Welcome to the Times of Malta’s live blog for the UEFA Champions League Last 16 draws. Here’s what’s going on…
Full draw here:
German team RB Leipzig (Group F) will face English champions Manchester City (Group G).
After a dismal start to their campaign with a 4-1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk, RB Leipzig surged into second place behind Real Madrid. On the other hand, for Man. City, draws against Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen were the only setbacks as Pep Guardiola’s men cruised through Group G.
Group B runners-up Club Brugge will face surprise Group H winners Benfica. Both clubs were surprise packages as Brugge made history being only the second-ever Belgian club to make it past the Champions League group stages. Benfica impressed in a group made up of the like of Paris Saint Germain and Juventus and provided the most spectacular finish to group stages when a 6-1 win over Maccabi Haifa stole away first place from PSG on the last matchday.
A clash of titans as Liverpool face title holders Real Madrid. A repeat of numerous finals and semifinals, this tie should definitely provide a great spectacle as Group A runners-up Liverpool, despite finishing with a perfect five-win run, will take on Europe’s champions Real. The latter lost just once to RB Leizpig but will be the team to beat yet again.
AC Milan return to the Champions League knockouts with a tie against Tottenham. A bright start for Stefano Pioli’s men brought up hopes for Milan but two consecutive defeats threatened their position. However, they now face former Juventus coach Antonio Conte and Tottenham, a side that only won their group in their final match.
Last season’s Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt will face Italian dark horses Napoli. The latter have been the stars of the show in the group stages, losing only their last match of the group against Liverpool but saved by their impressive goal-scoring difference, they go through as group winners.
Group G runners-up Borussia Dortmund will face Graham Potter’s Chelsea. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang faces a return to Dortmund as the Black and Yellow made it through with a win and three draws while Chelsea topped Group E winning all but their first match, a draw to Dinamo Zagreb which ended up being Thomas Tuchel’s last match in charge of the Stamford Bridge side.
Group C runners-up Inter will face Porto in the next round. Coming from what was considered a group of death, with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Inter impressed when they beat the Catalans twice, losing only their final match against eventual group winners Bayern Munich. Porto, on the other hand, lost only their first to Atletico Madrid but were the architects of the Spaniards’ downfall, sending them out of European competition on the final matchday.
An amazing tie to finish it all up as Paris Saint Germain play against Bayern Munich. PSG were sure of their first place finish until Benfica scored six goals against Maccabi Haifa on the final group stage matchday as the Portuguese side topped their group. However, facing the Parisians will be no easy feat for German champions Bayern Munich who cruised through their group despite facing Inter and Barcelona.
(12.00)
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