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The UEFA Champions League is the most followed footballing competition in the world, and for good reason. Pitting the best teams in the world against each other, the Champions League is the only destination where European heavyweight clubs from across different countries can face each other and claim to be Europe's best.
The group stages of this year's Champions League just concluded with some of the biggest clubs in the world heading to the Round of 16. Today, UEFA held the draw for the Round of 16 matchups and some very interesting ties were announced.
Also read: UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw revealed
The likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid will face each other in what promises to be the best round of 16 we have seen in recent history.
In this article, we predict which teams will go through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
#1 Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain
This matchup could be the most interesting one out of all the eight games. Paris Saint-Germain will face off against Borussia Dortmund in what should be a high-intensity draw which pits two of the best-attacking sides in the world against each other.
Thomas Tuchel will return to Germany to face his former club as Lucien Favre and his young squad will be hoping to advance further into the competition. Both the managers prefer free-flowing attacking football in their set-ups and the presence of world-class attackers and young talents such as Neymar and Jadon Sancho respectively should guarantee a thrilling encounter.
However, despite Dortmund's promise and their impressive home support, it is hard to see the Bundesliga club outperform the French champions over two legs. PSG advanced through the group stages with ease and their attack is one of the best in the worlds. The likes of Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi can have a field day against a lopsided Dortmund defence which is not as good as their counterparts. The tie can be a very high scoring one, but the edge goes to PSG due to their star-studded team.
Verdict - Paris Saint-Germain to go through
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers
#2 Real Madrid vs Manchester City
Arguably the draw of the round, 13-time Champions League winners Real madrid will face off against European hopefuls Manchester City in what should be one of the best rounds of 16 ties in the history of this competition.
Managers Pep Guardiola and Zinedine Zidane are both well-versed in this competition and have won it multiple times. However, their quest for the title in a squad not featuring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo respectively will continue as they lock horns in this game. Both teams are filled with world-class players, and both squads can defend as well as they can attack.
The Los Blancos, however, still do not look like the same team without Ronaldo. Eden Hazard is currently injured and has not performed as well as people expected him to, whereas Zidane's flaws are being exposed now more than they ever were previously.
Pep himself has tried and failed with City thrice in the Champions League and it is a fact that his team has fallen behind a lot in the Premier League this season. However, come February, the Cityzens should have Aymeric Laporte and Sergio Aguero back, both of whom can provide them with a great boost.
We expect that this tie will be the closest one in this round but Pep's tactical acumen combined with a well-balanced City squad which normally hits their stride in the latter part of the season could be a bit too much for this new look Madrid side. At the end of it all, it seems just a little more likely that the English team will get the better of their Spanish counterparts.
Verdict - Manchester City to go through
#3 Atalanta vs Valencia
The wildcard match of this round, Atalanta have made club history by qualifying for their first-ever round of 16 stage in the Champions League in their maiden season in the competition. The Serie A side has been hot and cold in their domestic league, but they won their last two games in the Champions League to qualify for this round.
Valencia, meanwhile, topped their tough group H which consisted of Ajax and Chelsea. The La Liga team is much more experienced in the Champions League and they put in some good performances in the group stages which has given them this relatively easy draw.
Both sides could surprise the other with their squad of talented players but Valencia's experience in this competition gives them an upper hand in what should be a very tightly contested tie.
Verdict - Valencia to go through
#4 Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool
The current Champions League holders could not have gotten a tougher draw in this competition as they are set to go up against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.
Traditionally under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds have played some beautiful free-flowing football which has helped them wreak havoc against opponents. However, the team has often struggled against defensively astute teams who require Liverpool to play much more centrally and create intricate plays in order to score. Enter Atletico Madrid.
Simeone is known for his defensive proficiency with the former Champions League finalists, who cause teams problems with their strong backline and tactical prowess. Moreover, the likes of Diego Costa and Joao Felix could very well be in-form in a couple of months when this game takes place.
