After the play-off round ends, the UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw will take place today (February 27). The focus of the event is matches related to major clubs in Spain and England. Among these, three Spanish teams, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, will all face many challenges.
Barca will face two tough opponents (reigning champion PSG or Newcastle). Meanwhile, Real Madrid will face Man City or Sporting Lisbon, and Atletico will face Liverpool or Tottenham.
Real Madrid, who advanced to this round after eliminating Benfica, and Atletico Madrid, who also did the same with Club Brugge, will be in two different brackets, meaning they will not face each other until the simulated final. It is still unclear which bracket Barcelona will be in, as they have directly passed the group stage to advance straight to the round of 16.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid may face three Premier League teams right in the round of 16 to compete for a ticket to the quarterfinals.
With Barcelona, they have the advantage of playing the second leg at home in the round of 16. If they meet Newcastle, Hansi Flick's team is considered "easier" because they once beat the opponent 2-1 in the group stage.
Meanwhile, reigning champion PSG is a difficult challenge for Barcelona. In addition to owning a squad with many stars, PSG is also led by former Barca coach - Luis Enrique.
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will play the second leg away from home in the round of 16. Real Madrid under coach Arbeloa will face many difficulties if they meet Man City early. The English team once beat Real 2-1 in the group stage this season. Currently, Man City is in very high form and does not fear any opponent. If they meet Sporting, the Portuguese team, Real Madrid's chances of going further will be higher.
Atletico Madrid's potential opponents are all English clubs - Liverpool and Tottenham. Liverpool was once Atletico's opponent in the group stage, and Simeone's team lost 2-3. Meanwhile, Tottenham played very poorly in the national championship but played very well in the European Cup this season.
An interesting thing at the draw is finding the opponent of Bodø/Glimt, the team that will meet Man City or Sporting Lisbon. The first leg will take place in Norway. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Bayern Munich will have easier opponents in the round of 16, Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta, the only Italian team in this round.
After the draw is completed, the teams will know their route to the final, scheduled to take place on May 30 at Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
