Ian Hawkey breaks down each tie of the last-16 of the Uefa Champions League following Monday’s draw in Switzerland.
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Gent v Wolfsburg
To the envy of all the seeded clubs, Wolfsvurg got the lambs of the last 16. Gent are the outsiders, though both clubs are already in unprecedented territory, further than they have ever been in Europe’s principal club tournament. A quarter-final now looks less of an improbable dream from the perspective of provincial Germany. Granted, Gent’s fairytale has already shot them past Valencia and Lyon, both institutions with far greater budgetary might and European experience than the Belgians have, but last season’s Bundesliga runners-up will quietly feel blessed.
AS Roma v Real Madrid
Roma can startle anybody on their day, particularly with their speed up front. Rafa Benitez, the Madrid coach, will know that having tussled with them over the last two years while in charge of Napoli. What he also knows is that he is absolutely required to push Madrid, the 2104 Champions League winners through this one, because they are already out of the Spanish Cup, and five points off the lead in the Primera Liga. If Roma, and the rugged Radja Naingollan can control a midfield where Madrid have struggled in key matches this season, the Italians have a strong chance. If they play as they did in the group phase at Barcelona, losing 6-1, they do not.
Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea
A rerun of last season’s epic last-16 tie, which was a threshold moment for the Ligue 1 champions and soaraway leaders. By beating Chelsea, while reduced to 10 men for most of the second leg, without their totem, Zlatan Ibrahimovic — who was the man controversially sent off — PSG looked like they believed they really do belong among the continent’s super-elite. They have certainly spent the money to be semi-finalists, at least, in the Champions League on a regular basis. Some of the £50 million (Dh278m) they lavished of joining David Luiz was repaid by his goal in the 3-3, away goals win, against Chelsea, his old club last March. Another pair of big nights awaits him.
Arsenal v Barcelona
These two, both proud of their stylish principles, have become regular opponents in the knockout phase. They were fellow finalists in 2006 in Paris, and the outcome there, a Barcelona triumph, has usually been repeated when they have encountered one another since. Barcelona have dropped points domestically lately, but will be unleashing reinforcements, like Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, in January, which should galvanise the title-holders. They can expect to come up against a highly motivated Alexis Sanchez, somewhat underrated in his three seasons at Barcelona, but highly valued by his current employers, Arsenal.
Juventus v Bayern Munich
Gianluigi Buffon, the most experienced footballer left in the competition, had listed Bayern as one of the two teams he did not want the Juventus he captains to face — the other was Barcelona — explaining that “the rest are at a level we can reach.” Yes, Bayern will be favourites, but Juventus’s form has picked up since a wretched start to their domestic campaign. Buffon has a point to prove, too, after being deemed fit for retirement by former Bayern player and coach Franz Beckenbauer when he performed below standard in a quarter-final between the clubs three seasons ago.
PSV Eindhoven v Atletico Madrid
It has been a good few days for Atletico, who went joint top of the Primera Liga at the weekend, and topped their group in the Champions League. Their reward, a seeding for the last 16 draw, is a meeting with one of the relative upstarts of the competition so far, the Dutch champions who squeezed past Manchester United to make the knockout stages. This will be widely anticipated as the end of PSV’s journey, although coach Phillip Cocu, a long servant of Barcelona as a player and a combatant in midfield battles over the years with Atletico coach Diego Simeone, has instilled a tough spirit, witnessed in their comeback against CSKA Moscow last week.
Benfica v Zenit St Petersburg
Quite a tough tie to call. Zenit’s Champions League form through the group stage where they won each of their first five fixtures rather masked some inconsistent displays in the Russian championship, whose title they won last year. They will be no mystery to Benfica: Portuguese football has long been a fertile recruitment area for Zenit, with important men like Hulk, the Brazilian former Porto striker, imported from there. Or Axel Witsel, the midfielder who will return to the Benfica where he established his high reputation. Zenit coach Andre Villas-Boas, meanwhile goes back to his native country.
Dynamo Kiev v Manchester City
City have not had a great deal of good fortune in the opponents they have come up against in recent seasons in the knockout phase. They would now privately acknowledge that the potential bonus of finishing top of a group for the first time, as they did last week, has been realised with a tie against one of the outsiders. The long trip may seem an inconvenience, and Dynamo’s achievement in finishing above Porto in their group is a warning of potential peril, but provided City are not lacking too many senior men, like Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, they should impose themselves quite comfortably on the Ukrainian champions.
