Manchester City were given a tall task for the Champions League last 16 on Monday, being paired with Barcelona at the Champions League draw in Nyon, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger will lead Arsenal against his old club AS Monaco when the Champions League resumes on February 17-18 for the first legs. The second legs will be played February 24-25.
Other glamour matchups include Jose Mourinho’s Premier League leaders Chelsea facing off with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paris Saint-Germain and Italian champions Juventus meeting baffling Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, who enter the last 16 after a dominant group campaign but face a relegation battle in Germany.
Real Madrid, the European Cup holders, were drawn with Schalke, while Bayern Munich, the 2013 winners, face relative minnows Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine. Spanish champions Atletico Madrid meet Bayer Leverkusen and FC Basel and FC Porto are headed for a tie that both sides will likely feel relieved to have been drawn into.
Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini will be ruing his luck, in the meantime, as his side must once again try to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time by going through Barca. City were eliminated by the Spanish giants 4-1 in last season’s last 16.
On the opposite end of that spectrum are Real, who are paried with Schalke again and will enter the tie heavy favourites after thrashing the Bundesliga club 9-2 on aggregate in last year’s initial knockout stage.
And Arsene Wenger will relish his chance against Ligue 1 side Monaco, whom he managed from 1987-1994, after getting draw against Bayern Munich in 2012/13 and 2013/14.
Draw:
Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain
Barcelona v Manchester City
Atletco Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen
Borussia Dortmund v Juventus
Real Madrid v Schalke
Bayern Munich v Shakhtar Donetsk
AS Monaco v Arsenal
FC Porto v FC Basel
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