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With the complicated rules put in place for the round of 16 - that two teams from the same league should not face off against one another, or that the teams that met in the group stages shouldn't draw each other (the latter is understandable) - the quarterfinals of this year's Champions League have not failed to deliver.
A clash between two Premier League powerhouses, a repeat of last year's final, relatively easy fixtures for two of the favourites to win the tournament - this draw was as exciting as it was quick. With nothing to slow him down, the former Milan legend, Andriy Shevchenko fished out the balls with lightning-quick speed to decide the fate of the teams involved.
The first leg of matches will take place on the 3rd and 4th of April, while the second legs are set to take place on the 10th and 11th of April.
Here's a look at how the teams are expected to perform and have performed so far in the season:
#1 Barcelona vs AS Roma
Barcelona have met Roma four times before this in the Champions League - with both the teams winning one each and two draws between them.
The last time these two sides met in the competition, was during the group stages of the 2015/16 season. Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw when they travelled to Rome, but decimated the Italian side at home with an unforgiving scoreline of 6-1, with braces from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
The Blaugrana sit comfortably at the top of La Liga, with an 8 point difference ahead of their closest rivals - Atletico Madrid. They have scored 72 goals in 28 games in the league, while scoring 13 goals in 8 Champions League games, including 3 past both Chelsea and Juventus.
The Giallorossi, on the other hand, sit in 3rd place in Serie A, with both Napoli and Juventus too far ahead of them. They have scored 47 goals in 28 games in the league and 11 goals in 8 games in the Champions League. Surprisingly, they have scored 3 goals past Chelsea twice this season.
Barcelona will be firm favourites to get into the semis, as they are after most draws. With Lionel Messi in scintillating form and their defence being well-structured, it will take Roma enormous energy if they are to spring a surprise.
Roma, while not favourites are no pushovers. As they exhibited against Chelsea, they are capable of scoring from all sides of the football pitch as well as defend with resoluteness. They have won 5 of their last 6 league games, including a surprise win against Napoli.
The problem for the Italians will be their position in the Serie A - they have games against Fiorentina and Lazio on the 7th and 15th of April respectively. If they lose their grip on the Champions League qualification spots by the time their game against Barcelona happens, will Roma prioritise the league games over a practically hopeless Champions League tie?
Key players:
Barcelona: Lionel Messi (attack) and Samuel Umtiti (defence)
AS Roma: Aleksander Kolarov (defence) and Edin Dzeko (attack)
Fixtures:
First leg: 4th April
Second leg: 10th April
#2 Sevilla vs Bayern Munich
These two clubs have never met so far in European competition, as Sevilla will play the first leg at home to their German visitors.
Sevilla are currently 5th in La Liga standings, 11 points adrift of a CL qualification spot for the next season. They have scored a mere 36 goals in 28 league games so far while scoring 14 goals in the Champions League - including 5 against Liverpool over the course of two legs.
Bayern Munich, on the other hand, top the Bundesliga standings with a magnificent 20 point lead over the closest rival - Schalke 04. Bayern have scored 65 goals in 26 league games so far while managing 21 in the Champions League - where their most notable victory was a 3-1 win over Paris St. Germain.
Sevilla are a somewhat of a surprise entrant into the quarterfinals and will face a near-impossible task of winning against Bayern. Their first leg is at home, but their results against the bigger opposition hasn't been great - the white and reds have lost all of their games so far against Valencia, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
Having started the season shakily, the Bavarians are enjoying happy times now - both in terms of luck and results. After finishing second in the group stage, who would have guessed that their next two oppositions would be Besiktas and Sevilla? The Germans would be favourites to cruise into the next round, and rightly so.
Key players:
Sevilla - Sergio Escudero (defence) and Ever Banega (attack)
Bayern Munich - James Rodriguez (attack) and Joshua Kimmich (defence)
Fixtures:
First leg - 3rd April
Second leg - 11th April
#3 Juventus vs Real Madrid
The teams have met a whopping 19 times before in the Champions League, with Juventus winning 8 and Real Madrid winning 9 games, and 2 games ending in draws.
This encounter will be a repeat of last year's finals - where Real Madrid thrashed their way through Juventus with a 4-1 win at Cardiff, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's brace. The Portuguese has so far scored 7 goals in 5 games against Juventus and will be looking to increase the tally.
Juventus are currently at the top of Serie A standings but are being closely followed by a high-flying Napoli who are just 4 points behind them. Despite having a reputation as a defensive team, they have scored 67 goals in 28 league games so far, while scoring 14 in the Champions League - their 4 goals against Tottenham over the course of two legs being most notable.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are having a dismal season in the league so far - sitting third in La Liga and 15 points behind leaders Barcelona. They have also scored 67 goals in 28 league games so far while scoring an impressive 22 in the Champions League - no one is about to forget their 5 goals past Paris St. Germain anytime soon.
This will be the most interesting fixture of the draw, as it involves two teams that complement each other's games so well - Juventus' regimented defence against Real Madrid's free-flowing attacking football; Juventus' industrious midfield against Madrid's innovative midfield.
The Bianconeri will have an important decision to make - will they prioritize the Scudetto over European glory? Being out of the running in the league might turn out to be Los Blanco's advantage as this is their one shot at winning a trophy this year.
Over the course of time, Madrid have built themselves a reputation for turning up in the Champions League games and once more, it will be put to the test against a familiar team. Juventus are yet to win the Champions League in recent times, and beating a powerful team like Madrid will just be the case they want to make to the world.
Key players:
Juventus: Paulo Dybala (attack) and Giorgio Chiellini (defence)
Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo (attack) and Sergio Ramos (defence)
Fixtures:
First leg: 3rd April
Second leg: 11th April
#4 Liverpool vs Manchester City
If both teams had the choice of one team they didn't want to draw, they would have picked exactly one another. Despite the two never having met in the European competition, Liverpool dominates their local rivalry - 87 wins as against Manchester City's 45, and 46 draws between them.
Liverpool sit in the fourth place in the Premier League, the title well out of sight and just four points ahead of Chelsea at fifth. Their attacking hasn't let the side down yet - scoring 68 goals in 30 league games and an unbelievable 28 goals in the Champions League - Liverpool are currently the only team to have beaten Pep Guardiola's team in the Premier League and have scored 7 goals twice this year.
Manchester City have all but lifted the Premier League trophy, as they lead second-placed Manchester United by 16 points. Their attack has been in fine form this season, scoring 85 goals in 30 league games and 19 goals in the Champions League - they have destroyed times left and right in the Premier League, and scored 6 goals past Napoli in the Champions League.
This should be an affair to look forward to, as both teams play some of the finest attacking football at present. Jurgen Klopp's side have a momentary mental advantage over their rivals thanks to their 4-3 win in recent times, but the way City are going about it might prove to be nothing.
It will be a battle between two philosophies that are essentially the same - Klopp's Gegenpressing against Guardiola's more technically focussed approach to the game. The Reds have history behind them but suffered a shock defeat to Manchester United recently. Manchester City will be looking forward to winning the treble and will pay little heed to history when they go into this fixture.
Whatever may happen, one thing is for certain - a lot of goals are about to be scored.
Key players:
Liverpool: Mohamed Salah (attack) and Virgil van Dijk (defence)
Manchester City: Nicolas Otamendi (defence) and Kevin De Bruyne (attack)
Fixtures:
First leg: 4th April
Second leg: 10th April
