7* Manchester City (3:00 ET): Man City has been the most dominant side in all of Europe this season and thus enters the Round of 16 as the favorite to win this year’s Champions League. I just took them on Sunday when they rolled to a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the Premier League. They scored the lone goal just two minutes in. It was a surprise that they failed to find the back of the net again, but at the same time it was the Citizens’ 23rd clean sheet this season and 13th in the last 17 EPL matches. 

It’s not just the Premier League that Man City is dominating. They’ve won 18 straight across all competitions, outscoring the opposition 47-6 during the run! Here in the Champions League, they topped Group C with 16 points, winning five and drawing once. They conceded only one goal in the six matches, the fewest of any side in the Group Stage. They finished tied with Bayern Munich for the best goal differential at +12.

Drawing Man City here in the Round of 16 was a bad break for Gladbach, but their own recent poor form gives even more reason for pessimism. They’ve fallen to eighth in the Bundesliga following a 2-1 loss to Mainz (a side that will almost surely be relegated) and now nine points adrift of the top four, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see them back in the Champions League next year. Even worse is that they’ve become a bit of a “lame duck” with manager Marco Rose already announcing he’ll be heading to rival Dortmund this summer. Gladbach may have been the best side in Group B, but they finished just 2-2-2 and they enter Wednesday’s 1st leg having won only once in their last five fixtures. This is their 1st ever appearance in the knockout stage and it’s likely to be a short stay. 7* Manchester City