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The draw for the Round of 16 in the 2019-20 edition of the UEFA Champions League has been made, and some absolutely mouth-watering fixtures have emerged from the pot, pitting some of Europe’s biggest and best against one another.
Last season’s Round of 16 saw some epic clashes like Liverpool vs. Bayern Munich, Manchester United vs. Paris St. Germain and Ajax vs. Real Madrid, but if anything, this year’s draw seems even more exciting.
Here is a ranking of all of this season’s Champions League Round of 16 fixtures, with the most intriguing match at the top.
#1 Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
Prior to the Round of 16 draw, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were installed as the betting favourites to win the 2019-20 Champions League with odds of 13/4, but following the draw, those odds may well change.
The reigning Premier League champions have been drawn against 13-times Champions League winners Real Madrid in a truly incredible-sounding clash, with the first leg to be played at the Bernabeu in February.
The last time these two sides faced off was in the semi-finals of the 2015-16 Champions League, and Real won out 1-0 on aggregate before defeating Atletico Madrid in the final. But that was of course before Guardiola’s arrival at City – and the world-renowned boss defeated Los Blancos in the semi-finals of the 2010-11 edition with Barcelona.
If Guardiola wants to make this City’s year, he’ll need to get past one of the biggest dogs in the yard, but having said that, Real haven’t been firing on all cylinders this season and were beaten by Paris St. Germain in the group stage. Regardless, this is clearly the most intriguing tie of the round of 16, and with both squads full of stars, it could go either way.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers
#2 Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich
This one is a major tie because the last time Chelsea faced German giants Bayern in the Champions League was in 2011-12’s final; the Blues famously came out on top in Bayern’s own Allianz Arena after a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 draw in the game, and despite seven years having passed since then, the Bavarians will be gunning for revenge here.
Current Chelsea boss Frank Lampard captained his side on that famous night – Chelsea’s only Champions League victory – but can his young and vibrant team really overcome a side who’ve been almost unstoppable in this season’s competition thus far?
Bayern have struggled domestically this season, but in the Champions League they were the only side to win all 6 of their group games, and they scored an incredible 24 goals in the process, putting a total of 10 past Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham in their two matches.
Chelsea meanwhile relied on some kamikaze football to get them through at times, particularly in their draws with Valencia and Ajax. At full flow, the Blues have the firepower to hurt any team, and they’re reckless enough to take the match to Bayern – meaning this one could be incredibly exciting to watch.
#3 Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool
Current Champions League holders Liverpool have been handed a tricky tie against Spain’s Atletico Madrid, and Jurgen Klopp’s men will undoubtedly have to fight tooth and nail if they want to make it past Diego Simeone’s side and into the quarter-finals.
Under El Cholo, Atletico have made it to the final of two Champions Leagues – the 2013-14 and 2015-16 editions – and while they came up short both times, they’re still a formidable opponent for anyone to face. While their form hasn’t been tremendous thus far in 2019-20, Simeone knows how to make his side hard to beat; they boast the tightest defence in La Liga with just 10 goals conceded thus far.
If anyone can score goals, though, it’s the Reds. Liverpool boast one of the most fearsome front lines in world football in the trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, and despite some wobbles this season, they’ve still only lost a single game – their opening group stage match in the Champions League against Napoli.
To win this one, Atletico will need to frustrate Liverpool and then catch them off guard with the creative talents of Joao Felix and Thomas Lemar. More than any other tie in the Round of 16, this one represents the old adage of the irresistible force against the immovable object, so we can definitely expect a lot of intrigue.
#4 Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris St. Germain
This clash between the French champions and last season’s German runners-up will see PSG boss Thomas Tuchel return to face off with his old club in what could be a fascinating match-up. On paper at least, it’s a clash of two of the Champions League’s most exciting attacking sides – meaning we should see plenty of goals.
PSG were practically unstoppable in the group stages; the only point they dropped was in a draw against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, and they scored 17 goals while conceding just 2, giving the the meanest defence in this season’s Champions League thus far. With the likes of Mauro Icardi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, their front-line will terrify any opponents.
Dortmund should take some confidence from their own group stage performances, though; they held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp, and famously came back from 2-0 down to defeat Inter Milan in the result that essentially handed them qualification for the knockout stages.
