UEFA confirmed the fixtures for the Last 16 of the Champions League on Friday, with a number of European football’s biggest clubs set to lock horns in the coming weeks. With a number of the clubs seeded based on where they came in the group stage, the next round of the tournament has in turn thrown out some fascinating fixtures that could see some serious contenders for the trophy drop out before even reaching the quarter-finals. The first leg of the ties will all take place between March 3 and March 5.
Perhaps the two biggest ties of the round feature European heavyweights Real Madrid and Liverpool. The Spanish and reigning European champions will be tasked with overcoming cross-city rivals Atlético Madrid in the Last 16, with Liverpool set to lock horns with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich have been tasked with getting the better of Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen, setting up a tantalising German derby so early in the competition. Elsewhere, Arsenal will travel to the Netherlands to face off against Eredivisie serial winners PSV, while Aston Villa have been pitted against Belgian surprise package Club Brugge in the knock-out round. Borussia Dortmund will welcome French side Lille to the Westfalenstadion for their tie, Feyenoord will once again face off against an Italian giant in Inter Milan and Barcelona face Benfica.
The seedings for the quarter-finals of the tournament were also confirmed on Friday, which now means that should Arsenal beat PSV, they will face either of the Madrid giants, while Villa will be tasked with overcoming PSG or Liverpool if they can beat Brugge. Then, the winners of those two brackets will face one another in the semi-finals. Similarly, Inter or Feyenoord will face the winner of Bayern and Leverkusen in the quarter-finals, while Dortmund or Lille will then face Benfica or Barcelona. Then the winners of those two quarter-final clashes will then face one another in the semi-finals.
UEFA also confirmed the ties for the Last 16 of the Europa League on Friday, setting up an exciting set of fixtures featuring a mix of European heavyweights and underdog challengers. One of the standout ties sees Real Sociedad face Manchester United, a battle between two sides with strong European aspirations. Meanwhile, Tottenham take on AZ Alkmaar, with the North London club clear favourites. Roma go head-to-head with Athletic Bilbao in what promises to be a tightly contested encounter.
Elsewhere, Ajax take on Eintracht Frankfurt, while Fenerbahçe face Scottish giants Rangers. Greek side Olympiacos will look to overcome Bodø/Glimt, and Lazio take on Viktoria Plzeň. Finally, FCSB have a tough challenge against Lyon. With such a variety of matchups, this stage of the competition promises thrilling football and potential upsets as teams battle for a place in the quarter-finals.
