The three English teams left in the Champions League are one step closer towards learning their last-16 opponents.
For Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa, they are down to two potential opponents each following the completion of the knockout round play-offs. Manchester City will not be involved after they were dumped out of the competition by Real Madrid.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot now knows for a fact his men will play either Paris Saint-Germain or Benfica. PSG demolished fellow Ligue 1 side Brest 7-0 on Wednesday night, following their one-sided 3-0 victory away from home. Benfica, meanwhile, would be the more favourable draw after punching their ticket via a 4-3 aggregate win over AS Monaco.
A two-legged clash against PSG would be no reward for finishing top of the league phase with seven wins from eight matches.
Slot’s mind was elsewhere when Liverpool‘s path to Champions League glory became that little bit clearer, as he oversaw a 2-2 draw at Villa Park on Wednesday while the play-offs were taking place. Balancing domestic and European duties could be one of the manager’s biggest difficulties as the season wears on.
Whichever way it’s spun, Arsenal are destined for a Dutch showdown. Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven both pulled off Italian giant killings in their respective play-offs, with Feyenoord downing AC Milan and PSV ousting Juventus after extra-time.
The Gunners finished third in the league phase, and they will be desperate to credit the hard work of manager Mikel Arteta with a blockbuster triumph, having only won one major trophy during his five years in charge.
Villa battled their way to a point against the Premier League leaders on Wednesday and they too will have seen their pool of possible Champions League opponents narrow upon returning to the dressing room.
Unai Emery’s men will play either Borussia Dortmund, who comfortably saw off Sporting over two legs, or Club Brugge, who were similarly convincing in their win over Serie A side Atalanta.
The draw for the last 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place on Friday at 11am (GMT) at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. Real Madrid remain the team to beat, having lifted the trophy in two out of the last three years and demolished City 6-3 in their play-off.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk