The last 16 draw for the Champions League has thrown up some heavyweight ties including defending champions Real Madrid facing off against Paris Saint-Germain.
Los Blancos could only finish second in their group behind Tottenham and therefore were always likely to face a fellow giant of the European game and that has proven to be the case, as they will take on the free-scoring Parisians for a place in the quarter-finals.
That is arguably the standout tie of the round, although Chelsea’s clash with Barcelona is also set to capture the imagination of many, particularly given the recent history between the pair.
This will be the 12th time they have met during the Champions League era, with the English side progressing the last time they faced off in 2012, as they secured a 3-2 aggregate success in the semi-finals before they beat Bayern Munich to claim Europe’s top prize for the first time.
Tottenham are another English team that will face a tough route through to the last eight, as they will take on a Juventus side that has reached the final in two of the last three years.
The other English clubs – Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool – have been handed arguably more favourable draws against Sevilla, Basel and FC Porto respectively.
Besiktas’ reward for topping their group is a tough clash with German champions Bayern Munich, while the one remaining tie will see Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma go head-to-head.
The last-16 ties will take place across February and March with Manchester City at 3.75 and PSG at 5.00 being considered as many people’s favourites to go on and lift the trophy.
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