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Barcelona face an almighty rescue mission to protect an unprecedentedChampions League last-16 run when they host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg, while Borussia Dortmund have it all to do against Benfica.

Ligue 1 champions PSG sent shockwaves through world football when they ran roughshod against Barca to earn a commanding 4-0 lead at Parc des Princes.

Barca, whose head coach Luis Enrique is to leave the club at the end of the season, must do something that no other club has done to reach the quarter-finals but they have scored 11 goals in their past two LaLiga matches to perhaps offer a glimmer of hope.

Meanwhile, Dortmund take on Benfica at Signal Iduna Park looking to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against the Portuguese side and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be looking to break an unwanted duck to boost their chances.

We have looked at the best stats ahead of the last-16 ties, courtesy of Opta.

Barcelona v Paris Saint-Germain

9 - Barcelona have progressed past the round of 16 in each of the last nine seasons, which is the longest ever run in the competition. The last time they failed to reach the quarter-finals was against Liverpool in the 2006-07 campaign.

0 - No club has ever overturned a first leg 4-0 away defeat in a Champions League knockout tie. It has happened on five previous occasions.

1 - The only time PSG eliminated Barcelona in the Champions League was in the 1994-95 quarter-finals. Since then Barcelona have won their two previous knockout encounters with the Parisian club in 2013 and 2015.

4 - Barcelona's first-leg loss equalled their heaviest defeat in a European competition. The 4-0 scoreline matched the defeat they suffered at the hands Bayern Munich in the 2013 Champions League semi-final.

5 - Neymar has scored five goals in five games against PSG, his highest tally against a team in the Champions League. The Brazilian is also the top goal creator in this season's competition with seven assists.

Borussia Dortmund v Benfica

30 - Only 30 per cent of teams that have lost 1-0 away from home in the first leg of a Champions League knockout game have gone on to qualify (9 out of 30).

9 - Benfica have lost all nine of their away games against German clubs in the Champions League or formerly known European Cup, conceding 26 goals in these matches.

7 - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has yet to score in his seven career Champions League knockout games.

14 - Kostas Mitroglou is the top Greek scorer in the history of the tournament with 14 goals, having scored in each of his last six Champions League campaigns.

1 - Dortmund's first leg defeat in Lisbon was their first in the Champions League this season after winning four and drawing two of their previous six matches. It was also the first time they have failed to score in the 2016-17 competition.

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Proud Barca run hangs in the balance, Aubameyang keen to break knockout duck - Champions League in Opta numbers - beIN SPORTS

The most noteworthy round-of-16 Copa MX match will take place this Wednesday, March 8, 2017 (7:00 PM Pacific) when Xolos of Tijuana hosts Club America at the Estadio Caliente. The winner of this one-game knockout game will qualify into the quarterfinals.

Xolos of Tijuana entered this stage after winning Group 1 with 9 points over Correcaminos and Cimarrones. The team coached by Miguel Piojo Herrera won 3 games and lost 1 with 5 goals scored and 3 against. Those stats allowed Tijuana to be ranked as the 6th best team in the competition, yet that seemed to go against their favor when they were matched against the 11th placed Club America. Xolos will have home-field advantage, yet they will also have to play a very good game to defeat an always difficult opponent like the aguilas.

Club America did not perform as well as followers could hope for, earning 6 points and finishing in 2nd place in Group 3. The team coached by Ricardo La Volpe scored 7 goals and received 7, and this Wednesday they enter the game as the underdog to reach the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see a player like 16-year old youngster Diego Lainez who surprised many in his debut last weekend in the Liga MX against Leon.

The Xolos vs America Copa MX match will be broadcast this Wednesday, March 8, 2017 at 7:00 PM Pacific: TV Schedule: ESPN Deportes Watch Live Online: SlingTV (Watch 7 Days Free), FuboTV (Watch 7 Days Free)

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Xolos Tijuana vs Club America Copa MX Watch Live Online, TV Schedule March 8, 2017 - FutnSoccer

by Kepler Wessels 05/03/2017, 11:53

South Africa thoroughly deserved their one-day series win against the Black Caps.

