We are down to the last sixteen teams aiming for the Champions League glory, as the draw for the round of 16 was announced on Monday. Liverpool is drawn to face their arch-nemesis of late, Real Madrid, a team responsible for handing two of the most agonizing defeats to Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Chelsea will be facing unfamiliar opponents as they were drawn against Borussia Dortmund for the first time in the history of this competition. Graham Potter will look to make the best of opportunity, vying for a deep run in the European competition to retain the faith of the new boss, given the domestic season hasn’t been up to mark for them.
The first leg of this round is scheduled for next year in March, while the second leg will be played in April. We take a look at three fixtures where teams will be looking to settle the old score.
Bayern Munich Will Look To Avenge Last Year’s Defeat Against PSG
Minutes after Bayern Munich was drawn against PSG, Thomas Muller posted a short video on Instagram and wrote, “this time no au revoir”. It was a reference to Bayern’s campaign in Champions League last year, which came to an end after losing to PSG in the quarter-finals. There was nothing to separate the team in terms of goals, but the French club advanced to the next round on the basis of a superior away goal count.
PSG, meanwhile, will again be looking to do the unfinished business, and losing out to Bayern at such an early stage of the tournament will not be accepted by the fans. Their failure to win the Champions League despite splurging money in every transfer season has become comical of late, with their own fans booing them.
Can Liverpool Overcome Real Madrid Challenge?
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool has featured in three out of the last five Champions League Final, but have only one trophy to show for, and twice they came second-best to Real Madrid. Last season, Mohamed Salah’s pre-game talk of revenge massively backfired after they were outmuscled by Carlo Ancelotti’s side in the final. This time though the team hasn’t been at their fluent best, and Salah’s own form has waned. In contrast, Real
Madrid looks stronger than the last season, thanks to the arrival of two supremely talented midfielders – Aurélien Djani Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga.
Can RB Leipzig Stop Manchester City’s Juggernaut?
In their pursuit of the maiden European glory, Manchester City seemed to have added the missing piece to the puzzle by bringing in Erling Haaland. They will be meeting a familiar opponent from Germany, RB Leipzig, whom they trounced 7-5 in the round of 16 last time. Leipzig won the home fixture 2-1 but threw it away on the trip to Etihad, where they conceded half a dozen of goals. Can they hold the composure to edge out Pep Guardiola’s side this time?
Lead Image: Champions League/Twitter
