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With the 32 teams in the running for the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League whittled down to just 16 teams last week, the draw has been announced for the round of 16 – and what thrilling match-ups they promise to be!
Defending champions Bayern Munich have been drawn in a huge blockbuster match-up against Premier League league-leaders Arsenal (a replay of last year’s round of 16 fixture) while Manchester City have been draw against FC Barcelona.
We’ve broken down all eight round of 16 match-ups below with all the need-to-know details, and highlighted some of the bigger storylines to watch out for.
Read on to see who’s drawn against who in the round of 16 – let us know who you think will be winning their way through to the quarterfinals of the competition this year!
Matches
Match dates
First legs: 18th-19th February and 25th-26th February
Second legs: 11th-2th March and 18th-19th March
Match by match analysis: Manchester City versus FC Barcelona
Close to being the best fixture in the draw. Manuel Pellegrini will be well used to the threat that La Blaugrana pose having played them a great deal in his time at Malaga, but that won’t make it an easy for the 2012 English champions.
City have been a rampant force at the Etihad this year but have struggled away from home, and will find the journey to Camp Nou difficult. Still, there have been some injury concerns surrounding Lionel Messi this year, but he should certainly be 100 percent healthy by the time these fixtures take place in late February.
Hard to see City winning this one with their away form the way that it is, although the prospect of Messi against Sergio Aguero is certainly mouthwatering indeed.
Olympiakos versus Manchester United
Life might not be as perfect under David Moyes as it was in the Fergie era, but this is a clash that Manchester United should really win.
The Red Devils hold a perfect record against the Greeks when they’ve met throughout the Champions League, and with the likes of Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick expected to return from injury before then, United should have too much strength for their opponents.
AC Milan versus Atletico Madrid
An intriguing fixture that is shaping up as an all-out defensive affair.
Atletico Madrid have been one of the best defensive teams in world football throughout the past 18 months and will no doubt look to starve the Rossoneri again when they meet, but Milan’s defensive strength shouldn’t be snuffed at either.
The Italians will be tough to beat at the San Siro in the first leg, and while they have started off this season in fairly tumultuous fashion, the Champions League has always been their priority.
They’ll be looking to move through to the next round here as the only remaining Italian club.
Pride is a funny thing, and while Atletico will certainly be the favourites for this tie, it might just be enough to see the Italians come mightily close indeed.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen versus Paris Saint-Germain
Leverkusen have been very impressive in the Bundesliga this year and while that hasn’t quite translated into European success, they will be a very tough opponent – both at home and on the counterattack.
PSG have more than their fair share of attacking weapons in the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani (which will make them very tough to beat), but again, Leverkusen pose a real threat here given that the first leg of this playoff will be played in Germany.
If they can take a lead into Paris, they could very well cause Laurent Blanc’s side plenty of headaches, and may well be a surprise selection for the quarterfinals of the competition.
Galatasaray versus Chelsea
Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba will no doubt be the big story here as he “returns” to take on the club which he won the European trophy with in 2012.
However, it’s also worth noting that this is a repeat fixture for now Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who played against Galatasaray when managing Real Madrid last year.
The Turkish club pushed Los Blancos mightily in that one, and the Blues’ recent struggles to truly put away opponents like they should may lead to another chance of an upset here.
Chelsea’s plethora of attacking weapons will make them favourites for this tie, and as such, it’s hard to see them losing this tie, especially with the reminder that Galatasaray aren’t the greatest team away from home.
Schalke 04 versus Real Madrid
One of the biggest under-performing clubs in world football this year (Schalke) meets one of the most clinical and devastating teams in Real Madrid.
Hard to see this one going any other way than that of the Spanish heavyweights, who could not have received a more favourable draw.
Lock them in for the quarterfinals.
Zenit Saint-Petersburg versus Borussia Dortmund
Zenit have been a little bit hit-and-miss in the Champions League this year, and that isn’t the type of form that you want to bring into a match-up against last year’s runners-up in Borussia Dortmund.
Jurgen Klopp’s side haven’t been great either, it must be said also, but with plenty of time between now and when this match-up is scheduled in late February, the Germans should be able to get plenty of their injured stars back and field a much stronger team as a result.
Dortmund simply have too much attacking talent to drop out in the round of 16 one thinks, although the prospect of playing in Russia in February certainly isn’t all that fanciful.
Arsenal versus Bayern Munich
Yes, Arsenal are a much better side than they are when they were knocked out of the Champions League round of 16 last year by Bayern Munich.
But so are Bayern. The 2012/13 Champions League winners (and German treble winners also) are the clear favourites in the competition this year and they will be clear favourites to progress against Arsenal as well.
It’s hard to see the Gunners beating Bayern over either leg – even with Mesut Ozil now running the show.
Quarterfinal predictions
Barcelona, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich.
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