UCL Round-16 Draw: Liverpool Battle Atletico, Man City Meet Real Madrid, & Chelsea Tackle Bayern

 

The UEFA Champions League last-16 draw has been made with a host of mouth-watering clashes confirmed. The draw, which took place in Nyon, Switzerland on Monday, produced several exciting footballing match-ups across Europe.

Current holders of the continental crown, Liverpool, are pitted against Spanish giants, Atletico Madrid, while another English team, Manchester City face a daunting double-legged affair against Zinedine Zidane’s resurgent Real Madrid.

Following a disastrous campaign in Europe last season, one that witnessed the ill-fated appointments of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari and which saw Real Madrid fail terribly at defending the UCL title - a crown they had proudly held for three consecutive years – Zidane would be daring to reclaim Europe’s bragging rights once again.

As for Pep Guardiola, this tie would definitely have been the least he would have set his mind on following a relatively easy group stage run-in. Despite their recent league dominance, the English side have yet to taste European glory with their highest finish being a semifinal run last year before crashing out to eventual runners-up, Tottenham.

As for Tottenham, Mourinho would be feeling lucky avoiding the big guns at this stage of the competition following his team’s harrowing defeats across two legs to Bayern Munich during the group stages – although an excuse could be made for the veteran coach, having managed the least humiliating of both losses, a 3-1 reverse with several key players rested. However, a tie against Leipzig could prove quite tricky. The German underdogs are proving their mettle and showing the other teams that taking them for granted could come at a perilous cost with their recent winning streak propelling them to the summit of the German league table.

Elsewhere,  Frank Lampard’s young blues side have been given a stern test of their credentials with a matchup against heavyweights, Bayern Munich. The German side are having an erratic Bundesliga campaign this season, with consecutively dropped points reducing the invincibility associated with the team. They have been imperiously dominant in Europe, however, winning all their six group matches and should fancy their relatively easy chance of earning a quarterfinals berth.

Barcelona have regularly expressed a desire to get back on top of the podium in European competition, having exited the competition earlier than they would have wanted in previous campaigns, and they look set to continue their adventure against a recently hapless Napoli side. The Italian team are winless in their last eight league matches with the decision to strip Carlo Ancelotti of his managerial duties yet to be vindicated.

Paris Saint-Germain, with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe leading the charge, will take in a tough test against Borussia Dortmund. Both sides have been phenomenal in their respective leagues so far, with PSG holding a massive 7 points margin at the helm of the French Ligue 1 table after eighteen rounds of matches and with a game in hand. Dortmund should present a stiffer challenge, though, with expectations high on the French side to deliver European success following successive seasons of high purchases.

Juventus, another side craving European glory are handed a favorable tie having been paired with Olympique Lyon who are uneviably having a rollercoaster season in France thus far. Cristiano Ronaldo, as the competition’s all-time leading goalscorer, would be looking forward to the opportunity to add to his amazing arsenal of continental wins and the Portuguese maestro would be an immense aid to the Old Lady’s chances, Finally, Atalanta’s clash with Valencia completes the first knockout stage, with both teams evenly matched, although Valencia’s superior experience in the competition might prove an invaluable advantage.

Champions League last-16 draw in full:

Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain

Real Madrid vs Manchester City

Atalanta vs Valencia

Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool

Chelsea vs Bayern Munich

Lyon vs Juventus

Tottenham vs RB Leipzig

Napoli vs Barcelona