5️⃣ big talking points ahead of Champions League last 16 💫 | OneFootball

It is now crunch time in the Champions League with the last 16 ties and the knockout stage proper kicking in.

There are some blockbuster fixtures to look forward to and we look at five big questions to consider.

And users in Australia can bet on all of the exciting action ahead with Ladbrokes.

Club World Cup final repeat

One of the most exciting and intriguing contests comes with a repeat of last summer's Club World Cup final between PSG and Chelsea.

In the new, revamped version of the traditional competition between continental victors, the Blues shocked the defending Champions League winners with a ruthless 3-0 win.

They meet in the French capital first this week for a fixture that is guaranteed to produce fireworks and talking points aplenty.

Some key players on both sides are now back at full fitness and fully firing and if there's one thing that can be expected here it is goals.

PSG have never been involved in a 0-0 draw in a Champions League knockout clash - a feat that now stretches over 58 games.

Giants face off - again!

If watching Real Madrid take on Manchester City feels familiar, it should as this is the fifth consecutive season these giants of the modern game have met in the knockout stage of this competition.

Overall, they just cannot be split either as from their 15 meetings, both have five wins apiece while the others have ended in draws.

This will actually not be their first face-off in this year's Champions League either, with the Cityzens coming out on top on matchday six of the league phase with a 2-1 win in Madrid.

Los Blancos are on an unfortunate run against English opposition of four straight defeats, although may garner hope from the fact that in their last 10 two-legged meetings with Spanish sides, they've been eliminated seven times.

The decisive factor could be the absence of Kylian Mbappé in the first leg and when combined with Rodrygo's injury, could dull the firepower required for Alvaro Arbeloa.

Newcastle's biggest ever game

Real Madrid aren't the only Spanish side facing Premier League opposition as eternal rivals Barcelona also have a showdown with Newcastle to look forward to.

It is a game that is 'the biggest in Newcastle's history' in the words of their head coach Eddie Howe, a bold claim when you consider they have fought for league titles and contested cup finals - but it is the furthest they have progressed in Europe's premier club competition.

Also like Real Madrid and Manchester City, these clubs have also previously met this season when the Blaugrana went to Tyneside and left with a 2-1 win courtesy of a Marcus Rashford brace on his return to England.

Howe has also been calling on his side to channel the spirit of their heroic side of the mid-'90s when a Faustino Asprilla hat-trick saw Newcastle beat Barça 3-2 on an epic night at St James' Park.

Can they recreate the magic or will LaLiga's leaders march on?

Big milestone looms for Bayern star

Harry Kane firmly has Atalanta in his sights as Bayern Munich aim to avoid becoming the next Bundesliga side to be upset by the Italian underdogs.

In the last round, they fought back from the brink to see off Borussia Dortmund and set up a tie with Kane and co. as the England international aims to add more impressive pages to his record books.

This season the 32-year-old has already netted 45 goals in 37 games in all competitions and has scored in each of Bayern's last three last 16 fixtures.

He is now just two goals away from the 50-goal mark in this competition and he would become the first Englishman to achieve that.

Would you really bet against him doing it this week?

Will the fairytale continue?

One of the stories of this season's tournament has been the continued meteoric rise of Norwegian underdogs Bodø/Glimt who are competing in this stage for the first time.

Everyone is by now undoubtedly aware of all the stats surrounding their fantastic surge into uncharted territory and they will be quietly confident of advancing into the last eight.

Although Sporting CP are favourites to progress (isn't it always the way against the Norwegians?), this is a much more appetising task than beating the likes of Manchester City, Inter or Atlético de Madrid - all of which they've managed to do of late.

It is just part of their incredible recent form which has resulted in Kjetil Knutsen's side winning seven of their last nine two-legged UEFA ties.

How far can they go?

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