The Champions League Round of 16 draw is now jus around the corner after the conclusion of the group stage.
We had to wait a little longer than expected for the round of 16 to officially draw to a close after Villarreal‘s clash with Atalanta was postponed for 22 hours.
It was worth the wait, Villarreal only needing a draw but picking up a 3-2 away win in Bergamo to wrap up second spot in their group and progress to the Champions League knockout stage for only the third time in their history.
Real Madrid had already booked their place in the next round with a game to spare, but they managed to take care of top spot by defeating Inter Milan.
Atletico Madrid had it all to do in their final game, and they took care of business by defeating Porto away from home to secure second spot and knockout stage progression.
Barcelona and Sevilla became the two Spanish victims of the group stage, dropping into the Europa League.
But as for Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Villarreal, who can they face in the next round? Let’s take a look, and for all the details on Monday’s draw, don’t forget to check out our guide here.
Atletico Madrid
As ever, teams cannot be drawn against teams from their own country, nor can they play their group stage opponents at this point.
Group winners will be drawn against runners-up, and group winners will play at home in the second leg.
With that in mind, Atletico can be draw against Ajax, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Lille, Manchester City or Manchester United.
Real Madrid
Two Spanish teams being eliminated worked out better for Real Madrid, who now have more possible opponents in the next round.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men can be drawn against Benfica, Chelsea, PSG, RB Salzburg or Sporting CP.
Villarreal
Villarreal will be delighted to have secured a spot in the next round, and they are arguably in bonus territory from this point, though they so often find a way to overachieve in Europe, so few teams will like to draw the Yellow Submarine.
Unai Emery’s men can be drawn against Ajax, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Liverpool, Lille or Manchester City.
