All 16 teams involved are praying not to be given a tough draw. Evidently, however, they’ll all get paired against each other and there’s a big chance for 2 great clubs to clash against each other as such an early stage in the Champions League. Let’s look at what kind of Last 16 encounters could come up involving Europe’s top teams. Live Soccer TV takes you through probabilities.
Champions League Draw: Which Opponents Could Barcelona, Real Madrid, And Co. Face?
We start by looking at the Big 8, composed of Internazionale, Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Arsenal. Some teams among this group of European elites had a rather tough time during the group stages of the Champions. Consequently, these ones haven’t won the right to be seeded ahead of Friday’s Champions League draw. Still, they are big clubs and they deserve much attention from the anxious public and inquisitive media.
Qualified as: runners-up behind Tottenham Hotspur in Group A
Could be drawn against: FC Schalke 04 from Group B, Manchester United from Group C, Barcelona from Group D, Bayern Munich from E, Chelsea from Group F, Real Madrid from Group G or Shakhtar Donetsk from Group H.
Quick Champions League draw commentary: “to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best”. That’s what Inter Milan should be telling themselves to ease the pressure and anxiety ahead of Friday’s Champions League draw. Risks for the Nerazzurri to be paired against a top side are high. FC Schalke 04 and Shakhtar Donetsk are the only two teams presenting fewer threats on paper. As Donetsk proved how much potential they have in the group stages of the competition by outclassing Arsenal to win Group H, perhaps being drawn against Germany’s Schalke will appear as the kindest thing for Internazionale.
Manchester United – Seeded Team:
Qualified as: winners of Group C ahead of Valencia
Could be drawn against: Inter Milan from Group A, Olympique Lyon from Group B, København from Group D, AS Roma from Group E, Olympique Marseille from Group F or AC Milan from Group G.
Quick Champions League draw commentary: the toughest team that Manchester United could face is AC Milan. Last season, though, both teams clashed in the knock-out stages of the Champions League and Wayne Rooney made of these encounters his own show as he notched more than 3 goals over the two legs. But with Wayne’s form yet to reach its peak now compared to the Rossoneri’s recent good performances, Man United will prefer avoiding such a prospect of facing Milan. The history between these two clubs is not that positive from a Manchester United point of view. A clash against AS Roma or even Olympique Lyon will appear as a decent draw.
Qualified as: winners of Group D
Could be drawn against: Inter Milan from Group A, Olympique Lyon from Group B, AS Roma from Group E, Olympique Marseille from Group F, AC Milan from Group G or Arsenal from Group H.
Quick Champions League draw commentary: is there any team that can frighten Barcelona? Pep Guardiola responded to this question on Thursday by saying, “I do not want to be drawn against the French in Europe. Marseille are a very strong team […] and we all know about Lyon.” Ironically, Olympique Lyon indeed know much about Barcelona – especially in terms of attacking power. The last time these 2 sides clashed together in the Champions League, the Catalans recorded a 6-3 aggregate victory despite securing only a 1-1 draw in France in the first leg of that tie.
Qualified as: winners of Group E
Could be drawn against: Inter Milan from Group A, Olympique Lyon from Group B, Valencia from Group C, København from Group D, Olympique Marseille from Group F, AC Milan from Group G or Arsenal from Group H.
Quick Champions League draw commentary: Last season’s runners-up haven’t been tipped by football pundits to make it all the way to the final this term. Now it’s down to Bayern Munich to do the talking on the pitch. A meeting with AC Milan will be classic as it will put two of Europe’s greatest clubs in some hot action!
Qualified as: winners of Group F
Could be drawn against: Inter Milan from Group A, Olympique Lyon from Group B, Valencia from Group C, København from Group D, AS Roma from Group E or AC Milan from Group G.
Quick Champions League draw commentary: Chelsea’s form has been poor since a month or so now. Now although the Champions League’s Last 16 matches will take place in February and March (a period when Chelsea could be back on track), the Blues are hoping to escape the fears of meeting either Inter Milan or AC Milan. Last season, Chelsea fell victims to eventual champions Internazionale whereas Carlo Ancelotti’s former side AC Milan could teach a tough lesson to the Blues’ Italian coach this term. In knock-out games, no opposition should be underestimated – especially for a struggling club such as Chelsea. Even København might cause them a lot of problems...
Qualified as: winners of Group G
Could be drawn against: Internazionale from Group A, Olympique Lyon from Group B, København from Group D, AS Roma from Group E, Olympique Marseille from Group F or Arsenal from Group H.
Quick Champions League draw commentary: there’s been some few war of words between Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho and Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger lately. To have both managers clashing together will be perfect for mind games and an exciting heated atmosphere in the Champions League. But then again, Real Madrid need to think about ending their Last 16 jinx once and for all. Which of these 6 teams is ready to become the prey of the hungry Spanish giants? Again, which of these 6 teams could torture Real Madrid in the Last 16 for the 7th year in a row?
Qualified as: runners-up behind Real Madrid in Group G
Could be drawn against: Tottenham Hotspur from Group A, FC Schalke 04 from Group B, Manchester United from Group C, Barcelona from Group D, Bayern Munich from Group E, Chelsea from Group F or Shakhtar Donetsk from Group H.
Quick Champions League draw commentary: AC Milan have really started to gel as a team recently. In the Champions League, however, they’ve still got a point to prove. Perhaps, a clash against Barcelona will not help them to do so…
Qualified as: runners-up behind Shakhtar Donetsk in Group H
Could be drawn against: FC Schalke 04, Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.
Quick Champions League: how could Arsenal fail to win Group H after winning their first 3 group stage matches? Well, the past is in the past and what is before Arsenal appears to be dangerous. Barcelona is definitely the team to avoid. Will the Gunners prayers help them to be drawn against FC Schalke 04? The Germans arguably look like a team that Arsenal should be able to handle…
To know more about the possible Last 16 meetings, click on this following link: UEFA Champions League Draw: Who Must/Will Be Drawn Against Who?
The Champions League draw will be covered LIVE on Live Soccer TV. Stick to LSTV during the draws which will start very shortly!
