• It’s Man United vs Brugge, Arsenal against Olympiakos in Europa League
Real Madrid will play Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16, and holders Liverpool will face Atletico Madrid, reports ESPN.
The draw in Nyon, Switzerland, yesterday brought up some fascinating ties, with the heavyweight clashes between England’s and Madrid’s top clubs arguably the pick of the bunch.
Jurgen Klopp’s men, who beat Tottenham 2-0 in the final last season to lift the trophy for the sixth time, will return to the Wanda Metropolitano to face Atleti, while Pep Guardiola’s City faces a tough test against 13-time winners Real Madrid.
![[FILE] Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) runs with the ball as Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel closes in during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/000_97B779-scaled-e1703231851386-120x86.jpg "Liverpool host Arsenal in battle for Premier League Christmas No. 1 3")
City, who will be at home in the second leg, have yet to beat the Spanish side, with two draws and two defeats in their previous four meetings.
However, Guardiola has a much more encouraging record with nine wins, four draws and four defeats in 17 meetings as coach of Barcelona and then Bayern Munich.
“It’s a difficult one,” said Manchester City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain. “Real Madrid is the best. We want to be the best, so we have to try and beat them. It’s always a pleasure to play against Real Madrid. We know them very well. They know our manager.”
Chelsea will meet Bayern Munich in a repeat of 2012 final when Blues boss Frank Lampard lifted the trophy as captain. Borussia Dortmund will face Paris Saint-Germain, with PSG manager Thomas Tuchel returning to face his former club.
Hasan Salihamidzic, Bayern’s sporting director, said: “Chelsea have done very well with their young players. It’s an attractive tie. We accept the challenge, of course, and want to go through.”
Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer added: “We’re excited to go to London; we have some good memories there. Chelsea are dangerous team. We need to take them seriously and with focus. Of course, we want to go through to the next round.”
Lyon faces Juventus, while Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham was drawn against Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig. Elsewhere, debutants Atalanta will meet Valencia and Napoli will play Barcelona.
In the Europa League, Manchester United was drawn against Belgian side Club Brugge in the round of 32, while Arsenal will meet Olympiakos.
United, who won the competition in 2017, finished top of their group and were top seeds for the draw, as were last season’s runners-up — which means both sides will play the first tie away from home.
Arsenal and Olympiakos have met eight times in the Champions League, with four victories apiece. In their last match in 2015, Olivier Giroud’s hat trick in Athens gave Arsenal the three-goal victory required to progress from their group.
Meanwhile, Ajax will face Getafe and Inter Milan were drawn with Ludogorets. Record holders Sevilla will meet Cluj.
First legs will take place on Feb. 20 with the return legs a week later on Feb. 27. The Europa League final will be on May 27 in the Polish city of Gdansk.
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