One of European football's most enduring recent rivalries will be rekindled after almost six years as Chelsea FC welcome FC Barcelona for the first leg of their round of 16 tie.• The teams have met 12 times, all in the UEFA Champions League – and all since 2000. Furthermore, five of those contests have been knockout ties, and all have proved compelling. • This is their third round of 16 tie, with Barcelona bidding to reach the quarter-finals for a record-extending 11th year in a row. Chelsea, meanwhile, have progressed beyond the round of 16 only once in the last
Tag: renew
Porto look for first Liverpool success
FC Porto have never beaten Liverpool FC in four previous attempts but boast more recent UEFA Champions League knockout experience as the teams renew acquaintance in the round of 16 first leg at the Estádio do Dragão.• While the Portuguese side have recorded two draws and two defeats in their four games against the Merseyside club, they are in the round of 16 for the second year in a row and made the most recent of their five UEFA Champions League quarter-final appearances in 2014/15. Liverpool, by contrast, were last in this stage in 2008/09 – although they did go on to the last eight
HRC renew with Dani Pedrosa until end of 2018
Dani Pedrosa will continue with the Repsol Honda Team in both 2017 and 2018, extending their relationship in the premier class to 13 years.
Atlético and Bayern finally renew acquaintances
Club Atlético de Madrid and FC Bayern München have been UEFA Champions League semi-finals regulars in the last few years – although their only previous fixture came more than 40 years ago.• While Diego Simeone's Atlético have reached the last four for the second time in three years, Bayern are appearing at this stage for the fifth season in a row.• This tie will prompt particularly fond memories for Bayern, who claimed the first of their five European Cups in 1974 with victory against Atlético after a replay – the only time that happened in a final.Previous meetings• The teams have played only twice before, in that 1974 European Cup...