UEFA LAST 16 DRAW
CONFIRMED ROUND OFF 16 DATES
14 February
Benfica v Borussia Dortmund
Benfica came through a very tight group to make the Champions League Round of 16. Going into their last match, at home to Napoli, things were still undecided and having gone 2 goals down, they ended up losing the match 2-1. However, due to Besiktas losing against Dynamo Kiev, Benfica could breathe a sigh of relief and as the goals started flying in at that match, Benfica could relax, knowing their place in the Round of 16 was booked.
Borussia Dortmund were drawn in a tough looking group, along with Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw. However, with a 6-0 win in Warsaw to get things going, Dortmund moved to the top of the group and never looked back. The draw at home to Real Madrid suggested, with the away trip to the Santiago Bernabeu still to come, that Real Madrid would ultimately finish top. However, with the Spanish giants dropping points in Warsaw, Dortmund fought back to claim an excellent 2-2 draw in Spain and win the group.
Paris v Barcelona
Barcelona put seven without reply past ten-man Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, when Paris Saint-Germain made it a Ligue 1 record 33 unbeaten.
It’s that stage of the season in the Champions League where one bad defeat could mean the end of the competition. Unlike the group stages, there are not five matches to put things right if something goes wrong in the first and the pressure is truly on. Having finished second in their group to Arsenal, there was always a risk Paris Saint-Germain were going to face a strong team in the Round of 16 but the one team they would have wanted to avoid is Barcelona. Likewise, Barcelona would have been hoping for an easier draw than PSG at this stage of the competition.
Barcelona finished top of their group, having defeated Manchester City comfortably at the Camp Nou and seen off the likes of Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach in their other games.
Paris Saint-Germain had to make do with second in their group, as Arsenal went through as group winners. The dropped points against Ludogorets proved very costly and the French champions have paid the ultimate price.
15 February
Real Madrid v Napoli
Napoli's former Real Madrid players Raúl Albiol and José Callejón will return to the Santiago Bernabéu when the Italian side take on the holders in the round of 16.
Every team has the ambition of finishing top of their Champions League group and Napoli achieved that feat this season. The idea being, that by finishing top of your group you will avoid drawing one of Europe’s biggest teams in the Round of 16. Alas, things did not quite turn out that way for Napoli and they are heading to the Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
In a rare event, Real Madrid failed to win their Champions League group. The draw at Legia Warsaw was the one result which really cost Zinedine Zidane’s team. However, having led Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home in their final group match, it appeared Real Madrid were going to top the group after all, only to conceded two goals and finish the group in second place.
Napoli found themselves in a very tight group and going into the final match at Benfica, there was a chance the Italians could win the group or be eliminated from the competition. Thankfully for both teams, Besiktas struggled at Dynamo Kiev and both teams would have progressed, regardless of the result. However, Napoli put in a good performance and ensured they finished top of the group with a 2-1 win in Portugal.
Bayern v Arsenal
Finish first in your Champions League group, they said. You’ll get an easier draw in the Round of 16, they said. Arsenal did everything in their power to do just that; they went to Basel knowing that they had to better PSG’s result against Ludogorets to top Group A. They did just that: beating the Swiss side 4-1 as the French champions floundered against their Bulgarian opposition.
Arsenal’s reward? A tie with Bayern Munich. Doh!
That backfired then, as the German side’s 2-3 defeat to Rostov ultimately cost them top spot in Group D.
21 February
Manchester City v Monaco
Manchester City were once again drawn in a tough looking Champions League group and were forced to finish second by Barcelona. The heavy defeat in Barcelona was costly but it was the dropped points both home and away against Celtic, which left Manchester City adrift of their Spanish rivals. The highlight of the group stages for Pep Guardiola’s team, was the victory over Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium.
Monaco were drawn in an interesting group, alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow. The Russian’s were considered the outsiders to progress and as it turned out, they finished bottom of the group. However, Tottenham were fancied to come out on top but Monaco defeated the Premier League club both home and away, to ensure it was the French outfit who progressed. Despite losing 3-0 in Leverkusen on the final match day, Monaco won the group.
Bayer Leverkusen v Atlético Madrid
When the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was made, you could probably hear the collective groan amongst Bayer Leverkusen fans wherever you were at the time they were paired with Atletico Madrid.
Atletico are the proverbial grinders; a team that, historically at least, it takes something special to beat. Perennial title challengers in La Liga and Champions League finalists in two of the last three years, the Spanish outfit are one of the best on the continent.
But, and it is a tiny but, Leverkusen might just have picked a good time to tackle Diego Simeone’s side. Since the start of November, Atleti have lost four of the eight matches they have played, and while losses against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are perhaps unsurprising, reverses at the hands of Villarreal and Real Sociedad are. Is this a sign of cracks forming?
Bayer, who rather fell over the line in Group E with just two wins and four draws, will certainly be hoping so.
22 February
Porto v Juventus
Two of this century's finest keepers will go head to head in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 when Iker Casillas's Porto take on Gianluigi Buffon and Juventus.
The problem of finishing runner up in your Champions League group is that you greatly maximise your chances of running into one of the big boys in the Round of 16. That, unfortunately for them, is exactly what Porto have done.
Having just about seen off the advances of Copenhagen in Group G to finish second behind Leicester, the Portuguese side’s reward is a tussle with the Italian champions, with the first leg on home soil on February 22.
Sevilla v Leicester
The UEFA Europa League champions face off against last season's Premier League winners in what promises to be an intriguing round of 16 encounter.A two-legged fixture, like these last 16 matches in the Champions League, hand an advantage to a team that a) is strong at home and capable of sneaking the odd result away, and b) plays the home leg first – they then have a chance of nicking an all-important away goal in the second leg.
