After the intrigues and excitement that saw some teams crash out of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, the round of 16 draw has been made and we have some very tasty fixtures to look forward to in February and March.
The move to first knockout stage, which will begin on 14th February 2017 with the first leg and the second legs, will be played in March. There will be 8 ties with 16 teams competing in the first knockout round. 1st legs will be played on 14-15 & 21-22 February followed by second legs on 07-08 & 14-15 March 2017. The final is of course taking place on Saturday, 03 June 2017 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Below is the entire Champions League calendar.
Here, we take a brief analysis of the each group in the round of sixteen draw:
Can Arsenal survive Bayern onslaught?
The Gunners may have topped their group for the first time in five seasons, but they will once again face the German champions, the team that knocked them out at this stage in both 2013 and 2014.
Bayern and Arsenal have played each other ten times, all since 2000/01. The German club have won five of those games and the English team three, with Bayern beating Arsenal in the round of 16 in 2004/05, 2012/13 and 2013/14.
Commenting on the draw, Bayern captain Phillip Lahm, believes the draw is a 50-50 tie.
“Tough draw as Arsenal is in really good shape. Looking forward to seeing my former colleagues from the national team again!”
Man City gets easy draw with Monaco
Man City will travel to France to play Monaco who currently sit second in Ligue 1 where they have scored 54 goals in just 18 games. Last season’s semi-finalists find themselves big favourite to qualify for the quarter final, but football analyst still fancy Pep to take Manchester City all the way to the finals.
Leicester face Sevilla
Premier League champions Leicester City will lock horns with Europa League winners Sevilla.
Leicester have been handed a tough draw against Spanish side Sevilla, who have won the Europa League for the last three seasons. The Foxes are 6/4 to qualify for the quarter-finals and 50/1 to win the competition in their Champions League debut after being 100/1 when the opening draw was made.
Real Madrid vs Napoli
Current Champions League holders, Real Madrid will face Napoli and are heavy favourite to qualify for the quarters, but can Real Madrid retain the trophy?
Can PSG get past Barcelona?
Barcelona eliminated PSG in the quarterfinal in both 2013 and 2014 and will face them in the knockout stages yet again this year. Bookmakers are tipping Barcelona favourites to win the competition; but they will need to overcome PSG first.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have reached the final in two of the last three seasons and they will continue their quest for European glory against a recent opponent in Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniards have struggled this season lets hope they replicate last season form this term.
Benfica vs Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund already find themselves ten points behind Bayern Munich, but they will surely fancy their chances to progress in the Champions League against Benfica.
Italian champions Juventus got to the final in 2014 and will be looking to progress again as they face Porto. Considering their impressive squad, The Old Lady is an attractive price of 14/1 to win the competition this year.
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| Official UEFA Champions League trophy |
Here, we take a brief analysis of the each group in the round of sixteen draw:
Can Arsenal survive Bayern onslaught?
The Gunners may have topped their group for the first time in five seasons, but they will once again face the German champions, the team that knocked them out at this stage in both 2013 and 2014.
Bayern and Arsenal have played each other ten times, all since 2000/01. The German club have won five of those games and the English team three, with Bayern beating Arsenal in the round of 16 in 2004/05, 2012/13 and 2013/14.
Commenting on the draw, Bayern captain Phillip Lahm, believes the draw is a 50-50 tie.
“Tough draw as Arsenal is in really good shape. Looking forward to seeing my former colleagues from the national team again!”
Man City gets easy draw with Monaco
Man City will travel to France to play Monaco who currently sit second in Ligue 1 where they have scored 54 goals in just 18 games. Last season’s semi-finalists find themselves big favourite to qualify for the quarter final, but football analyst still fancy Pep to take Manchester City all the way to the finals.
Leicester face Sevilla
Premier League champions Leicester City will lock horns with Europa League winners Sevilla.
Leicester have been handed a tough draw against Spanish side Sevilla, who have won the Europa League for the last three seasons. The Foxes are 6/4 to qualify for the quarter-finals and 50/1 to win the competition in their Champions League debut after being 100/1 when the opening draw was made.
Real Madrid vs Napoli
Current Champions League holders, Real Madrid will face Napoli and are heavy favourite to qualify for the quarters, but can Real Madrid retain the trophy?
Can PSG get past Barcelona?
Barcelona eliminated PSG in the quarterfinal in both 2013 and 2014 and will face them in the knockout stages yet again this year. Bookmakers are tipping Barcelona favourites to win the competition; but they will need to overcome PSG first.
Bayer Leverkusen vs Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid have reached the final in two of the last three seasons and they will continue their quest for European glory against a recent opponent in Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniards have struggled this season lets hope they replicate last season form this term.
Benfica vs Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund already find themselves ten points behind Bayern Munich, but they will surely fancy their chances to progress in the Champions League against Benfica.
Italian champions Juventus got to the final in 2014 and will be looking to progress again as they face Porto. Considering their impressive squad, The Old Lady is an attractive price of 14/1 to win the competition this year.
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