Champions League Draw: English teams are winners while Madrid and Barca face tough opponents
Champions League Draw: English teams are winners while Madrid and Barca face tough opponents
The UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw is now known with SSC Napoli vs. Barcelona and Inter vs. Atletico Madrid as our main matchups on what was a sobering Monday for La Liga clubs involved.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Sociedad and RB Leipzig vs. Real Madrid also came out of the hat, meaning fans missed the mammoth clashes that the draw teased with Inter and PSG both unseeded sides.
FC Porto vs. Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven vs. Borussia Dortmund, SS Lazio vs. Bayern Munich, and FC Copenhagen vs. Manchester City completed the draw.
We break down the winners and losers from it all.
Winners: PSG
As far as teams getting their ideal draw opponent on Monday went, the French champions will be the happiest having landed arguably the most straightforward of the seeded teams. Had this draw come out of the hat the other way around with PSG as the seeded side, few would have been surprised. As it is, Sociedad's main advantage will be getting to play the second leg at home in picturesque San Sebastian. The Basque side are no mugs as they proved in their group, but there is no disguising that Luis Enrique and his Qatari bosses will be very happy with this outcome.
Losers: Barcelona
As part of a very tough draw for La Liga clubs, Xavi's men arguably have the toughest task with Napoli a known threat on the continental stage -- especially for a Barca side that is not finding its stride so far this season. This game is steeped with history given the late, great Diego Maradona's history on both sides of this particular divide and it ranks as one of this season's best round of 16 ties. Unless the Spanish champions' form picks up, they could be staring down the barrel at a premature exit.
Winners: Man City
The defending champions will be relishing their encounters with Manchester United's beneficiaries Copenhagen after the Danes advanced at the Red Devils' expense behind Bayern. Denmark will not be an easy away day, but it equally will not faze Pep Guardiola's men who will fancy their chances over the two legs. City are off the pace in the Premier League but the second half of this season promises to be played at warp speed given the ground that the English giants must cover to get back into the reckoning after a recent dip in form.
Losers: Real Madrid
It never rains but it pours. Real were still reeling from the blow of losing David Alaba to a third ACL injury in Carlo Ancelotti's squad this season and now have landed a tricky two-legged affair with Leipzig. Germany is never an easy place to go -- especially when missing key players such as Alaba, Thibaut Courtois, and Eder Miltao -- but that is where Los Blancos must go if they are to advance to the quarterfinals. It could have been worse for the Spanish giants, but not by too much given that RBL were arguably the other team to avoid in the unseeded clubs behind PSG and Inter.
Winners: Bayern Munich
The German giants will be delighted to have fallen on Lazio in their round of 16 tie given that there were several other trickier sides they could have faced. Thomas Tuchel's men will back themselves to make at least a quarterfinal run and Harry Kane's hot form in front of goal only adds to their formidable reputation on the European stage. Much can change between now and these first legs but the Italians seem unlikely to be any more daunting come early 2024 so Bayern can feel pleased with their task.
Losers: Real Sociedad
To finish top of the group and then to land arguably the one team that nobody wanted from the unseeded clubs feels harsh on the Basque outfit. However, they will be buoyed by the fact that PSG are not yet at their best in the Champions League and still might not be come their first leg in Paris. If Sociedad can make it through that one unscathed, they will fancy their chances of making life very difficult for Les Parisiens in San Sebastian.
Winners: Arsenal
The Gunners will be satisfied drawing Porto which poses a challenge but equally not an enormous one despite the Portuguese giants' substantial Champions League experience. Mikel Arteta's men were comfortable in the group stages and can look forward to the round of 16 confident of being capable of reaching the quarterfinals where things would logically get trickier.