Dates Of Second legs
7 March
Napoli v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Bayern
8 March
Borussia Dortmund v BenficaBarcelona v Paris
14 March
Juventus v Porto
Leicester v Sevilla
15 March
Monaco v Manchester City
Atlético Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen
CONFIRMED ROUND OFF 16 DATES
14 February
Benfica v Borussia Dortmund
Benfica came through a very tight group to make the Champions League Round of 16. Going into their last match, at home to Napoli, things were still undecided and having gone 2 goals down, they ended up losing the match 2-1. However, due to Besiktas losing against Dynamo Kiev, Benfica could breathe a sigh of relief and as the goals started flying in at that match, Benfica could relax, knowing their place in the Round of 16 was booked.
Borussia Dortmund were drawn in a tough looking group, along with Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw. However, with a 6-0 win in Warsaw to get things going, Dortmund moved to the top of the group and never looked back. The draw at home to Real Madrid suggested, with the away trip to the Santiago Bernabeu still to come, that Real Madrid would ultimately finish top. However, with the Spanish giants dropping points in Warsaw, Dortmund fought back to claim an excellent 2-2 draw in Spain and win the group.
Paris v Barcelona
Barcelona put seven without reply past ten-man Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, when Paris Saint-Germain made it a Ligue 1 record 33 unbeaten.
It’s that stage of the season in the Champions League where one bad defeat could mean the end of the competition. Unlike the group stages, there are not five matches to put things right if something goes wrong in the first and the pressure is truly on. Having finished second in their group to Arsenal, there was always a risk Paris Saint-Germain were going to face a strong team in the Round of 16 but the one team they would have wanted to avoid is Barcelona. Likewise, Barcelona would have been hoping for an easier draw than PSG at this stage of the competition.
Barcelona finished top of their group, having defeated Manchester City comfortably at the Camp Nou and seen off the likes of Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach in their other games.
Paris Saint-Germain had to make do with second in their group, as Arsenal went through as group winners. The dropped points against Ludogorets proved very costly and the French champions have paid the ultimate price.
15 February
Real Madrid v Napoli
Napoli's former Real Madrid players Raúl Albiol and José Callejón will return to the Santiago Bernabéu when the Italian side take on the holders in the round of 16.
Every team has the ambition of finishing top of their Champions League group and Napoli achieved that feat this season. The idea being, that by finishing top of your group you will avoid drawing one of Europe’s biggest teams in the Round of 16. Alas, things did not quite turn out that way for Napoli and they are heading to the Santiago Bernabeu for the first leg of their Round of 16 tie.
Napoli found themselves in a very tight group and going into the final match at Benfica, there was a chance the Italians could win the group or be eliminated from the competition. Thankfully for both teams, Besiktas struggled at Dynamo Kiev and both teams would have progressed, regardless of the result. However, Napoli put in a good performance and ensured they finished top of the group with a 2-1 win in Portugal.
Bayern v Arsenal
21 February
Manchester City v Monaco
Manchester City were once again drawn in a tough looking Champions League group and were forced to finish second by Barcelona. The heavy defeat in Barcelona was costly but it was the dropped points both home and away against Celtic, which left Manchester City adrift of their Spanish rivals. The highlight of the group stages for Pep Guardiola’s team, was the victory over Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium.
Monaco were drawn in an interesting group, alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkusen and CSKA Moscow. The Russian’s were considered the outsiders to progress and as it turned out, they finished bottom of the group. However, Tottenham were fancied to come out on top but Monaco defeated the Premier League club both home and away, to ensure it was the French outfit who progressed. Despite losing 3-0 in Leverkusen on the final match day, Monaco won the group.
Bayer Leverkusen v Atlético Madrid
When the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League was made, you could probably hear the collective groan amongst Bayer Leverkusen fans wherever you were at the time they were paired with Atletico Madrid.
Atletico are the proverbial grinders; a team that, historically at least, it takes something special to beat. Perennial title challengers in La Liga and Champions League finalists in two of the last three years, the Spanish outfit are one of the best on the continent.
But, and it is a tiny but, Leverkusen might just have picked a good time to tackle Diego Simeone’s side. Since the start of November, Atleti have lost four of the eight matches they have played, and while losses against Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are perhaps unsurprising, reverses at the hands of Villarreal and Real Sociedad are. Is this a sign of cracks forming?
Bayer, who rather fell over the line in Group E with just two wins and four draws, will certainly be hoping so.
22 February
Porto v Juventus
Two of this century's finest keepers will go head to head in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 when Iker Casillas's Porto take on Gianluigi Buffon and Juventus.
The problem of finishing runner up in your Champions League group is that you greatly maximise your chances of running into one of the big boys in the Round of 16. That, unfortunately for them, is exactly what Porto have done.
Having just about seen off the advances of Copenhagen in Group G to finish second behind Leicester, the Portuguese side’s reward is a tussle with the Italian champions, with the first leg on home soil on February 22.
Sevilla v Leicester
The UEFA Europa League champions face off against last season's Premier League winners in what promises to be an intriguing round of 16 encounter.A two-legged fixture, like these last 16 matches in the Champions League, hand an advantage to a team that a) is strong at home and capable of sneaking the odd result away, and b) plays the home leg first – they then have a chance of nicking an all-important away goal in the second leg.
Dates Of Second legs
7 March
Napoli v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Bayern
8 March
Borussia Dortmund v BenficaBarcelona v Paris
14 March
Juventus v Porto
Leicester v Sevilla
15 March
Monaco v Manchester City
Atlético Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen
THE ROAD TO CARDIFF 2017
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Reviewed by Unknown
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