially from the Gunners, who had a whole week to prepare whoever they want to field upfront for the game.

The Dutch side has only one win in their last five, losing their last two to the same team; Go Ahead Eagles FC beat PSV 2-1 in their League Cup and then repeated the feat by a 3-2 scoreline at the weekend, a result that has completely handed the Eredivisie advantage to Ajax.

Arsenal’s league season has been badly derailed by a combination of poor squad planning and injuries, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz all unavailable, and the latter two are not expected to feature again this season.

The Champions League represents a significant route to success for the Gunners; they’re badly equipped for it and no longer a favourite as they were in the group phase. The Gunners have it all to do in this round, but they don’t have excuses.

Borussia Dortmund and Lille is another game to watch out for; the big guns would have preferred to play either of these two, and it’s anybody’s game between the two. Borussia Dortmund made it to the finals last season; will they meander to the tail end again?

Aston Villa’s season has been quite impressive. They lost at Brugge earlier in the season through a bizarre penalty conceded by Emi Martinez and Tyrone Mings; both of them will be selected on Tuesday night. Will they make things right?