UCL Round of 16 Draw: Madrid land City, PSG face Chelsea in blockbuster ties
The draw for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League has delivered a series of heavyweight clashes, with the route to the quarter-finals and semi-finals now firmly mapped out.
Record 15-time champions Real Madrid have been handed arguably the toughest test of the round after being paired with English giants Manchester City.
The tie is a repeat of recent classic encounters between the European heavyweights. The winner of that blockbuster showdown will advance to face either Bayern Munich or Atalanta in the quarter-finals.
Another eye-catching fixture sees Paris Saint-Germain drawn against Chelsea in what will be a repeat of their FIFA Club World Cup final meeting.
The two European giants have not met in the Champions League since 2016, when PSG triumphed 4-2 on aggregate at this same stage of the competition.
The victor of this tie will move on to face the winner between Liverpool and Turkish champions Galatasaray.
On the other side of the bracket, Newcastle United will lock horns with FC Barcelona in another intriguing encounter. It is a rematch of their league phase meeting, where the Blaugrana edged a 2-1 victory.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid have been paired with Tottenham Hotspur, with the winner set to meet either Newcastle or Barcelona in the last eight.
Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt, who stunned Inter Milan in the playoffs, will aim to continue their remarkable European journey against Portuguese champions Sporting CP.
Having already claimed notable victories over Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan home and away, Bodo/Glimt have proven they are no pushovers.
The winner of that tie will face the winner of the Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal tie in the quarter-finals. Arsenal head into the knockout stage in formidable form after finishing the league phase with a perfect record of eight wins from eight matches.
The first legs of the Round of 16 are scheduled for March 10 and 11, with the return fixtures set to take place on March 17 and 18, as Europe’s elite battle for a place in the last eight.