SuperSport viewers on DStv can enjoy the return of the UEFA Champions League, as the Round of 16 ties are completed with four matches on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August 2020.
The Champions League was suspended in March, with only four of the eight Round of 16 ties having been completed: Paris Saint-Germain defeated Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate; Atalanta overwhelmed Valencia 8-4; Atletico Madrid ended Liverpool’s reign as European champions with a 4-2 triumph; and RB Leipzig outclassed Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 overall.
The Round of 16 resumes on Friday 7 August with Manchester City at home to Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium and Olympique Lyon visiting Juventus in Turin’s Allianz Stadium. The match will kick off at 8:00pm live on SuperSport 3, DStv channel 223
City hold a 2-1 lead from the first leg at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and are being tipped to advance – though Real are a different beast compared to back in February when the Citizens won in Madrid, with Zinedine Zidane’s side having claimed a first La Liga title since 2017.
Juventus, fresh from claiming their ninth successive Serie A title will have to dig deep to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Olympique Lyon – though the French side will likely be undercooked, having not played a competitive game since March after the 2019-20 Ligue 1 side was scrapped entirely when the worldwide pandemic struck. The match will air live at 8:00pm on DStv SuperSport 5 channel 225 and SuperSport 11.
Saturday 8 August sees Bayern Munich, who are chasing a treble after winning the Bundesliga and German DFB Pokal Cup, look to wrap up progression when they host Chelsea at the Allianz Arena in Bavaria. The match will air Live at 8:00pm on SuperSport 5 channel 225 and on SuperSport 11 channel 231. Bayern are not assuming that they will advance to the final stages in Lisbon despite holding a comfortable 3-0 lead.
“The game against Chelsea is our next assignment. The focus is now on that because we still must get past them. Now, we are not thinking about any other games at the tournament in Lisbon,” said Bayern manager Hansi Flick.
Finally, Saturday at 8:00 pm also sees Barcelona and Napoli locking horns at the Camp Nou. The match will air Live on SuperSport 3 channel 223. The teams drew 1-1 in the first leg in Naples and the Champions League offers both a chance for redemption after disappointing domestic campaigns (Barca failed to defend their La Liga title in Spain, while Napoli were way off the pace of the top four in Italy’s Serie A).
“The team has not been playing as well as it should and we all need to take a break, clear our heads, transform ourselves and return to being the team we can be,” said Barcelona manager Quique Setien, who will likely face the sack if the Catalan giants don’t win the tournament.
