Morning all. What a big day it is for the remaining 16 clubs in this season's
Champions League. Very soon, they will know who stands between them and a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Of course, the good and the great of European football are among teams involved, including three from England. For now, they will be our main focus of attention. Let's take a look at the sides that they could face...
ARSENAL: Atletico Madrid,
Real Madrid,
Monaco,
Bayern Munich,
Barcelona, Porto
CHELSEA: Juventus, Basel, Bayer Leverkusen,
Paris Saint-Germain, Shakhtar Donetsk
MAN CITY: Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Monaco, Barcelona, Porto
As winners of their group,
Chelsea will play the first leg away from home, meaning that they have the advantage of playing the second leg at Stamford Bridge. As for both
Arsenal and Man City, due to the fact that they finished as runners-up, they will play their respective first leg encounters at home.
It's probably fair to conclude that Arsenal will be desperate to avoid Bayern Munich, who have dumped them out of the competition in the previous two seasons. Per Mertesacker is certainly hoping to avoid the German champions!
Right, the draw is now only moments away. Delegates from UEFA are currently explaining how the draw will unfold...
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN vs. CHELSEA
MANCHESTER CITY vs. BARCELONA
BAYER LEVERKUSEN vs. ATLETICO MADRID
JUVENTUS vs. BORUSSIA DORTMUND
SCHALKE 04 vs. REAL MADRID
SHAKTHAR DONETSK vs. BAYERN MUNICH
ARSENAL vs. MONACO
BASEL vs. PORTO
And the Champions League round of 16 draw has been concluded. It was certainly a mixed one as far as the English contingent are concerned...
PSG are arguably the most difficult side that Chelsea could have drawn. The two sides met in the quarter-finals last year and it was the West Londoners that squeezed through thanks to a very late Demba Ba goal. As for Man City, Barcelona would have been one of the last teams that they would have wanted to face. Lionel Messi was on good form as Barca dumped the Premier League champions out at the same stage of the tournament last term.
Arsene Wenger, though, is probably a happy man right now. Not only was Monaco the most favourable draw for his Arsenal side, they are also a club that he managed for seven years, during which he time he guided them to a Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de France. More importantly, it's provided the Gunners with a major chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, holders Real Madrid will take on German outfit Schalke 04. They met last season, with the holders running out 9-2 aggregate victors. Also, Bayern Munich, whom Arsenal were desperate to avoid, face a trip to the Ukraine and Shakhtar Donetsk.
The other tie that really catches the eye is Juventus vs. Dortmund, mainly because it's a repeat of the 1997 final. Holders Juve were expected to retain the trophy in Munich, but the Germans, who had Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert in their ranks, caused a surprise by running out 3-1 winners. Former Liverpool striker Karl-Heinz Riedle was the hero on the night with two goals.
Back to Monaco vs. Arsenal for a moment because a couple of players have been reacting to the draw:
Here are the thoughts of Chelsea secretary David Barnard, who has just been speaking to
Sky Sports News:
"PSG are known to us as we played them in the quarters last year and they've got David Luiz playing for them too. It's a good draw logistically too for our supporters. Both sides have very different squads from last year, so if it was PSG or anyone else, it would've been the same situation."
Meanwhile, here are some words from Barcelona director Andoni Zubizarreta on
Eurosport. His side, of course, face a swift reunion with Man City:
"It is the same draw we had a year ago, it was a very difficult game and we are going to look forward to it. Manchester City have an outstanding squad with a very good coach, a very good team and are very competitive. We know all about them. They have been playing at a very high level and it is going to be difficult. Two great teams with incredible players and anything can happen."
It seems that Borussia Dortmund and Juventus are getting pally on Twitter!
And here's some reaction from Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who is looking forward to meeting up with his international colleagues:
Right, before we wrap it up, here's a recap of the full draw:
Okay, thanks for joining us this morning and be sure to keep an eye out for our coverage of the Europa League draw, which will be getting underway at 12pm. Until next time, goodbye.
