Everything about the UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw
The UEFA Champions League 2019-20 season saw its group stage coming to an end last week. 16 teams have progressed and on Monday, the draw was made for the knockout stages. Holders Liverpool will take on Atletico Madrid, whereas, Manchester City face record-holders Real Madrid in a pulsating affair. Here are all the details.
Here are the complete round of 16 fixtures
Round of 16 fixtures: Borussia Dortmund vs Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Atalanta vs Valencia, Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool, Chelsea vs Bayern Munich, Lyon vs Juventus, Tottenham Hotspur vs RB Leipzig, Napoli vs Barcelona.
Defending champions Liverpool up against Atletico Madrid
Holders Liverpool will return to the Wanda Metropolitano for the first time since winning last season's Champions League final against Tottenham. They face a stern test against Atletico Madrid, who are defensively strong. Liverpool topped Group E, whereas, Atletico finished second in Group D. Both managers will need to be tactically sound in a battle that has little to separate the two sides.
Real face a stern test against Guardiola's City
This is perhaps the most mouth-watering clash in the round of 16. 13 time winners Real face Pep Guardiola's City, who won all the domestic trophies last season. Real are doing well this season and will want to unleash their magic under Zinedine Zidane. Pep, who is vying for a third Champions League honor, knows he has an intense battle ahead of him.
Mourinho will fancy his chances against Leipzig
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho will be wanting to use all his experience in the round of 16 against RB Leipzig. Spurs finished second in Group B and Leipzig topped Group G. The London side will need to be strong defensively against Leipzig in a clash that could be highly entertaining. Mourinho will fancy his chances after not being handed a major heavyweight opponent.
Chelsea up against a solid Bayern Munich side
Europa League champions Chelsea face a stern test against Bayern Munich. The Blues will need to offer their 100% against a Bayern outfit, who won all their games in the group stage and scored a whopping 19 goals. Robert Lewandowski, who is the UCL's highest goal-scorer this campaign, could be the problem man for Chelsea. The Blues need to be consistent in the build-up.
Round of 16: Here are the key details
The first legs of the round of 16 ties will be played on February 18-19 and 25-26. The return legs will be played in March 10-11 and 17-18. Notably, this season's final is on May 30 at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul.
