16th December: Champions League last 16 Draw – Ties to savour, opportunities for minnows

The UEFA Champions League always provides shocks, twists, turns and in some cases domination – we can’t get away from that.

Not many would’ve predicted Liverpool having to win away in Austria on the last matchday to secure passage. Not many would’ve seen a rejuvenated Tottenham bounce back from a shocking draw against Olympiakos and a 7-2 drubbing from Bayern to ease through under Jose Mourinho.

And none would have ever said that Atalanta, debutants in the Champions League, would qualify at all. Let alone after the first three group games all ending in defeat. A draw against Manchester City and wins against Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb concluded in qualification above the latter two sides.

And so, after a cracking six weeks of football, the UEFA Champions League knockout stage draw occurred at 11 AM GMT today.

Or to put it more accurately, 11:30 AM. They just don’t shut up at those draws! Leaving us on tenterhooks, especially for those anxiously waiting during an A Level Sociology lesson whilst trying to conceal their phone from an on-looking teacher.

But after we finally found out who’d be facing who, we thought we’d overview every tie as we look forward to some bumper matches.

Borussia Dortmund v Paris Saint-Germain

PSG boast several of the most creative and dynamic footballers on the planet. But most didn’t see them coasting Group A as easily as they did. Finishing five points clear of Real Madrid, who dropped two points to Club Brugge at the Bernabeu and four to the group winners.

Dortmund came up trumps in the group of death involving Inter Milan and Barcelona, with poor old Slavia Prague propping up the group as whipping boys.

The Yellow Army scraped though on the final matchday after beating Prague 2-1 at Die Westfalenstadion.

In one of the more intriguing ties of the round, it will be good to see if Lucien Favre’s side can continue their recent Bundesliga form in order to defeat the Ligue 1 leaders.

I have to back Thomas Tuchel to return to his former employers and take a victory. Dortmund are not the side they were.

Real Madrid v Manchester City

The showpiece of the last 16, the two sides have won a combined 13 Champions League titles.

All jokes aside, the Manchester club cruised through the group stage winning 14 points out of a possible 18 and reaching the knockout round for the seventh consecutive season.

Real have looked back to imperious form domestically this season, sitting joint top of La Liga with their El Clasico opponents Barcelona.

A tasty tie of European pedigree against the new kids on the block when it comes to the elite, I back Real to just squeak Pep’s men based on pure European experience.

Atalanta v Valencia

As I briefly touched on, the progression of Atalanta to the knockout rounds is the fairy tale of this years’ Champions League.

Zero points after three games preceding a breath-taking victory in Donetsk to take a spot in today’s draw – Papu Gomez and his boys must be buzzing.

Valencia were probably another shock table topper after being dealt a very tough group alongside Lille, Ajax and Frank Lampard’s Chelsea.

Whoever makes it through to the quarter finals will be up against it when taking on the European heavyweights, but I’d urge the manager of either side to encourage enjoyment of reaching stages they might not have thought possible.

Beginners luck. I’m going for Atalanta.

Atletico Madrid v Liverpool

Being honest as a Liverpool fan, Diego Simeone’s men and their Madrid counterparts were the two sides I wished to avoid the most.

Despite boasting the second best defence in Europe this season and for sure the best over the course of the decade, Atletico is a team in decay and now in rebuild. The exits of Diego Godin, Juanfran, Filipe Luis etc. this summer have left a leadership void at Wanda Metropolitano which nobody can fill with immediacy.

That doesn’t stop either side’s threat. Liverpool, the reigning champions, offer more balance offensively and defensively than any other side on the planet. The versatility of Jurgen Klopp’s team has shown no signs of wavering as every week they find a new way to win.

In what could be a dire Chess match or an explosive firework of a tie – I have to be loyal to the Reds in this one.

Chelsea v Bayern Munich

Drool floods to the mouth and calculators are retrieved at the amount of goals this tie could provide.

A combined 35 goals in the group stage, with Bayern hitting 24 of them, the tie is one certainly for the neutrals.

Bayern romped their way through, winning six from six with Robert Lewandowski starring as per usual – but his record this season with 28 goals has even for him been anomalous.

Young players plus young managers equal excitement. Frank has done a cracking job so far considering his managerial experience. But I can’t see him getting anything from this one. Bayern to sweep the Blues aside, and a repeat of the 2012 final is not on the cards for me.

Lyon v Juventus

In what a week ago would’ve seemed a very even tie considering Lyon’s form, injuries have hampered Olympique’s hopes after a potentially season ending injury to talisman Memphis Depay.

But the French side will still be hopeful after facing off against Leipzig, Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg.

And with Juventus not firing on all cylinders and for once not at the peak of Serie A, it could be their chance.

Under Maurizio Sarri, the Old Lady face a new challenge of former coach Antonio Conte and his new side Inter Milan.

In Europe though Juventus won five of six in a group that included Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. I can’t see anything but the side in black and white progressing with ease, especially with Depay’s injury.

Tottenham Hotspur v RB Leipzig

Jose Mourinho has a European reputation which runners-up Spurs have not experienced in management since their UEFA Cup win in 1984.

And in Julian Nagelsmann and RB Leipzig they encounter the lowest ranked UEFA coefficient side, but on no planet does that reflect the quality of this young side.

Nagelsmann, who guided Hoffenheim to the Champions League places from the breadth of relegation before joining Leipzig, is one of the most exciting young coaches in world football and clearly has a massive impact on improving players.

And talking of improvement, Mourinho has certainly had such impacts on Spurs players, in particular Dele Alli, which has seen the Lilywhites jump to fifth in the Premier League and qualify even with defeat in Munich.

I’m going with Leipzig on this one. They sit top of the Bundesliga and with the potential addition of Erling Haaland in January, they will prove too strong an opposition for what is still a very good Spurs side. Its a 51/49 divide for me. Where have we seen that before?

Napoli v Barcelona

Having watched Napoli take four points and make Liverpool’s situation precarious at points in Group E, I know full well of the dangers even an out of form eleven can cause any side. Napoli will also have a new coach for the knockout rounds as Carlo Ancelotti has been replaced by former Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

The Stadio San Paolo is a horrible place for any visiting outfit, even one headed by the greatest player of his generation.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona again walked through the group stage, shrugging off the pushes of Dortmund and Inter and progressed as group winners.

They did only hit nine goals in the groups though, which will be a worry for unpopular boss Ernesto Valverde.

I’m calling an upset. If Gattuso implements his passion and aggression into this Napoli side they can be Barcelona’s Kryptonite. They have proven in the previous three years that desire and composure always means more than pure ability – just ask Kostas Manolas.

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