Summary: Now at the opening night for the top eight left in Europe, the UEFA Champions League resumes with its own best three candidates in Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich with an outside chance for Juventus to make a case for the team most worthy of another European trophy, with the Bavarians and the Italians set to lock horns in the marquee encounter of the round. Joined by international football commentator Tim Caple, we examine the potential for a certain clash of styles encounter that the Champions League puts on display best, the type of match where the transitions can be both brilliant and non stop while also considering what exactly happened to a Bundesliga now separated by 20 points. Also discussed is the economic muscle being flexed by Bayern Munich and whether Robert Lewandowski might just be one more signal that the German top flight can no longer be competitive given the commercial revenue realities of the league. We also look at the challenges ahead for Real Madrid and Barcelona, whether Juventus can actually bring its history and ethos together to beat Bayern in the end and the trailing indicator that appears to be the lack of English Premier League teams at the round of eight. Also discussed here is the serious potential of Lionel Messi to overtake this competition with a Barcelona team no longer the most balanced in the world, but always having the undisputed best when the chips are down or the task is greatest. In the end, this does appear a contest between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, but there are enough questions of both teams and these will be played out over the next couple of weeks ahead of the final at Wembley.
