Real Madrid and Manchester City will repeat what is already another classic in the Champions League, with a new clash in the round of 16, in which PSG and Chelsea will replay the final of the Club World Cup held last year in the United States.
Meanwhile, Barcelona avoided a meeting with PSG and will face Newcastle and Atlético de Madrid also avoided Liverpool to play Tottenham, which leaves the ‘red’ team to face Galatasaray, Juventus’ executioner, and Arsenal, the first round leader, to face Bayer Leverkusen.
Champions League draw leaves League-Premier League duels
The draw at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland), with the innocent hand of Croatian Ivan Rakitic, former Sevilla and Barcelona player, with whom he won the 2015 Champions League, resulted in this triple duel between LaLiga and the Premier League.
Plus a replay of the 2025 Club World Cup final, with the PSG-Chelsea duel, decided on the English side in New York.
He also confirmed that there will be no Real Madrid-Barça crossover.
Not even a Madrid derby until the final, on August 30 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
However, there may be a quarter-final between the Azulgranas and the red-and-whites.
The Whites go for the ‘infernal’ silver part of the table as defined by UEFA and Barça and Atlético for the blue.
The extraction of the first ball already made “Groundhog Day” a reality for Real Madrid with Álvaro Arbeloa and Pep Guardiola’s team.
He will have to return to the Santiago Bernabeu, where he has already been this season and won on the fifth matchday of the Liga phase (1-2).
This will be the fifth consecutive season in which they will meet.
The last one was in the previous qualifying round, in which the Whites eliminated the English team.
In their 15 previous encounters they have shared victories and defeats, 5 for each and five draws. The Whites have the upper hand in goals but only by one (26-25).
Real Madrid opens at home
Real Madrid, having already qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League with victory over Benfica in the play-off, will play the first leg at home and the second leg away.
Barcelona, on the other hand, will first visit Newcastle and the return leg at the Camp Nou.
The threat of Luis Enrique Martinez’s PSG disappeared for Hansi Flick’s team, who were paired with a less demanding opponent than the last champions, whom they defeated in the first round of the league phase away (1-2).
Four wins and only one loss further confirm the Azulgranas’ role as favorites.
The English side, who reach the last 16 after an easy play-off against Azeri side Qarabag, finished 12th in the group stage with 14 points, just two points behind Barcelona.
In the “Premier” they are eleventh in the English league standings and 25 behind leaders Arsenal.
Atletico Madrid can also celebrate having avoided Liverpool, their other potential rivals, who defeated them on the first day of the league phase (3-2).
After overcoming Brugge to be in today’s draw, the Red and Whites will play Tottenham for a place in the quarterfinals, with the second leg on English soil.
The team coached by Croatian Igor Tudor earned their place in the round of 16 outright, although their performance this season has been somewhat inconsistent.
They have won only 3 of their last 15 official matches; they are sixteenth in the English league, 4 points above the relegation zone.
On the same side of the draw as Real Madrid, the winner of PSG-Chelsea will face the winner of the Galatasary-Liverpool clash in the quarter-finals.
A possible meeting between Paris and Madrid could take place in the semifinals, should Los Blancos knock out City and the winner of the Atalanta-Bayern Munich clash.
Possible Spanish clash in the quarterfinals
On the other hand, there could be a Spanish clash in the quarterfinals if Barcelona and Atlético win in the Champions League round of 16.
The winner of the other two heats will await in the semifinals.
The one between the Norwegian Bodo/Glimt, the great surprise of the tournament, which has left out the last runner-up, Inter Milan, and Sporting Portugal.
And the one between Germany’s Leverkusen and the Arsenal of Spaniard Mikel Arteta, semifinalists a year ago and strong favorites in this edition in view of the results and their unstoppable progress.
The star match will be the one between defending champions PSG and Chelsea, who prevented them from lifting the first Club World Cup trophy a few months ago.
Outside the top eight, Luis Enrique’s team had to pay the toll of a tight play-off against Monaco and have beaten the English side in 3 of the 8 matches they have played.
The round of 16 of the Champions League will be played on March 10/11 and 17/18.
The quarterfinals on April 7/8 and 14/15; the semifinals on April 28/29 and May 5/6 and the final on Saturday 30 in Budapest.
Barcelona avoided a matchup with PSG
QuéOnnda.com
Round of 16
PSG (FRA)-Chelsea (ING)
Real Madrid (ESP)-Manchester City (ING)
Newcastle (ING)-Barcelona (ESP)
Bodo/Glimt (NOR)-Sporting de Portugal (POR)
Galatasaray (TUR)-Liverpool (ING)
Atalanta (ITA)-Bayern Munich (GER)
Atletico de Madrid (ESP)-Tottenham (ENG)
Leverkusen (GER)-Arsenal (ING).
With information from EFE
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