The playoffs are complete, and we now know the names of the remaining eight clubs in each UEFA club competition that will face the eight ones that qualified through the group stage. The draw brought us some exciting fixtures to look forward to, and not just in the Round of 16, but all the way to the semi-finals.
Let’s see what the draw brought in each of these competitions:
Champions League Draw: the Madrid Derby, Liverpool to Face PSG
Liverpool was the winner of the Champions League group stage, so they didn’t need to play in the playoff round, and PSG defeated Brest 10-0 in the aggregate score. The draw decided that the French champion will face the group winner, Liverpool, in the Round of 16, giving us all a match to eagerly anticipate.
Real Madrid will face the pre-qualified Atletico Madrid after defeating Man City 6-3 on aggregate in the playoffs. Another same-league derby will be the duel between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern München. These are all the fixtures of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16:
Tuesday, 4 March:
- Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
- Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
- Borussia Dortmund vs Lille
- PSV vs Arsenal
Wednesday, 5 March:
- Feyenoord vs Inter
- Benfica vs Barcelona
- Bayern München vs Bayer Leverkusen
- Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool
Second-leg games will be played a week later, 11-12 March. We also already know the potential quarter-final fixtures, so here’s what to look forward to:
- PSG/Liverpool vs Club Brugge/Aston Villa
- PSV/Arsenal vs Real Madrid/Atletico Madrid
- Benfica/Barcelona vs Dortmund/Lille
- Bayern/Leverkusen vs Feyenoord/Inter
These ties will be played in April.
Europa League Draw: AZ Alkmaar Gets a Rematch With Tottenham
The draw for the Europa League also brought lots of excitement and paired some familiar faces in the Round of 16. AZ Alkmaar will get a chance to better its score against Tottenham, having lost their group phase game 1-0.
Eintracht Frankfurt will travel to Amsterdam to face Ajax in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, while Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe will host Rangers in its first Round of 16 match.
Thursday, 6 March:
- AZ Alkmaar vs Tottenham
- Fenerbahçe vs Rangers
- Real Sociedad vs Manchester United
- FCSB vs Lyon
- Bodø/Glimt vs Olympiacos
- Viktoria Plzeň vs Lazio
- Ajax vs Eintracht Frankfurt
- Roma vs Athletic Club
Return matches will be played a week later, on 13 March. The draw also selected the quarter-final ties that will be played in April:
- Bodø/Glimt/Olympiacos vs Viktoria Plzeň/Lazio
- AZ Alkmaar/Tottenham vs Ajax/Eintracht Frankfurt
- Fenerbahçe/Rangers vs Roma/Athletic Club
- FCSB/Lyon vs Real Sociedad/Man Utd
Conference League Draw: Copenhagen to Face Chelsea
Perhaps the most buzzing tie of this stage is the duel between Copenhagen and Chelsea. Chelsea has won the group stage comfortably and is now playing its first match in the knockout stage against the Danish side.
Another match that will draw plenty of attention is the match between Panathinaikos and Fiorentina, and the Cypriots will be eagerly anticipating the duel between Pafos and Djurgården. Here’s the complete draw for the Conference League Round of 16:
Thursday, 6 March:
- Copenhagen vs Chelsea
- Panathinaikos vs Fiorentina
- Molde vs Legia Warszawa
- Real Betis vs Vitória SC
- Pafos vs Djurgården
- Jagiellonia vs Cercle Brugge
- Celje vs Lugano
- Borac vs SK Rapid
The rematches will be played one week later, and the draw for the quarter-final matches looks like this:
- Real Betis/Vitória SC vs Jagiellonia/Cercle Brugge
- Celje/Lugano vs Panathinaikos/Fiorentina
- Copenhagen/Chelsea vs Molde/Legia Warszawa
- Pafos/Djurgården vs Borac/SK Rapid
With more matches in the UEFA club competitions than ever, the spring in Europe looks promising for all football fans.
