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Champions League Team of the Round - Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling, Kylian Mbappe

Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Round, including Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and Kylian Mbappe.

Manchester City were the standout team in the first legs of the last-16 ties in the Champions League, with the Premier League champions running out 5-0 winners over Sporting Lisbon.

The Citizens are on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals of the competition, while Paris Saint-Germain will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their last-16 clash with Real Madrid.

Liverpool are also in a strong position to reach the final eight, having beaten Inter Milan 2-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie, but Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw by Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg.

Chelsea were 2-0 winners over Lille in their first leg on Tuesday evening, but Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal in Spain, leaving the tie delicately poised ahead of the return fixture.

There were two more draws on Wednesday, meanwhile, with Benfica playing out a 2-2 with Ajax, while Manchester United came from behind to claim a 1-1 against Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano.

Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Round, with the first legs of the last-16 ties in Europe's premier competition now complete.


DEFENCE

Thiago Silva in action for Chelsea in January 2022© Reuters

The goalkeeping spot in the XI is awarded to Salzburg's Philipp Kohn, who impressed in his side's 1-1 draw with Bayern on February 16. The 23-year-old made eight saves and four claims during a brilliant performance against the Bundesliga champions, helping Salzburg claim a positive result to take to Allianz Arena.

Noussair Mazraoui continues to be strongly linked with a move away from Ajax, and the 24-year-old demonstrated his qualities against Benfica, providing the assist for Dusan Tadic to make the breakthrough on the night, and he was a constant threat down the right for the Dutch giants.

There is also a spot in the side for Thiago Silva, who excelled in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Lille. The Brazilian put in a faultless performance against the French outfit, using all of his experience to help the Blues keep a clean sheet, with Lille's attacking players struggling to get the better of the 37-year-old.

Two Liverpool players are also included at the back, with Virgil van Dijk being joined by Andrew Robertson, as both players impressed at San Siro against Inter. The former was defensively excellent against Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko, as both players struggled to get the better of the Dutchman. Robertson, meanwhile, provided the assist for Roberto Firmino to make the breakthrough, while had an 82% pass success rate from left-back.


MIDFIELD

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva celebrates scoring their fifth goal before it is disallowed by VAR on February 15, 2022© Reuters

There simply had to be a spot in this particular XI for Bernardo Silva, with the Portugal international in wonderful form against Sporting in Portugal. Bernardo came up with two goals and an assist in the five-star performance, and he was comfortably the standout player in the last-16 first legs.

N'Golo Kante, meanwhile, starred in Chelsea's two-goal success over Lille on Tuesday evening. The France international has had his injury problems this season, but he was back to his best in Europe this week, covering every blade of grass, while he assisted the home side's second goal, setting up Christian Pulisic in the 63rd minute of the contest following a strong run.

Geoffrey Kondogbia has also been included in the midfield due to his excellent performance in Atletico's 1-1 draw with Man United in the Spanish capital. The 29-year-old overshadowed the likes of Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in the away team's midfield, completing two dribbles and winning four tackles on the night. Kondogbia did not contribute too much in a forward area, but he was key to his side making it a difficult 90 minutes for Man United, who levelled late on through Anthony Elanga.


ATTACK

Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their first goal on February 15, 2022© Reuters

Raheem Sterling was also sensational in Man City's five-goal win over Sporting in Portugal, with the England international scoring once and providing an assist in a fine all-round performance. Sporting just could not come to terms with the 27-year-old, who completed four dribbles, won three tackles and boasted a 94% pass success rate from the right side of the attack.

Kylian Mbappe leads the line in this team, with the France international scoring the only goal of the match against Real Madrid in Paris. The 23-year-old was the standout player on the field, having seven shots, completing four dribbles and boasting an 87% pass success rate, which is incredible considering the area of the field where he does the most damage.

The final spot in the front three and indeed the XI goes to Bayern's Kingsley Coman, who was excellent in his side's 1-1 draw in Salzburg. The 25-year-old scored Bayern's leveller in the 90th minute, and it was a brilliant all-round display from the attacker, who had eight shots, completed seven dribbles and also won seven aerial duels, contributing at both ends of the field for the Bundesliga champions.


SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE ROUND

CL TOTW L16 1

Sports Mole's Champions League team of the round (4-3-3): Kohn; Mazraoui, T Silva, Van Dijk, Robertson; Bernardo, Kante, Kondogbia; Sterling, Mbappe, Coman


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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City97202091123
2Liverpool97111751222
3Arsenal95311710718
4Aston Villa95311611518
5Chelsea95221911817
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton94411612416
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest9441117416
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs94141810813
9Brentford94141818013
10Fulham93331212012
11Bournemouth93331111012
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle9333910-112
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham93241316-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd9324811-311
15Leicester CityLeicester92341317-49
16Everton92341016-69
17Crystal Palace9135611-56
18Ipswich TownIpswich9045920-114
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves90271225-132
20Southampton9018619-131


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