United States
United KingdomThe draw for the Champions League last 16
took place on Monday afternoon. The draw certainly produced some fascinating ties. Here are the pick of the ties:
Real Madrid v Paris Saint Germain
In one of the ties of the round, European champions Real Madrid will take on big-spending French outfit PSG. Zinedine Zidane’s side came second in their group before Premier League Tottenham.
Their reward or punishment will be facing PSG, who are the favourites to win the competition this season with many bookmakers. Their front three of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani have been on fire this season.
In fact, the Parisians broke the record for the number of goals in the group stages of the Champions League. Unai Emery’s side has struggled to prove their top-level status in recent years.
For the Spanish champions, the draw could not have been much worse and their chances of retaining the trophy for a third consecutive season have decreased.
Chelsea v Barcelona
Another fascinating tie involving a Spanish club is Barcelona facing reigning Premier League champions Chelsea in the last-16. The pair have met on six previous occasions in the knockout stages of this competition, so are familiar foes.
Chelsea missed out on top spot in their group on matchday six. The failure to win their group could prove very costly indeed for Antonio Conte’s side. Barcelona won their group ahead of Italian giants Juventus and are currently top of La Liga.
Both teams have a recent history of winning the Champions League. The Blues lifted the trophy back in 2012 for the first time, while the Catalan giants won the competition in 2015 for the fifth time.
Juventus v Tottenham
Tottenham impressed in the group stages, winning five of their six games and finishing above reigning European champions Real Madrid. Mauricio Pochettino’s side took four points off the Spanish champions and they are unlikely to fear last season’s finalists.
The Bianconeri finished second in their group behind Barcelona. The Italian champions have endured a mixed campaign so far, as they are currently in a massive battle to retain the Scudetto in Serie A this season.
Basel v Manchester City
Premier League leaders and one of the favourites to lift the trophy Manchester City will face Swiss side Basel in the last-16.
The Swiss champions enjoyed a good group stage campaign, winning four of their six games, finishing second behind Manchester United in Group A. The underdogs now face Manchester’s other giants, who will pose a major threat to their progress this season.
Pep Guardiola’s visitors have won all but two games in all competitions this season. City won their opening five group games in this competition, only to suffer defeat in their last game against Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk. The Citizens are amongst the favourites to lift the trophy this season.
The other Champions League last-16 ties:
Porto vs Liverpool
Sevilla vs Manchester United
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Roma
Bayern Munich vs Besiktas
Which is the tie of the last-16 of the Champions League?
