Real Madrid have been handed another mouthwatering clash with Manchester City in the round-of-16 draw for the Champions League, while holders Paris Saint-Germain face Chelsea.
Madrid and City have met in the knockouts in each of the last four UCL campaigns — the LaLiga giants coming out on top in three of those encounters — and while the Premier League side could have faced Bodo/Glimt, it was a familiar name drawn for the next round. City did beat the 15-time winners in the league phase in December.
Elsewhere, PSG will take on Chelsea in a repeat of last summer’s Club World Cup final, while Barcelona will meet Newcastle United after their dismantling of Qarabag in the playoff round.
The draw, which took place at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon on Friday, also saw top seeds from the league phase Arsenal drawn against Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool against Galatasaray.
Tottenham will play Atlético Madrid as six Premier League teams look to make it through to the quarterfinals.
In the other games, it’s Bodo/Glimt against Sporting Lisbon after the Norwegian minnows’ upset of Internazionale, while Bayern Munich will take on Atalanta.
The seeded teams, who finished in the top eight of the league phase, were all drawn against one of the eight playoff winners and will have the advantage of playing the second legs at home.
The first legs will be played on March 10-11, with the second legs scheduled for March 17-18.
– Champions League bracket, how it works, more
Due to the bracket format for this year’s Champions League, we also know the routes teams could take to get to the semifinals and final.
The winner of PSG vs. Chelsea will play Galatasaray or Liverpool in the quarters, Bayern Munich could await Madrid or City, it will be Newcastle or Barcelona vs Atlético or Spurs while Arsenal will take on Bodo or Sporting if they defeat Leverkusen.
