The ongoing Champions League 2021-2022 season's group stage ended last week. The Round of 16 draw for Europe's elite club competition and the first knockout round of the Europa League took place in Switzerland on December 13. This Champions League draw was plagued by controversy. Therefore, UEFA had to act quickly and they declared the initial draw void. UEFA reset the draw in three hours and confirmed the first knockout round ties. Let's see who will be playing with whom in the Champions League Round of 16.
Who will meet who in the Champions League Round of 16?
The draw promises to be plenty of exciting matchups in the Round of 16. However, the matches between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid will be the most enthralling of all. Former Real Madrid players Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria, and Keylor Navas will be reunited. On the other side, Lionel Messi and Neymar will be ready to display their class against the Madrid team. Aside from that, the match between Manchester United and Atletico Madrid will be fascinating to watch. Both teams desire to play a counter-attacking style of football. The other fixtures are Sporting CP will play Manchester City, Salzburg will play Bayern Munich, Inter Milan will play Liverpool, Chelsea will play Lille, Villarreal will play Juventus, and Benfica will play Ajax.
Read: Argentina, Italy Keen to End Continental Trophy Droughts
Fixtures of the Champions League Round of 16
|
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
February 15 |
Sporting CP vs Manchester City |
Estadio Jose Alvalade |
|
March 9 |
Manchester City vs Sporting CP |
Etihad Stadium |
|
February 15 |
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid |
Parc des Princes |
|
March 9 |
Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain |
Santiago Bernabeu |
|
February 16 |
Salzburg vs Bayern Munich |
Red Bull Arena |
|
March 8 |
Bayern Munich vs Salzburg |
Allianz Arena |
|
February 16 |
Inter Milan vs Liverpool |
San Siro |
|
March 8 |
Liverpool vs Inter Milan |
Anfield |
|
February 22 |
Chelsea vs Lille |
Stamford Bridge |
|
March 16 |
Lille vs Chelsea |
Stade Pierre-Mauroy |
|
February 22 |
Villarreal vs Juventus |
Estadio de la Ceramica |
|
March 16 |
Juventus vs Villarreal |
Juventus Stadium |
|
February 23 |
Benfica vs Ajax |
Estádio da Luz |
|
March 15 |
Ajax vs Benfica |
Johan Cruyff Arena |
|
February 23 |
Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United |
Wanda Metropolitano |
|
March 15 |
Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid |
Old Trafford |
Source: https://www.uefa.com/
Europa League 2021-2022: First Knockout Round Fixtures
The fixture between FC Barcelona and Napoli is the most exciting one of the Europa League's first knockout round. Apart from that, football fans are interested in the matches between Porto and Lazio and Dortmund and Rangers. The winners will join the eight UEFA Europa League group winners in the Round of 16.
Read: Hockey: Asian Champions Trophy begins Tuesday
Fixtures of the Europa League first knockout Round
|
Date |
Match |
Venue |
|
February 17 |
Barcelona vs Napoli |
Camp Nou |
|
February 17 |
Zenit vs Real Betis |
Gazprom Arena |
|
February 17 |
Dortmund vs Rangers |
Signal Iduna Park |
|
February 17 |
Sheriff vs Braga |
Sheriff Stadium |
|
February 17 |
Sevilla vs Dinamo Zagreb |
Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium |
|
February 17 |
Atalanta vs Olympiacos |
Gewiss Stadium |
|
February 17 |
Leipzig vs Real Sociedad |
Red Bull Arena |
|
February 17 |
Porto vs Lazio |
Estádio do Dragão |
|
February 24 |
Dinamo Zagreb vs Sevilla |
Stadion Maksimir |
|
February 24 |
Olympiacos vs Atalanta |
Karaiskaki Stadium |
|
February 24 |
Real Sociedad vs Leipzig |
Reale Arena |
|
February 24 |
Lazio vs Porto |
Stadio Olimpico |
|
February 24 |
Napoli vs Barcelona |
Diego Armando Maradona Stadium |
|
February 24 |
Real Betis vs Zenit |
Benito Villamarín Stadium |
|
February 24 |
Rangers vs Dortmund |
Ibrox Stadium |
|
February 24 |
Braga vs Sheriff |
Braga Municipal Stadium |
Source: https://www.uefa.com/
Bottom Line
Almost all of Europe's top clubs have qualified for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2021-2022 season. The deserving teams are likely to proceed to the quarter-finals from the Round of 16. However, no match in this round will be easy. The matches between PSG and Real Madrid, as well as Atletico Madrid and Manchester United, are anticipated to be the most enthralling. Each team must perform at their best to proceed to the quarterfinals.