UCL Round of 16 Draw: Liverpool on Real Madrid, PSG Meets Bayern

The pairs for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 are up, and the two biggest matchups are Liverpool vs. Real Madrid and PSG vs. Bayern Munich.

These games are the replays of the UCL finals from last year and 2020, and without any doubt, they draw the biggest attention.

Liverpool and Real faced in the previous finals, held at Stade de France in Paris, once Los Blancos won 1-0, winning their 14th European title. Unlike then, Liverpool struggles a lot, while on the other side, the Los Blancos performs incredibly well, and for many, they are the top favorites for winning the trophy again.

Meanwhile, PSG and Bayern Munich share the pitch again. Two years ago, Bayern was better than the Saints in the finals, without fans due to COVID-19 regulations. The result was also 1-0, and that was the sixth continental crown for the Bavarians.

Both of these units are topping their respective domestic championship and would consider a defeat in this event a catastrophe. A lot is at stake for either club, and we expect one hell of a fight.

Other events are interesting too, and the one which generates hype is between AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. The Italian champs are always a magnet for fans, because they have seven UCL titles. On the other side are the Spurs, whose ambitions this season include at least one trophy. Antonio Conte got used to winning the silverware wherever he worked, and he expects to experience the same in London.

The draw put together RB Leipzig and Machester City, and be sure that this pair will deliver good fun. The Bulls have one of the best forward duos in Europe, Werner-Nkunku, while Man City is one of the top, if not the top, favorites for the title.

Inter and Porto, the two European champions, also meet in the round of 16. Nerazzuri were behind Bayern in their group, but ahead of Barcelona, who ended up in the Europa League. They hope to see Romelu Lukaku at his best when the knockout stage starts because the Belgian international missed a vast part of the first half of the year.

Dortmund and Chelsea were the competition winners in the past, and they will square off at this stage. Dortmund oscillates and isn’t as flamboyant in the past, while on the other hand, Chelsea accelerated following a switch to the managerial position. Thomas Tuchel, who won the UCL title back in 2021, is out, and Graham Potter took over the duties, immediately improving the form of the unit.

Napoli, who is maybe in the best shape of all the European teams, got paired with the last year’s Europa League winners, Eintracht Frankfurt. Victor Osimhen and his unit delivered 20 goals in the group stage, becoming one of the most efficient ever in the UCL, and their appetites became much higher after the group stage. Meanwhile, Eintracht secured the second spot in its assembly in the last round, and even though they come in as underdogs, they hope to see another magical international adventure.

And at last, Benfica vs. Club Brugge is the final pair. Even though there isn’t too much hype around this matchup, we need to point out that both teams eclipsed the expectations, with Benfica leaving PSG behind in the group stage, while Club Brugge outlasted Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid in the knockout stage race.