Europe 1 with AFP 9:39 p.m., February 13, 2023

The return of football in majesty: two months after the World Cup final which crowned Lionel Messi, the European elite finds the Champions League on Tuesday with a very undecided round of 16 first leg and a royal poster PSG-Bayern.

Manchester City will challenge the Germans from Leipzig.

In this very special season, interrupted in November and December by the World Cup in Qatar, the winter eclipse of the European premier event lasted more than three months.

Time for the stars to lose some of their bearings, and for the fall hierarchies to waver even more.

And who would have thought that Paris Saint-Germain, who had completed the group stage undefeated and inflated with certainties, would harbor so many doubts before challenging Bayern Munich on Tuesday?

But the World Cup won by Messi's Argentina has left its mark on the bodies, injuries have accumulated and the Parisians' start to the year has been sluggish (four defeats since January 1), enough to put pressure on the club with Qatari capital which has been dreaming of European consecration for more than a decade.

"If I weren't worried, it would be serious," admitted coach Christophe Galtier.

"But, in these difficult times, you need the sacred union."

You also need stars in good shape, which does not seem to be the case with the attacking trio "MNM": Messi (hamstrings) was spared on Saturday, Neymar has suffered from an ankle since the World Cup and Kylian Mbappé (thigh) , initially announced forfeit, has just returned from injury.

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Parisian "Poker" around Mbappé

All three trained on Monday morning, fueling the hope of the Parisians and the distrust of the Munich residents, who were expecting a "poker" move from PSG anyway around the case of Mbappé, current co-top scorer in the competition ( 7 goals) with Mohamed Salah.

Bayern themselves suffered several serious injuries, from Sadio Mané to Manuel Neuer via Lucas Hernandez, but they strengthened well in the transfer window, unlike PSG, and arrive launched for this new revenge of the 2020 final won by the Bavarians (1-0).

But, again, difficult to say if the Munich ogre will be as irresistible as the team which atomized the "group of death" with Inter Milan and FC Barcelona (6 matches, 6 wins, 18 goals scored) .

It is also complicated to gauge the balance of power on Tuesday between AC Milan, convalescing after a series of poor performances, and Tottenham, usually solid but swept away 4-1 by Leicester this weekend in the Premier League.

In other fixtures, with the first leg fixtures running until February 22 (return legs March 7-15), next week's Real Madrid-Liverpool clash will also be eye-catching as the Madrid giants continue to support, desk pad, a dissident private Super League project.

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Real in "rising phase"

Less than a year after their triumph at the Stade de France (1-0) on a goal from Vinicius, the "White House", 14 times European champion and titled Saturday at the Club World Cup, finds the Reds, six times winners of the Champions League but currently in great difficulty in the Championship (10th).

"I think the players are on the upswing after a difficult month of January," warned Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has won his centre-forward and Ballon d'Or, Karim Benzema.

On the road to the final, on June 10 in Istanbul, the other posters for the 8th round offer two duels between former winners: Borussia Dortmund (1997) scrap with Chelsea (2012, 2021) and Inter Milan (1964, 1965, 2010 ) faces FC Porto (1987, 2004).

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City for a first crown

Manchester City, in search of a first crown, face RB Leipzig next week but the English giants have other concerns amid the threat of sanctions from the Premier League, which accuses them of numerous breaches of the championship's financial rules .

Naples, impressive in the group stage and dominating in Serie A, will for its part try against Frankfurt to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in its history.

Finally, Club Brugge, a surprise guest of the European aristocracy, hopes to continue its fine run on Wednesday against Benfica... But with what certainty, more than three months after the draw?