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What's the story?
Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has given his thoughts on the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw that took place on Monday.
In case you didn't know...
The fixtures for the knockout stages of the Champions League have been drawn with reigning champions Real Madrid scheduled to face Ajax and last year's finalists Liverpool set to take on German giants Bayern Munich.
An in-form Barcelona has been paired with Lyon while a confident Juventus will face La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
Premier League champions Manchester City will lock horns with Schalke while their rivals Manchester United have a mammoth task ahead of them as they are set to face Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund will take on Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur while Porto will go head-to-head with Roma.
The heart of the matter
Valverde has expressed relief at not facing Europe's runners-up Liverpool but maintains that Lyon are not a side to underestimate.
According to RAC1, the manager said, "We are pleased with the Round of 16 draw. We wanted to avoid a rival like Liverpool, the current runners-up in Europe."
"Lyon will not be easy, as they have been able to compete for top spot in the group stages at Manchester City."
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was also quick in responding to the draw saying (via the club's official website), "Difficult. Good draw. It was clear it would be difficult [and] they are obviously a top side."
"For me it's nice, going to Germany. But it's just the draw. So we have now time to prepare the game, a lot of time obviously, and hopefully, we have all our players available then."
"It will be a tough one, an interesting one, and I am looking forward to it."
What's next?
With the group stage of the UCL over, Barcelona will shift focus to the domestic league where they are toppers and will look to extend their three-point lead when they play Celta Vigo this weekend.
