Spain has four teams in the Round of 16 for the Champions League this season, all of which finished top of their group. Only Sevilla did not make it, as they crashed out in fourth place in their group. Join us as we find out their opponents for the knockout stages.
The first legs will take place on the 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st of February, while the second legs will be hosted on the 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th of March. As has been customary, there will be around three weeks between the first and second legs.
Paris Saint-Germain, Inter, Napoli, Lazio, RB Leipzig, PSV, Porto or Copenhagen, as the teams in pot two. Real Madrid will be spared Napoli, Barcelona will not meet Porto, Atletico Madrid avoid Lazio, and Real Sociedad will not clash with Inter, as those pairings met each other in the group stage.
The French champions stand out as perhaps the most fearsome prospect on paper, with Barcelona reportedly keen to avoid PSG.
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John Terry and Joe Cole are our chosen pairing to make the draw. Cole makes Real Madrid his most impressive team so far – a real niche pick, but one hard to argue with.
First team out… Porto! They won’t face Barcelona but could get any of the other Spanish sides. They will meet… Arsenal! First English side off the board.
Second tie will see Napoli – Serie A champions won’t face Real Madrid. They will face… Barcelona! The two sides met in Lionel Messi’s penultimate Champions League campaign and will do so again in very different circumstances.
Luis Enrique’s PSG are next out. It is Real Sociedad! A glamour draw for the Txuri-Urdin, but not much of a reward for finishing first. They’ll back themselves against anyone though.
Inter, runners up last year, will be visiting Atletico Madrid! Los Rojiblancos also get a tricky clash despite their strong group stage. The two sides are sure to put together a fierce battle, with Diego Simeone returning to one of the places he played.
PSV Eindhoven will face Borussia Dortmund – a short hop over the border for the side that beat PSG to top spot.
Lazio the final Italian team out of it will clash with Bayern Munich – Walter Mazzarri had said he wanted Barcelona.
Copenhagen will face Manchester City as the only team they can play. And that leaves Real Madrid to take on RB Leipzig. The two teams met in the group stages last season, with two good games – Leipzig won 3-2 in Germany, and Los Blancos won 2-0 in Madrid, but both teams were problematic for their opponents on that occasion.
That completes the draw some tasty clashes on the horizon. A recap of all the ties here:
Porto v Arsenal
Napoli v Barcelona
PSG v Real Sociedad
Inter v Atletico Madrid
PSV v Borussia Dortmund
Lazio v Bayern Munich
Copenhagen v Manchester City
RB Leipzig v Real Madrid
