⛅️ UCL forecast: Ronaldo v Atlético and banana skin for Juventus? | OneFootball

The Champions League knockout rounds continues this week.

The final four round of 16 ties are upon us, and here’s what lies in store.

🔥 Game of the Week

Atlético Madrid v Manchester United

Atlético Madrid will be sick of the sight of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Manchester United striker has scored 17 goals against Atleti in the past, including in the 2014 final for Real Madrid and who can forget the ‘comeback hat-trick’ as Juventus knocked them out in 2019.

Now it’s time for Ronaldo v Atlético: the 2022 instalment.

Diego Simeone’s team have lost five out of their last 10 games and a campaign that started with aims of a title defence has collapsed into a race to finish in the top four.

Which means United might fancy their chances of progression with Paul Pogba in-form since his return from injury.

Two sides that are capable of being brilliant on their day and leaky at their worst, anything could happen in Madrid!

📊 Fun fact: Atlético have won just one out of their last seven home games in the Champions League.

🔮 Our prediction: Atlético Madrid 1-2 Manchester United

✅ Home banker

Chelsea v Lille

Lille haven’t enjoyed the best of seasons in the defence of their Ligue 1 crown.

In fact the champions of France find themselves struggling in the bottom half of the table and they could do without having to face the actual champions of Europe in the first game of the knockouts.

What might offer some optimism for Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side is that their hosts aren’t always proficient at putting games to bed – they’ve won by more than one goal just five times since the start of December.

If Lille can avoid losing by more than that margin on Tuesday then they might have something to cling on when they head back to France.

📊 Fun fact: The last three Champions League winners have failed to make it past the quarter-final stage the following year.

🔮 Our prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Lille

😰 Potential upset

Villarreal v Juventus

Juventus’ obsession with ending a 16-year wait for the Champions League trophy is well-documented.

The expectation and optimism around Max Allegri’s side isn’t perhaps there this season and a season of transition has been embarked upon by the Old Lady.

Juve will have been secretly pleased when they were pitted against Unai Emery’s side in the draw.

But the Yellow Submarine are a different entity now having lost just once since the start of December and there’s also the fact that they won the last European competition they played in.

Arnaut Danjuma is fresh off scoring a hat-trick against Granada at the weekend while Juve will be without Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala.

There may never be a better time for Villarreal to spring a surprise.

📊 Fun fact: Juventus have won (25) as many as they have lost (25) in previous meetings with Spanish opposition.

🔮 Our prediction: Villarreal 2-1 Juventus

🤩 Star man

Sébastien Haller

The player of the knockout rounds.

The former West Ham striker became the quickest player to reach 10 Champions League goals before Christmas while joining an elite group of three other players (Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski) to have scored 10 or more goals in the group stage.

It’s not been a bad first season in the competition for the 27-year-old and with Ajax facing off against Benfica on Wednesday he will be licking his lips at the potential for more goals.