I felt all the way through that the South African combination was far stronger and I was a bit surprised that the Kiwis managed to take the series into a deciding fifth game in Auckland.

In a way this wasn't a bad thing. It gave the Proteas the feeling of playing in a knockout game. This match simulated the pressure that the South African side will face during the decisive phase of the Champions Trophy during the month of June in England.

They came through with flying colours in the last match, dominating New Zealand from ball one. AB de Villiers was quoted as saying that his team is ready for the Champions Trophy. I agree with him. In terms of preparation things are on track. This last series victory came on the back of convincing wins against Australia and Sri Lanka.

I thought De Villiers himself was excellent on this tour. He batted superbly and his captaincy was outstanding. The Proteas are fortunate to have two superb leaders in Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers at their disposal. The team has got used to both leadership styles and both captains bring the best out of their charges. They also lead from the front, which is another huge plus for the Proteas.

My only slight concern regarding the squad remains the seam bowling. On flat surfaces the seam attack can be inconsistent and at times expensive. When the surfaces change and offer something for the seam bowlers they do well. If the weather is fine in England leading up to the tournament in June the surfaces will be pretty flat so the quality and composition of the seam attack remains a work in progress.

The Proteas have won the Champions Trophy once before. As a result there is not the same pressure going into the event as there is for a World Cup. The group the Proteas find themselves in is the better of the two. They share the group with India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The top two teams go through to the semifinal. If AB de Villiers and his men play to the best of their ability they should get through to the knockout phase comfortably.

Meanwhile, here in New Zealand it is on to the test matches. There is no question that New Zealand is concerned about their batting strength. They fear the South African pace attack. The talk here is all about flat pitches that will negate the fast bowlers and turn as the test matches progress.

The South African test side differs vastly from the one-day combination. It remains a settled side with only one position up for grabs. This is the third seamer spot. When Kyle Abbot left the fold Duane Olivier played the last test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers. He performed pretty well in that game so he will be unlucky if he doesn't retain his spot.

Morne Morkel has joined the squad and by all accounts he is injury and pain free. He did play in a couple of one-day matches recently. Whether the selectors will risk him this week in the first test in Dunedin remains to be seen.

Like the one-day series the Proteas are strong favourites to win the test series. New Zealand depend too heavily on Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tim Southee, Trent Bolt and Neil Wagner. If they don't score the runs or take the wickets the Kiwis are under pressure. The Proteas have far more depth and a better balance under all conditions.

We can expect the same in the test matches as we saw during the one-day internationals. The Kiwis will scrap hard but in the end the Proteas should prevail without too much difficulty.

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The Proteas should prevail - SuperSport (blog)

LAHORE: Kai Kai Quetta Gladiators lock horns with Khpal team Peshawar Zalmi for the Pakistan Super League 2017 title at the Gaddafi Stadium tonight, as the league comes to where it belongs its rightful home, Pakistan.

Tonight, before thousands of roaring fans, Sarfraz Ahmeds men will battle it out with Darren Sammys XI for the ultimate championship, as the entire nation comes together to watch the action unfold at Lahores historic ground.

Also read: Gaddafi Stadium Down memory lane

Gladiators beat Zalmi by one run in the first playoff to secure their place in the final, while Zalmi outclassed Karachi Kings by 24 runs in Fridays knockout game to avenge last years heartbreak, when their journey to the final was cruelly cut short by Islamabad United.

The stage is set, the ground is ready, the trophy is up for grabs and the fans cant wait. The security around Gaddafi Stadium has been beefed up with thousands of security personnel deployed to stand guard, as cricket returns to the heart of Pakistan.

The two teams have clashed thrice in this tournament. Their first game was washed out; Zalmi won the second encounter by 2 wickets, while Gladiators defeated Zalmi in the third faceoff (the first qualifying final) in a last-ball thriller.

Gladiators are without their top overseas players Kevin Pietersen, Luke Wright, Tymal Mills and Rilee Rossouw, who withdrew from the final after their side secured a berth in the grand finale. The team has instead named five other foreign players who will be part of the squad tonight: Anamul Haque (Bangladesh), Sean Ervine (Zimbabwe), Morne Van Wyk (South Africa), Elton Chigumbura (Zimbabwe) and Rayad Emrit (West Indies), along with Aizaz Cheema, who is in for injured Umar Gul.