However, Liverpool should still be the favourites here. The second leg will be contested at Anfield, where the Reds have not lost a European game since the start of the 2017-18 season. Moreover, Klopp is yet to lose a two-legged tie in Europe. As good as Atletico's defence is, the team has been haphazard in La Liga and the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah might prove to be too much for the Spanish team at the end of it all.
Verdict - Liverpool to go through
#5 Chelsea vs Bayern Munich
Chelsea and Bayern Munich have a history in this competition - the Blues defeated the Bavarian club on their own patch in the 2012 final to capture their only Champions League trophy. The memories of that day will still be fresh in the minds of Bayern fans, who could not believe their eyes that day.
However, a lot has changed since 2012. A new look Chelsea managed to qualify for the Round of 16 on the last matchday of the group stages but Frank Lampard's young squad is yet to find consistency in their performances. The Blues have lost their last two league games, and even though the football has been good, Lampard's relative inexperience as a manager is visible for all to see.
Bayern Munich fired manager Niko Kovac a while back, and they find themselves 6 points away from the top of Bundesliga. However, the talent in this Bayern team is too much for them to crash out at this stage of the tournament - Robert Lewandowski has been on an absolute tear this season, whereas the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Thomas Muller can never be counted out to perform when required. As promising as Chelsea are, it would take a minor miracle for them to outlast this Bayern squad over two legs.
Verdict - Bayern Munich to go through
#6 Juventus vs Olympique Lyonnais
Without taking anything away from the quality of Lyon, we must say this might be the most one-sided tie in the round of 16 this season. The defending Serie A champions, Juventus are a squad brimming with quality in every position and despite not being their most impressive version so far this campaign, they will be the overwhelming favourites to advance from this tie.
Olympique Lyonnais were involved in the easiest group of the lot in the previous round and they are currently placed 8th in Ligue 1 with 26 points from 18 games. Despite their determination and quality in some areas of the pitch, a team led by Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala will not be undone by the French team.
Verdict - Juventus to go through
#7 Tottenham Hotspur vs RB Leipzig
Another interesting draw, RB Leipzig vs Tottenham Hotspur promises to be a high-scoring contest if nothing else. Spurs would do well to not take their opponents lightly, who are currently at the top of Bundesliga with 33 points gathered in 15 games. Leipzig have also conceded the least goals in the German top flight at the time of writing.
However, what the team lacks is the experience to grind out a result at a stage such as this against one of Europe's best-attacking units. On the other hand, Spurs manager Jose Mourinho is a two-time winner of this competition who knows a lot about pragmatic football and how to snatch a victory away from strong opponents.
Despite Leipzig's obvious strengths and their current form, Spurs should be the slight favourites to come out on top over two games. Under Jose, the team has looked rejuvenated as they have found some of their lost rhythms and have won all but one game so far under the Portuguese. Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Heung-Ming Son might just prove to be a bit too much for a tough Leipzig team who will no doubt put up a tough fight.
Verdict - Tottenham Hotspur to go through
#8 Barcelona vs SSC Napoli
Last season, or even a few months ago, this tie would be a much more enjoyable one and it would have been more difficult to name a clear victor. However, during the past month or so, SSC Napoli has been a shadow of their former selves and have fired coach Carlo Ancelotti, who was replaced by the dynamic Gennaro Gattuso.
After 16 games in the Serie A, the Neapolitans are already 18 points behind leaders Inter Milan. The squad lacks cohesiveness and there is rumoured to be a mass exodus where all the top players are sold - whether it happens in January or during the summer window is a mystery. Either way, the signs are not strong for the team as they are set to go up against Lionel Messi and Co.
Despite Ernesto Valverde not being the best coach in the world, Barcelona finds themselves at the top of the La Liga and comfortably glided past their group of death in the Champions League against the likes of Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund. With the current state of Napoli and the brilliance of the Barcelona attack, the Catalan club should not have many issues in advancing to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Verdict - Barcelona to go through
