NYON, Switzerland — The excitement for the Champions League intensified following the draw for the round of 16, which revealed thrilling matchups including a Madrid derby, a classic German showdown, and a noteworthy clash between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Following their victory over Manchester City, the latest title holder Real Madrid will face their city rivals Atletico Madrid, a team they previously defeated in the finals of both 2014 and 2016. Atletico’s longstanding manager, Diego Simeone, will once again go head-to-head with Carlo Ancelotti, who famously triumphed in the 2014 final and has since managed various clubs across Europe. Recently, Ancelotti returned to Madrid and has added two more Champions League trophies to his record, bringing his total as a coach to five.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich will encounter Bayer Leverkusen in another intense matchup. This sees the Bundesliga leaders up against the reigning champions, who recently played to a 0-0 stalemate just a week prior. Notably, Leverkusen’s manager, Xabi Alonso, remains undefeated against Bayern in six encounters over three seasons, including three matches just this season alone.
Liverpool, having finished first in the overall 36-team standings, found themselves matched against the 15th-seeded PSG, presenting a significant challenge despite being labeled as the top-seeded team. The two clubs have yet to clash in knockout rounds of the Champions League or previous European Cups. Their last encounters were in the group stage during the 2018-19 season, where each side secured a home victory, culminating in Liverpool claiming their sixth European Cup title that year.
The first legs of these matches will take place on March 4-5, followed by the second legs one week later.
In other notable pairings, second-seeded Barcelona will face Benfica, a team they recently triumphed over with a score of 5-4 in Lisbon. Arsenal will go up against PSV Eindhoven, while Inter Milan takes on Feyenoord. The latter team will be making a return to San Siro, having successfully eliminated AC Milan earlier in the knockout stage. All three Italian clubs in this playoff round faced elimination, with PSV also knocking out Juventus in extra time.
Additionally, Club Brugge, who claimed the final qualification spot for the knockout stage, will confront Aston Villa, whom they defeated previously in November. Borussia Dortmund is set to compete against Lille.
Under the new tournament format, which allows teams from the same country to meet in the round of 16 unlike in the previous Champions League structure, both the Madrid and German rivalries can occur. This new seeding approach fosters thrilling matchups and brings teams back together after they have faced each other in the league phase.
Moreover, Friday’s draw positioned both Real Madrid and Liverpool within the same bracket half, setting the stage for a potential semifinal clash. Each team could encounter English opponents in the quarterfinals, with the Madrid derby victor meeting either Arsenal or PSV, and if Liverpool overcomes PSG, they will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge.
