The round of 16 draw for the champions league was held at Nyon, Switzerland, and it threw up some absolutely mouth watering clashes.
Two ties in particular caught the eye. Manchester City will face FC Barcelona, while Arsenal will play German giants Bayern Munich for the second consecutive season.
Other ties feature Real Madrid playing Schalke, AC Milan facing Athletico Madrid, English giants Chelsea play Galatasaray while Manchester United were perhaps the biggest winners from the draw, as they face the Greek outfit Olympiakos. Borrusia Dortmund, who qualified as group winners after some late drama at the Stade Velodrome, will play Zenit St. Petersburg.
The ties will get underway on February 18 and 19, with the second legs to be played the following week.
“It’s a prestigious tie but a tough opponent. It was the hardest draw amongst the second-placed teams. Arsenal are certainly not a team you’d hope to face,” Bayern captain Philipp Lahm said after the draw. Bayern will start as firm favorites to get through, however Arsenal are the current premier league leaders, who beat Bayern in Munich just last season, and also enjoyed success against Bayern manager Pep Guardiola when he was at Barcelona.
However, perhaps the pick of the ties is Manchester City against Barcelona. Manchester City are the bookmakers favorites to win the premier league this season, and will be taking on 4-time champions league winners and the current Ballon D’or holder (This may change come January). Having shown their potential with a 3-2 win over Bayern just last week, City’s stacked squad is most certainly up there with the best on paper, but this will be their first step into the Champions League knockout phase.
One thing though is certain; there are exciting times ahead for European football fans
Full draw:
Manchester City (ENG) v Barcelona (ESP), Olympiacos (GRE) v Manchester United (ENG), AC Milan (ITA) v Atletico Madrid (ESP), Leverkusen (GER) v Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), Galatasaray (TUR) v Chelsea (ENG), Schalke (GER) v Real Madrid (ESP), Zenit (RUS) v Borussia Dortmund (GER), Arsenal (ENG) v Bayern Munich (GER).
