Today sees the crucial second legs of two Round of 16 ties, both matches coming on the heels of upsets.
Both Roma and Barcelona had to be considered the favourites heading into their respective Round of 16 pairings, but a surprising first matchday saw Shakthar Donetsk and Arsenal come out on top. Will today see different results, or will the underdogs progress to the next round?
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Shakhtar Donetsk vs. AS Roma (Shakhtar leads 3-2)
The Italian side looked slow and uninspired in Rome and Shakhtar took full advantage, scoring three away goals in securing a 3-2 victory in the first leg.
Heading back into Donbass Arena, one would have to favour the Ukrainian hosts to take full advantage of their home stadium. It's hard to see how Roma can overcome a deficit that requires them to win by at least a two-goal margin, at least not if they play as poorly as they did in the opening leg.
Barcelona vs. Arsenal (Arsenal leads 2-1)
Arsenal earned full marks for their come-from-behind 2-1 thriller of a victory a couple of weeks ago at the Emirates, but they would know as well as anyone that as tough as Barcelona is, they are on a completely different level at the Camp Nou.
In last year's quarter-final round, the Gunners held Barça to a 2-2 draw in London, only to be thoroughly demolished 4-1 in Barcelona on the strength of a triumphant four-goal performance from Lionel Messi. One would hope that Arsene Wenger has learned from that humbling experience and will be ready for it this time around, and with the Robin Van Persie will-he-play-or-won't-he saga being perpetuated in the English press, perhaps Wenger is showing that he can indeed play the mental games sometimes needed to gain an edge at this level.
Regardless, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere are all Arsenal stalwarts that have been bitten by the injury bug as of late, so the fate of Van Persie may not matter if those other three are not at their best.
Who do you see winning today's matches?
Will Arsenal be able to escape the Camp Nou unscathed? Does Roma have the mettle to get the required number of goals to advance?