All to play for in intriguing second legs

FC Barcelona probably had the best first-leg result but no side can feel too secure as the UEFA Champions League last 16 begins its conclusion on Tuesday night.

Miracle required
Barça were the only side to earn an away win in the last 16, beating Celtic FC 3-2 in Glasgow, giving them a good position in one of four ties this Tuesday. "We played a very good game," said defender Lilian Thuram. "We deserved to win." Frank Rijkaard's side now know that anything apart from a two-goal defeat in Barcelona – or a very high-scoring one-goal loss – will see them through to the last eight, but Celtic have not given up. Teenage right-back Paul Caddis said: "We're probably going to need a miracle over there but in football nothing's impossible."

Late strike
On the same night less miraculous results will be required by Manchester United FC and AC Milan in the second legs of their ties, with both having earned decent away draws. Holders Milan tied 0-0 at Arsenal FC while Carlos Tévez's late strike at Olympique Lyonnais gave United a 1-1 draw at the Stade de Gerland and a valuable away goal. "Time and time again we rescue games or score late winners and it's purely down to the players' determination to do something about it," said Sir Alex Ferguson.

'Not better'
Meanwhile, Fenerbahçe SK will look to press home their advantage against Sevilla FC having won 3-2 in the first leg in Istanbul. The Spanish side's goalkeeper Andrés Palop was confident as he looked ahead to the match in Andalusia, saying: "This result can definitely be reversed in our own stadium." Fenerbahçe winger Uğur Boral also feels the Turkish champions have reason for optimism. "Sevilla were not the giants they were made out to be in the Turkish media," he said. "They may have some really good players but they were not better than us."

Madrid situation
On Wednesday, FC Schalke 04 take a 1-0 lead to FC Porto and Chelsea FC will look to freeze out Olympiacos CFP's European ambitions at Stamford Bridge having drawn 0-0 in cold weather in Athens in the first leg, as Real Madrid CF play host to AS Roma having lost 2-1 in the opening fixture in Italy. Winger Arjen Robben thinks his side are more than capable of turning things around in the light of their first-leg display, saying: "We created a lot of chances and dominated the game so we can take a lot of positives and go into the second leg with confidence."

Final game
The round concludes on 11 March, with FC Internazionale Milano looking to repair the damage caused by Liverpool in the latter stages of the first leg at Anfield. Having played for an hour with ten men following Marco Materazzi's dismissal, Inter were undone by late goals from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard. "The second goal was disappointing but it is not necessarily the killer goal," said Inter coach Roberto Mancini. "Turning this tie around is not beyond our reach although I concede that few clubs have done it in the past."