With the imminence of spring, the rarefied air of the summits is back for the greats of Europe in general and in particular for the Parisians and the people of Madrid, whose duel is made more tasty by the situation of Kylian Mbappé, courted by Real four and a half months from the end of his contract.

But Paris is not the only French team in the running: Lille, reigning French champions, challenge European champions Chelsea, recent club world champions, with a first leg scheduled for Tuesday February 22 in London.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Karim Benzema, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah... All the stars are there for the eighth first leg, spread over two weeks (February 15-23).

The matches of the round of 16 of the Champions League 2021-2022 Vincent LEFAI AFP

The only notable absentee, the Norwegian Erling Haaland, whose Borussia Dortmund stalled at the gates of the final phase, just like FC Barcelona, ​​​​unusually transferred to the Europa League.

Mbappé-Benzema reunion

For PSG, the draw carried out in mid-December in chaotic conditions – irregularities had forced UEFA to urgently improvise a new ceremony a few hours after the first – was not very lenient.

Facing the Real Madrid collective, the Parisian trio Messi-Neymar-Mbappé is already under pressure, because it has still not met the expectations placed on it, between slow adaptation for the Argentinian and long injury for the Brazilian, still uncertain for the meeting.

Hug between PSG striker Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema after their confrontation at the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium, November 26, 2019 JAVIER SORIANO AFP / Archives

PSG did not manage to finish at the top of their group during the 1st round, exposing themselves to this draw as royal as it is dangerous, while they are still aiming for a first coronation in C1 for their Qatari owners, arrived in 2011.

Opposite, Benzema is hit in the back of the left thigh and also leads a race against time to get back on his feet and face Mbappé, his accomplice in the France team.

Tuesday evening will also be Manchester City's return to Europe, traveling to Sporting Lisbon.

Pep Guardiola's men, intractable in the Premier League, are looking to take a step forward, after their lost final last year against Chelsea (1-0), already in Portugal, in Porto.

Lewandowski chases goals

Like City, Bayern Munich were spared the draw and travel to Salzburg on Wednesday, one of the group stage surprises.

The opportunity for Robert Lewandowski to regain the lead in the scoring charts, he who already has nine goals in six C1 games this season.

The Pole is preceded by the Franco-Ivorian, Sébastien Haller.

The Ajax Amsterdam striker (10 goals) will close the round of 16 first leg on Wednesday February 23 with a fairly open trip to the lawn of Benfica Lisbon, in an attempt to restore some serenity to the Dutch club, shaken in recent days by the departure of its sporting director Marc Overmars who had sent "inappropriate messages" to certain colleagues.

Robert Lewandowski double scorer in the surprising defeat of Bayern Munich in Bochum, February 12, 2022 Ina Fassbender AFP / Archives

The same evening looms a tantalizing duel of attackers between Antoine Griezmann and Cristiano Ronaldo, in an Atlético Madrid - Manchester United looking like a shock, even if the two teams are skating in their respective championships.

Two Italian teams are still in contention at this stage of the competition: Juventus Turin, in full reconstruction, challenges Villarreal in a duel within its reach, and Inter Milan takes on Liverpool, in the other summit of this "top 16".

The Reds, winners in 2019, dream of a new continental title and are counting on their duo Mohamed Salah-Sadio Mané, recent CAN finalists, to lead them to a new epic.

This goes through a successful first round with the Italian champions … Before breathtaking return matches, scheduled between March 8 and 16.

© 2022 AFP