Benfica are in good shape but the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham, Paris and Bayern still have plenty to do if they are to reach the quarterfinals.
The Uefa Champions League round of 16 second legs start on 7 March with Chelsea and Club Brugge trying to overturn deficits, while there is little to separate Tottenham and AC Milan or Bayern and Paris as they gear up for their rematches.
We pick out some key talking points ahead of the keenly anticipated returns.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
BENFICA BRACED FOR FAST START
Second-half goals from João Mário and David Neres gave Benfica a 2-0 advantage in the first leg and made it just one win in eight games for new Club Brugge coach Scott Parker. Add in the fact that the Eagles had 15 wins and two draws from their 17 home games this season at the end of February and the task facing Blauw-Zwart is an uphill one to say the least.
"It was a good first leg but we have one more game and we have to give everything," said Benfica midfielder Fredrik Aursnes, who expects the Belgian outfit to make a flying start again in the return as they look to claw back the deficit. "Brugge did very well in the first half, especially in the beginning. I feel we reacted well after the first 25 minutes. We have to be aggressive."
CHELSEA EYE CHANGE IN FORTUNES
Karim Adeyemi's wonderful solo effort was enough to give Dortmund a 1-0 victory in the first meeting with Chelsea, whose travails in front of goal continued in Germany. The Blues have drawn blanks in ten of their last 15 matches, scoring just six times across the other five outings. That said, Graham Potter's charges are playing some eye-catching football and they seem to be on the cusp of translating their fluid build-up into goals.
"I thought we were the dominant team in the second half and we created a lot of chances. It is halftime in the tie and we have to regroup," said Potter after the first leg. "We are a team in progress, we know there are a lot of positive things there. You always need a bit of luck but you can't wait around for luck, you have to keep working."
MBAPPE AND PARIS FACE FAMILIAR TASK
Kingsley Coman's second-half header may have given the 2019/2020 winners a slender lead in the French capital but Paris have a blueprint for success in Munich, having beaten Hansi Flick's Bayern 3-2 in the 2020/21 quarterfinal first leg. Kylian Mbappé scored twice that evening, and the France international's cameo off the bench in Paris on 14 February suggests he could play a major role in the teams' latest tussle.
"When we play attacking football, it's uncomfortable for them," Mbappé, who has seven goals in as many Champions League appearances this season, said in the aftermath of the 1-0 first-leg defeat. "You have to be positive. From what I've seen [in the first leg], it's not over. We're going over there to qualify."
WILL MILAN REGREST MISSED OPPORTUNITIES?
A second successive 1-0 victory ensured Milan head to north London with a quarterfinal spot in their sights, but Rossoneri supporters will hope they are not made to rue their second-half profligacy against Spurs at San Siro. Midfielder Charles de Ketelaere and defender Malick Thiaw both spurned excellent opportunities to add to Brahim Díaz's early effort, missing the target with close-range headers.
For the most part, Antonio Conte's team created little in Milan but will fancy their chances of turning the tie around in front of their own fans. "To play against 80 000 people is not easy," Conte said, reflecting on the narrow first-leg loss. "In our stadium, my expectation is to see our fans push us to try to overcome Milan. They will create the right atmosphere for us to have a fantastic game and go to the next round."
FURTHER AHEAD
• The round of 16 will conclude next week. Manchester City host Leipzig and Porto welcome Inter in their second legs on 14 March, with Real Madrid against Liverpool and Napoli versus Frankfurt the following evening.
• The quarterfinal, semifinal and final draws will take place on 17 March. There are no seedings or country protection, so teams can face opposition from the same national association for the first time this season.