Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may be knocked out in the Round of 16 breaking a positive streak

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo face a Champions League Round of 16 exit for first time in 16 years. Ronaldo and Messi have dominated Europe in such a way that 16 years have passed since at least one of their clubs failed to make the quarter-finals. Between the two superstars have won nine of the tournaments since that run began in the 2004-05 season.

But unless they can roll back the clock this week, both could find themselves looking on from the outside when the Champions League gets to the business end of the competition. Inspite of Barcelona's late improvement, they are to solve a 'Mission Impossible' against Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday having been trashed 4-1 at home.

Juventus task seems considerably easier. Ronaldo was rested by Juventus at the weekend just to ensure he is as fresh as possible tomorrow as the Italian giants look to overturn their 2-1 first-leg deficit against Porto. Coach Andrea Pirlo stated: “These are Cristiano’s games, he’s always proved it. He followed a special training program these days, he is serene and is looking forward to playing.”

Early exits from the Champions League have cost past bosses Massimiliano Allegri and Maurizio Sarri their jobs, but Pirlo is not thinking about failure: "If I thought so, I wouldn’t be here. I know it’s an important game, but I focus on one game at a time. The club will decide my future, depending on the results".

Messi and Ronaldo's statistics in Champions League:

The Argentinean and the Portuguese superstars are the all-time scoring leaders of the most prestigious European club tournament. Messi has scored 119 goals over a total of 148 appearences, while Cristiano Ronaldo counts 134 goals in 175 presences. The only difference being Messi only scored for Barcelona, while Ronaldo did it with Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.