Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have clashed eight times till date. Both teams have won three games apiece. Two matches have ended in draws. The last time these two sides locked horns was in the first leg when Chelsea won the game 1-0.
Thomas Tuchel has a few concerns going into the game. Tammy Abraham is a major doubt for Wednesday with an ankle injury. Thiago Silva is a doubt as well. Both Jorginho and Mason Mount are suspended for the second leg due to accumulation of yellow cards.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have absolutely no injury concerns whatsoever heading into the match.
In their history in European competition, Chelsea have never been knocked out of a two-legged knockout tie after winning the first leg away from home, progressing from all 13 such ties.
Last season’s victory at Liverpool was just Atletico Madrid’s third win in 14 away games against English clubs (D7 L4). However, the Colchoneros are unbeaten in their last five visits to England (W2 D3).
Olivier Giroud might not have been the first-choice striker over the course of his stint with Chelsea or for any stretched periods this season. However, in the UEFA Champions League, the Frenchman has proven to be the go-to man for the Blues, leading the way with six goals to his name.
The French man will provide the focal point that could give Chelsea the required edge to get the better of a stubborn Atletico Madrid defence.
Bayern Munich have the formalities of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie to complete when they host Lazio at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.
The defending champions were dominant in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico when they beat Lazio 4-1. They raced to a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane.
Hansi Flick’s men also had a routine win in the Bundesliga at the weekend as they warmed up for this second leg in style. Leon Goretzka, Serge Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski scored in a 3-1 win for Hansi Flick’s side against Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion.
After that first leg, Lazio lost two straight Serie A matches - against Bologna and Juventus. However, they returned to winning ways at the weekend when they beat Crotone 3-2.
They were pegged back after taking the lead twice in that game. However, Felipe Caicedo scored the match-winning goal in the 84th minute to give them a much-needed victory.
Corentin Tolisso, Douglas Costa and Tanguy Nianzou are ruled out for Bayern Munich. David Alaba missed the weekend’s win over Werder Bremen and might not take part in this game either.
Lazio
Luiz Felipe and Manuel Lazzari have been ruled out of this clash, with the duo unlikely to travel to Munich.
Lazio have won only one of their last 15 away games in the UEFA Champions League (D5 L9). They are winless in their previous eight games on the road in the competition (D4 L4).
Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick is unbeaten as a coach in the UEFA Champions League, overseeing 14 wins and one draw till date. During this run, Die Roten have scored 52 goals and conceded only 10.
Up until this season, no team in the history of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League has ever progressed from a knockout tie after losing the first leg by a margin of three goals or more at home.
The 32-year-old Bayern Munich superstar is enjoying another dream season, having already managed to score 38 goals in just 34 games across all competitions while setting eight up for his teammates as well. And after scoring in the first leg against Lazio, Lewandowski became the third-highest scorer of all time in the Champions League with 72 strikes to his name. He will undoubtedly be the biggest threat for Lazio tonight.