MADRID, MARCH 4
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will renew their rivalry Tuesday as the Champions League returns to familiar territory after a new league phase and playoff stage.
The remodeled tournament is back to the round of 16, which used to kick off the knockout stages until UEFA added the extra playoff round this season.
In addition to the Madrid derby, the other matches on Tuesday will include Arsenal visiting PSV Eindhoven, Club Brugge facing Aston Villa, and Borussia Dortmund - last year's runner-up to Madrid - taking on Lille.
On Wednesday, it will be Paris Saint-Germain hosting Liverpool, Inter Milan visiting Feyenoord, Benfica taking on Barcelona, and Bayern Munich welcoming fellow German club Bayer Leverkusen.
The Madrid derby will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, with Atletico taking on old nemesis Madrid, the record 15-time European champion that struggled in the league phase and needed to get past Manchester City in the playoff stage.
Atletico secured an automatic spot in the round of 16 by doing well in the league phase, and more than ever it has the confidence that it can finally end its slump against its city rival in the Champions League.
"We have a lot of respect for our rival," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. "But we also know our strengths."
Simeone's team lost two finals to Madrid - in 2014 and 2016 - and was eliminated the other two times they faced off in the knockout rounds - in the 2015 quarterfinals and 2017 semifinals.
Madrid hasn't beaten Atletico in four consecutive matches in all competitions, being eliminated in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey last season.
"We know it will be an even match and we feel that it will be decided in the return leg," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We can't think about trying to take a big lead tomorrow, it's not possible because our rival is competing very well and the tie will be even until the end."
Other matchups
Arsenal finished third in the inaugural league phase behind Barcelona and fellow Premier League club Liverpool. It will visit a PSV Eindhoven side that handed Liverpool its only defeat in the league phase, then got past Juventus in the playoffs in extra time.
Borussia Dortmund, seeking a second consecutive final appearance, will host a Lille team that finished seventh in the league phase in a campaign that included victories over both Madrid and Atletico.
Aston Villa also was a league-phase surprise, losing only once to finish eighth and set up the round-of-16 matchup against a Club Brugge squad that defeated Villa 1-0 at home in November and eliminated Atalanta in the playoffs.
