What to look out for on the final day of the round of 16

The UEFA Champions League round of 16 concludes on Wednesday as four teams compete for the remaining quarter-final slots.

We pick out some key talking points from the two remaining second-leg ties.

Liverpool's mission improbable

Stunned as he reflected on Liverpool's worst-ever European home defeat, a 5-2 loss to Real Madrid in the first leg, Jürgen Klopp reflected: "I think Carlo [Ancelotti] thinks the tie is over. I think so as well at the moment." The prospects are certainly not good: no side has ever retrieved a three-goal deficit from the home leg of a Champions League knockout tie (with Manchester United the only team to have come back from a two-goal home defeat).

Ancelotti, however, is not thinking of the quarter-finals just yet. "Unfortunately, this tie isn't finished," Madrid's Italian coach said. "No way." His side are unbeaten in seven games against Liverpool (W6 D1), but he must also contend with this season's top Champions League scorer (eight-goal Mohamed Salah). Meanwhile, some members of the current squad will remember the 2018/19 round of 16 tie against Ajax when the Amsterdam side – trailing 2-1 from the home leg – won 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu to eliminate the holders.

Napoli close to quarter-final first

UEFA Cup winners in 1989, the year before they won their second (and most recent) league title, Napoli's exceptional season looks set to get slightly better. The runaway Serie A leaders they go into the home leg of their tie against UEFA Europa League winners Frankfurt with a two-goal lead, and with their opponents' star striker Randal Kolo Muani serving a suspension following a red card in the first leg in Germany.

Having finished top of their Champions League group for only the second time, they need only avoid calamity in the return to reach the last eight of Europe's top club competition for the first time in their history, having been thwarted in the round of 16 on three previous occasions. After the first leg, Corriere dello Sport said Napoli were out of this world (their headline: 'Galattici!'), but coach Luciano Spalletti is eager to keep their feet on terra firma for now. "We need to stay calm, very calm," he warned. "Our biggest enemy is to think it's done."

Further ahead

• The quarter-final, semi-final 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.

Where is the 2023 UEFA Champions League final being played?

The 2022/23 Champions League season will conclude at Istanbul's Atatürk Olympic Stadium on 10 June 2023.

Built to support Türkiye's bid to stage the 2008 Olympic Games, the venue opened in 2002 and is home to the Turkish national team. Situated in the Başakşehir area of the city, west of the Bosphorus, it boasts a seated capacity of over 75,000.