The keys to the round of 16 matches: a media report from La Masia at the Bernabéu and Simeone's mental games against Inter

With four seeds, double that of the Premier and the Bundesliga, Spanish football promised them very happy yesterday at the House of European Football, where the draw distributed, with neat proportionality, the difficulties typical of the Champions League round of 16. Real Madrid and Barcelona start as undoubted favorites against Leipzig and Naples, while Atlético will play a tie without concessions against Inter, the current finalist. Finally, Real Sociedad will face PSG in a match that, regardless of the result, will remain forever in the memory of its faithful fans..

There is not much that Madrid can complain about, freed from commitments like the ones it has had to face since 2018 against Liverpool, City and PSG (twice). The winning momentum of Carlo Ancelotti's team has even prevailed over a devastating run of injuries.. If we add to this Leipzig's poor pedigree in moments of truth, the difficulties against the third team in the Bundesliga, recently eliminated from the Cup by Wolfsburg, should not be maximum.

Marco Rose's style book maintains its guidelines on vertigo and high blood pressure, which already caused more than one headache last year for the 14-time Champions League champion.. The sale of Josko Gvardiol, Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai to three Premier League giants has been alleviated, to a certain extent, by Xavi Simons, Loïs Openda and Benjamin Šesko. Of the three, the first deserves special attention. And not only because of his hair care. Raised in La Masia, where he showed media charisma, he ended up leaving through the back door on his way to PSG. From the Parc des Princes to PSV, for whom he scored 22 goals and 12 assists. Today, he looks great in any position. If in Eindhoven he shone on the left or as an attacking midfielder, in Saxony he prefers to play as a right-footed player.

“Now they are in a great moment and it is going to be very difficult,” predicted Emilio Butragueño with his more institutional profile. El Buitre, who is never overwhelmed by enthusiasm, also had to admit the evidence yesterday: “The return is at the Bernabéu, with everything that implies. And we are in a splendid moment.”

“The game at Reale, key”

Jokin Aperribay was slightly more upset in Nyon. “He was the rival to avoid, what are we going to do to him,” admitted the president of Real, somewhat suffocated by the intensity of the live match.. Fortune, elusive during the last two seasons in the Europa League (Leipzig, Manchester United and Rome), once again turned its back on the txuri urdin. However, Imanol Alguacil's team has been giving ample evidence of its ability to face a challenge of this magnitude.. Not only for what he offered in the league, where he ridiculed Benfica, a semi-finalist seven months ago, but for his irreproachable career in recent years..

The Real project is based on the youth team, with Mikel Oyarzabal, Martín Zubimendi and Ander Barrenetxea as banners, but it knows how to incorporate foreign talent without compromising the health of its accounts. Imanol has transcended his work as a coach, with a magnetic game plan, to become a transmission belt.

The entire city feels identified with its team. And that emotionality, added to a firm idea of football, usually pays off in the Champions League.. If not, ask PSG, lost for more than a decade in its search. Roberto Olabe, the other key piece in the mechanism, seemed to visualize everything yesterday. “It's going to be an open tie and the home game is going to be key,” predicted the sports director.

Inter's priority

Even more equality is expected in Atlético's visit to Giuseppe Meazza, because Inter, in a double match, has more arguments than PSG. It is not only about how it competes, nor about how it has been distributing efforts between Europe and Serie A, whose conquest has been established as a priority.. This same Sunday, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, a couple of brush strokes and the calmness of Yann Sommer under the sticks were enough to penalize Lazio's mistakes. The Scudetto will be decided against Juventus, who are now four points behind.

What should worry Atlético the most is its rival's ability to cause discomfort and come out unscathed even in the most adverse conditions.. The talent of Lautaro Martínez and Nicolò Barella will test the red and white stability, although in KO duels Simone Inzaghi usually favors precautions. Just like El Cholo. When the moment comes for all or nothing, we will see who moves the piece first.

Waiting for Osimhen

Barça, of course, will be forced to show their cards against Naples, in search of a new boost with Walter Mazzarri. Because on Saturday, against Cagliari, the current Serie A champion added its first home victory since September 27. Not even the oldest in the shadow of Vesuvius remember a legacy as disastrous as the one left by Rudi Garcia, determined to give his author's touch to a group that flew alone. The Blaugrana, of course, will have to show the superiority of their squad.

Because Naples, with a desperate fragility, can barely supply balls to a striker as voracious as Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian dominates the area, who will go to the African Cup in January. Pending a last-minute play-off, all attacking responsibility should fall on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. A decade after his goodbye, Mazzarri needs to breathe a breath of life into this team, which did a lot by getting rid of Braga. Under normal conditions, Xavi Hernández's group should not suffer even in Diego Armando Maradona.

Although if they have plenty of ambition, Barça should look up to the 2025 Club World Cup, where they still do not have a place, given their very poor record in the last four Champions Leagues.. With 55 points on their scale, seven less than Atlético, they need to advance at any cost and wait for a setback from the colchoneros. UEFA awards two points for a victory, one for a draw and another extra for each round passed.