The stage is now set for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draws as the flagship club competition enters the knockout phase.
Some big clubs that have previously won the Champions League, like Manchester United, Inter Milan and Ajax, failed to pull through the group stage.
Nonetheless, none of the teams left in contention are debutants in this stage of the competition, thus giving room for expectations for balanced games going forward.
Defending champions Bayern Munich are top on the list of seeded teams, same as beaten finalists PSG.
For the round of 16, only one recognisable Nigerian player, Zaidu Sanusi, is in contention with FC Porto.
Meanwhile, at this phase, there is no country protection, so the remaining teams can face anyone, including facing a club from the same country. However, clubs that were in the same group with each other in the group phase cannot meet in this round. So, Juventus, for example, cannot get Barcelona.
Seeded as group winner: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid
Unseeded as group runner-up: Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Lazio, RB Leipzig
Round of 16 draw ✔️
Which tie are you most excited for? 🤩#UCLdraw | #UCL pic.twitter.com/M6AqMYTygN
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 14, 2020
SS Lazio Vs Bayern Munich (Defending Champions)
Atletico Madrid Vs Chelsea
RB Leipzig Vs Liverpool
FC Porto Vs Juventus
Nigeria’s Zaidu Sanusi will be facing Cristiano Ronaldo in the Round 16
Sevilla Vs Dortmund
Atalanta Vs Real Madrid
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
