The Road To Munich
We analyse the Champions League knockout bracket.
By Patric Ridge
The draw for the Champions League knockout stage has been made, with the potential paths to Munich now mapped out.
SIDE A
PSV v Arsenal
Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid
PSG v Liverpool
Club Brugge v Aston Villa
A headline of the draw is a Madrid derby, as well as a mouthwatering encounter between two of Europe’s most dominant teams this season.
Real Madrid will take on their city rivals Atletico Madrid, in a repeat of the 2014 and 2016 finals — both, of course, won by Los Blancos. Both LaLiga derbies finished 1-1 this season.
The winner of that tie will face either PSV or Arsenal.
PSV overcame Juventus in the play-offs (for a recap, check out our Champions League Takeaways), while Arsenal were already ensured of their place in the last 16 after finishing in the top eight of the league phase.
Paris Saint-Germain took a while to get going in the Champions League this term, but they claimed their spot in the last 16 with a 10-0 aggregate thrashing of Brest, and also defeated Manchester City in January. Luis Enrique’s side have been in dominant form in Ligue 1, and will now test themselves against the Premier League’s best side, and six-time European champions, Liverpool.
One of PSG or Liverpool will take on Club Brugge or Aston Villa — meaning all three English teams are in the same half of the draw.
Brugge beat Villa 1-0 in the league phase following a calamitous mistake from Tyrone Mings, but over two legs, Unai Emery’s side should fancy their chances.
SIDE B
Benfica v Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund v Lille
Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen
Feyenoord v Inter
The B-side of the draw is just as intriguing.
Benfica got into the last 16 courtesy of a 3-3 draw with Monaco on Tuesday, which secured a 4-3 win on aggregate. Their reward? A meeting with in-form Barcelona.
A pre-Christmas wobble saw Barca drop off in LaLiga, but Hansi Flick’s team — spearheaded by Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal — have recovered, and they now sit at the top of a pile, albeit in a tense three-horse race also involving Madrid and Atletico. They had their spot in the knockouts of this competition secured early, though, and should be confident of progressing to a last-eight tie against either…
Borussia Dortmund or surprise package Lille.
Dortmund overpowered Sporting CP in the play-offs, and last season’s runners-up have this season’s leading Champions League goalscorer at the tip of their attack, in Serhou Guirassy. Lille, meanwhile, claimed wins over both Madrid clubs and drew with Juventus in the league phase, and Jonathan David is an exceptional striker who could do plenty of damage.
An all-German clash between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen is also coming up. These sides are the top two in the Bundesliga, and met as recently as last week, with Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen side unable to get the three points despite dominating a match in which Bayern failed to hit the target.
Bayern are, of course, bidding to play in a final that will be held at their home ground at the end of May, so there is some extra motivation for Vincent Kompany’s team.
The final tie sees Feyenoord take on Inter, who were runners-up to Man City in 2023.
Inter are embroiled in a tight tussle at the top of Serie A, while Feyenoord — who downed Inter’s city rivals Milan in the play-offs — are making their first-ever appearance in the Champions League last 16.
Which ties are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!