This should be all about attack; can Jadon Sancho, Marco Reus, Paco Alcacer and company somehow outscore Neymar, Icardi and Mbappe? PSG will likely go into the tie as favourites, but they do have a history of choking in the Champions League, so an upset for Dortmund isn’t out of the question.
#5 Napoli vs. Barcelona
Perennial contenders for the Champions League crown, Barcelona have almost flown under the radar in this season’s edition of the competition, despite being ranked as third-favourites to win behind Manchester City and Liverpool prior to the round of 16 draw.
Ernesto Valverde’s side cruised through the group stages, going unbeaten and defeating Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan along the way, and they currently lead the table in La Liga. Forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have both been in fantastic form, scoring 5 of Barca’s 9 Champions League goals in the group games.
They’ve been handed a relatively favourable draw in the round of 16 against Italy’s Napoli, who recently fired manager Carlo Ancelotti despite qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League – beating holders Liverpool along the way.
Their domestic form hasn’t been great, however – losing as many matches as they’ve won thus far – meaning La Blaugrana should come into this tie with confidence. Napoli do have dangerous attackers like Dries Mertens and Arkadiusz Milik though, and as always, anything can happen in the Champions League.
#6 Tottenham Hotspur vs. RB Leipzig
Tottenham’s march to last season’s Champions League final was both unexpected and stirring thanks to their dramatic wins over Manchester City and Ajax, but 2019-20 has seen mixed results for them in Europe; they were thumped by Bayern Munich 2-7 at home, but also scored 18 goals – more than any side other than Bayern – thanks to two thumpings of whipping boys Crvena Zvedza.
The most interesting thing about Spurs’ Champions League hopes in this campaign is the Jose Mourinho effect. The Portuguese boss – who took over at Spurs in November – has won the competition twice in the past, both times with unfancied sides, and has overseen an upturn in form since his arrival in North London.
Germany’s RB Leipzig qualified for the knockout stages ahead of Lyon, Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg, but despite currently leading the Bundesliga, Julian Nagelsmann’s side were the consensus weakest seeded side going into the draw for the round of 16.
Mourinho should therefore be confident of qualification – particularly as Spurs will play the first leg at home – but he should be wary of Leipzig striker Timo Werner, who is one of Europe’s most in-form goalscorers right now, with 21 goals in all competitions, including 3 in the Champions League.
#7 Lyon vs. Juventus
Italian giants Juventus made it to the Champions League final in both 2014-15 and 2016-17, and although they came up short on both occasions, they still retain hopes of lifting the famous trophy every time they enter into the competition. Last season saw them eliminated in the quarter-finals by Ajax, and they’ll be looking to go deeper this time.
Maurizio Sarri’s men won their group impressively, finishing on 16 points with only a 2-2 draw away at Atletico Madrid representing points dropped. Outside of that, they were perfect, with forwards Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala largely providing the goals.
It’s honestly tricky to see Lyon having much success against them; the French side qualified as group runners-up behind RB Leipzig and ahead of Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg, but relied on Memphis Depay for 5 of their 9 goals – and the Dutchman has now been sidelined with a ruptured ACL and won’t be back until next season.
Due to Juventus’s experience and squad depth – and Lyon’s loss of their key player - this one could be the most one-sided tie in the round of 16.
#8 Atalanta vs. Valencia
This Italian-Spanish clash guarantees that a side not considered amongst Europe’s giants will make it through to the Quarter-Finals this season, as both teams would’ve been unfancied against practically any of the other sides in the round of 16.
Valencia – who made it to the Champions League final back in 2000-01 – were the surprising winners of a group containing Chelsea and last season’s semi-finalists Ajax, but they didn’t always impress, losing at home to the Dutch side and relying on a late goal at the Mestalla to secure a point against Chelsea. Their key win over Ajax in Amsterdam was a cynical, foul-filled game that earned them few fans.
Atalanta meanwhile qualified for the knockout stages with just 7 points – the lowest of any qualified team – and actually lost 3 of their 6 group games. Their point at home against Manchester City essentially allowed them to make it through, but the Italian side don’t have many star names in their squad.
This one could go either way, but unfortunately the winners will likely provide an easy draw for one of Europe’s larger predators in the quarter-finals.
