After a long hiatus, Champions League football finally resumes, much to the pleasure of football fans across the globe, with four exciting games set to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
Two months have passed since the world last enjoyed European football's top competition. The group stage wrapped up on December 9, and on February 17, the much-awaited round of 16 kicks off.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea is, of course, the stand-out fixture of this week, but expect reigning champions Real Madrid to dominate the headlines in defense of their title when they take to the pitch for their very own round of 16 clash.
Playing on Wednesday, Los Blancos will face a familiar foe in the form of Bundesliga side Schalke 04. Carlo Ancelotti's crew dispatched of the German club 9-2 on aggregate last season en route to La Decima, and will be looking to brush Roberto Di Matteo team aside in similar fashion.
The trip to the Veltins Arena will also prove a chance for Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo to gain ground on top spot in the goalscoring charts this term. Finishing as top scorer in the previous two seasons, the Portuguese ace, having scored 5 goals so far, currently trails Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona aces Luiz Adriano and Lionel Messi, with 9 and 8 goals respectively.
Real Madrid's tie will be a golden opportunity for Ronaldo to close the gap because while Adriano and Messi will come up against Bayern Munich and Manchester City, both formidable sides in Europe with a strong back four, Les Merengues will lock horns with a team that has leaked in 14 goals in 6 group stage matches.
Although the three-time Ballon d'Or winners goal per minute ratio fails to impress, managing a goal every 105 minutes, there is no denying the former Manchester United winger's goalscoring threat, even with his current goal drought taken into consideration.
UEFA Champions League top scorers: Luiz Adriano and Lionel Messi lead with 9 and 8 goals, CR7 trails with 5
Furthermore, the 30-year-old ace has made a habit of scoring against German sides. Cristiano found the back of the net an astonishing seven times against Bundesliga clubs in last season's Champions League, with four of those coming against Ralf Fährmann of Schalke.
Real Madrid are tipped favorites to reach the quarter-finals. Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona, who will face Bayern Munich and Manchester City respectively, face the possibility of crashing out of the tournament early.
This means that while the round of 16 stand the chance of being the end of the road for Adriano and Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo looks to continue his run on the European stage and finish the tournament as top scorer for the third consecutive season.
