File picture of Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid and Jose Gimenez of Atletico de Madrid in action during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and Atletico de Madrid. The Madrid rivals will meet in the Champions League Round of 16
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A Madrid derby. A German classic. A rare meeting between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain. The Champions League got more heavyweight clashes when the draw for the round of 16 was made Friday (February 21, 2025).
Defending champion Real Madrid’s reward for ousting 2023 title winner Manchester City this week in the knockout playoffs is two city derbies against Atletico Madrid — the team it beat in the final in 2014 and 2016.
Diego Simeone is still Atletico’s coach a decade later, again facing Carlo Ancelotti who won the 2014 final. Ancelotti later took jobs across Europe before returning to Madrid and winning two more Champions League titles for a competition record five as a coach.
Bayern Munich was paired with Bayer Leverkusen — the Bundesliga leader against its defending champion, who played a tight 0-0 draw just last weekend. Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has never lost to Bayern in six games across three seasons, including three meetings this season.
Liverpool was the top-seeded team in the draw after finishing first in the 36-team standings last month but still got a tough assignment as the Premier League leader was paired with No. 15 seed PSG.
Liverpool and PSG have never met in knockout games in the Champions League or the old European Cup. Their previous meetings were in the group stage in 2018-19, trading home wins in a season that ended with Liverpool winning its sixth European Cup title.
The first-leg games will be played March 4-5, with the return games one week later.
Also in the draw, No. 2 seed Barcelona was paired with Benfica — which it beat 5-4 in Lisbon one month ago — Arsenal will face PSV Eindhoven and Inter Milan plays Feyenoord.
Brazilian former player Giovane Elber shows the ticket of English club Liverpool, during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, quarter-final and semi-final draws, at the UEFA headquarters
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AP
Feyenoord goes back to San Siro, where it already eliminated AC Milan this week in the knockout playoffs round. All three Italian teams in the playoffs lost, including another exit to a Dutch team when PSV got past Juventus in extra time.
Club Brugge, which got into the knockout stage in the 24th and final qualification place, will face Aston Villa, which it already beat in November. Borussia Dortmund will play Lille.
The Madrid and German matchups were not possible in the old Champions League format where teams from the same country could not face each other in the round of 16. The new tennis-style seeded bracket allows for those derbies, and for teams to reunite after already playing each other in the league phase of the competition.
Friday’s draw also put Real Madrid and Liverpool in the same half of the bracket and on a path to meet in the semifinals.
Both could have English opponents in the quarterfinals. The Madrid derby winner will face Arsenal or PSV, and if Liverpool eliminates PSG it will face Villa or Brugge.
Published – February 22, 2025 11:21 am IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com