A Madrid derby. A German traditional. A uncommon assembly between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain. The Champions League obtained extra heavyweight clashes when the draw for the spherical of 16 was made Friday (February 21, 2025).
Defending champion Real Madrid’s reward for ousting 2023 title winner Manchester City this week in the knockout playoffs is 2 metropolis derbies towards Atletico Madrid — the workforce it beat in the ultimate in 2014 and 2016.
Diego Simeone continues to be Atletico’s coach a decade later, once more dealing with Carlo Ancelotti who received the 2014 ultimate. Ancelotti later took jobs throughout Europe earlier than returning to Madrid and successful two extra Champions League titles for a contest report 5 as a coach.
Bayern Munich was paired with Bayer Leverkusen — the Bundesliga chief towards its defending champion, who performed a good 0-0 draw simply final weekend. Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has by no means misplaced to Bayern in six video games throughout three seasons, together with three conferences this season.
Liverpool was the top-seeded workforce in the draw after ending first in the 36-team standings final month however nonetheless obtained a tricky project because the Premier League chief was paired with No. 15 seed PSG.
Liverpool and PSG have by no means met in knockout video games in the Champions League or the previous European Cup. Their earlier conferences had been in the group stage in 2018-19, buying and selling residence wins in a season that ended with Liverpool successful its sixth European Cup title.
The first-leg video games might be performed March 4-5, with the return video games one week later.
Also in the draw, No. 2 seed Barcelona was paired with Benfica — which it beat 5-4 in Lisbon one month in the past — Arsenal will face PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan performs Feyenoord.
Brazilian former participant Giovane Elber exhibits the ticket of English membership Liverpool, in the course of the UEFA Champions League spherical of 16, quarter-final and semi-final attracts, on the UEFA headquarters
| Photo Credit:
AP
Feyenoord goes again to San Siro, the place it already eradicated AC Milan this week in the knockout playoffs spherical. All three Italian groups in the playoffs misplaced, together with one other exit to a Dutch workforce when PSV obtained previous Juventus in further time.
Club Brugge, which obtained into the knockout stage in the twenty fourth and ultimate qualification place, will face Aston Villa, which it already beat in November. Borussia Dortmund will play Lille.
The Madrid and German matchups weren’t attainable in the previous Champions League format the place groups from the identical nation couldn’t face one another in the spherical of 16. The new tennis-style seeded bracket permits for these derbies, and for groups to reunite after already enjoying one another in the league section of the competitors.
Friday’s draw additionally put Real Madrid and Liverpool in the identical half of the bracket and on a path to satisfy in the semifinals.
Both might have English opponents in the quarterfinals. The Madrid derby winner will face Arsenal or PSV, and if Liverpool eliminates PSG it can face Villa or Brugge.
Published – February 22, 2025 11:21 am IST