Also read: Sarfraz confident Quetta will win this time

Four foreign players of Zalmi, meanwhile, reached Lahore late Saturday night to take part in the final. They include skipper Darren Sammy, Dawid Malan, Marlon Samuels and Chris Jordan. England player Samit Patel was not issued NOC from his county. All-rounder Shahid Afridi has been ruled out of the PSL final after he copped a nasty blow to his hand during fielding in Fridays game.

Zalmi wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal is this tournaments highest scorer with 313 runs.

Fast bowler Wahab Riaz is this PSLs second-highest wicket-taker with a tally of 13.

From the Gladiators current squad, Ahmad Shahzad is the top scorer with 241 runs.

Spinner Mohammad Nawaz is the top wicket-taker with 9 wickets.

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Final showdown: Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi clash for PSL 2017 championship - Geo News, Pakistan

"Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse, playing cricket is not," Keith Miller, the great Australia allrounder once said.

If it is accepted that the results of sporting contests require a dose of perspective now and again, it wouldn't really be sport if there wasn't the talk of pressure.

It abounded at Eden Park on Friday as New Zealand and South Africa prepared for the deciding one-day international (although AB de Villiers started it straight after the Hamilton defeat). Perhaps the series was always destined to finish this way.

If either side hoped that they could finally move on from that semi-final two years ago - New Zealand are no doubt happier for the memories to linger - then they will have been disappointed. It was a frequent topic around the T20 two weeks ago; this time it has a little more relevance.

New Zealand are defending a record of seven straight home ODI series wins (and eight trophies counting the Chappell-Hadlee that was on offer for the World Cup match against Australia) and South Africa need to win to regain the No. 1 ranking that they lost after the Hamilton defeat. So who is the pressure on?

"Us for playing big moments, and New Zealand as home team with a very good record of maintaining home series'," Faf du Plessis said. "They would be very disappointed to not keep that record strong. For us it is the pressure of playing a big game and trying to come out on top."

Victory in the opening match of this series gave South Africa a run of 12 wins on the bounce, but New Zealand have pushed them harder than either an under-strength Australia or the overpowered Sri Lanka managed on home soil.

While the series win and No. 1 ranking are of great importance to South Africa, the significance of this match does not extend to that of a Champions Trophy or World Cup knockout game. Since that semi-final at Eden Park, South Africa have faced five deciding ODIs: against Bangladesh, New Zealand, India, England (coming from 2-0 down) and in the Caribbean triangular last year. They won the middle three of those, losing to Bangladesh and being knocked out in the final group match in West Indies.

That is a mixed bag of results, but winning in India and coming from 2-0 down in a five-match series is not to be sniffed at. However, it does suggest that for all the baggage of Eden Park there won't really be much learnt by the outcome, although du Plessis was willing to play his part and give the "pressure" value a tweak.

"Definitely from pressure point of view, since [the World Cup], this could be the one that has most value to it," he said. "Other series have gone 5-0, 5-0, so for the relevance of getting into a big moment, this is big in terms of that."

New Zealand's success rate in deciding matches since the World Cup, where it should be remembered they did not handle the pressure of the final very well, is a mixed bag. Wins against Zimbabwe, Australia and Pakistan (although the latter was effectively just a two-match series) have been countered by defeats at the hands of England, South Africa and India. While du Plessis did not attempt to downplay the decider much, Tim Southee acknowledged the World Cup semi-final but also how New Zealand never try to elevate one game above another.

"A few guys were involved but we are just looking forward to going out in a deciding match against the best side in the world," Southee said. "The excitement level lifts a little bit. But I think that was one of our strengths through the World Cup. No matter what stage we were at throughout that tournament, our preparation and levelness around the group didn't change. The guys will be naturally excited, there's a little bit more at stake, but we'll prepare the same way."

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Teams return to the pressure of a must-win at Eden Park - ESPN