After two months, the UEFA Champions League resumes this week with the first portion of matches in the Round of 16. Four German teams have qualified for this stage, along with three each from England and Spain, two from France, and one club each from Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, & Ukraine. From this round to the semifinals, the competition will have two teams play twice (once at each home ground), with the club scoring the more goals in the 180 minutes advancing.

The first wave of matches begins on Tuesday, when PSG hosts Chelsea and Bayern Munich travels to Shakhtar Donetsk. PSG defender David Luiz left the Blues to join the French club in the offseason, and will face many of his former teammates in this tie. Bayern are heavily favored in their matchup, but Shakhtar boasts Luiz Adriano, currently the leading scorer in the UCL. On Wednesday, Schalke 04 hosts defending champion Real Madrid, who are aiming to become the first club in the modern era to win back-to-back titles. Also, Basel welcome Porto to Switzerland, with the winner of that matchup likely considered a dark horse to spring an upset in later rounds.

Next week, the first legs continue with four more intriguing encounters. Juventus take on Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of the 1997 Final, while reigning Premier League champions Manchester City host Barcelona; the Catalans looking for their fourth title in a ten-year span. Then on the 25th, Bayer Leverkusen will hope to end the dreams of last year’s runner-up Atletico Madrid, and the Arsenal-Monaco tie offers an interesting story: Gunners boss Arsene Wenger was once the manager of the French team, and Arsenal has many connections with France in general when it comes to former players.

As I mentioned in my group preview of the Champions League, there’s an opportunity for a trend to continue. After Italy won the 2006 World Cup, AC Milan lifted the European Cup the following season; when Spain became world champions in 2010, Barcelona beat Manchester United for the European club crown. With Germany winning the 2014 World Cup, what does that mean for the odds of Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen, Dortmund, or Schalke?

Has your pick to win the competition changed? Leave a comment below!