The UEFA Champions League round of sixteen draws was made on Monday, December 11, 2017, and as usual, there are some interesting ties to anticipate. While few teams will be content with who they have, others will wish they had more luck. Here we will analyze the draws appropriately and take a gander at what is probably going to be the result after the second legs of the matchups have been played in March 2018
FC Basel versus Manchester City: Basel currently positioned 24th in the current UEFA co-proficient rankings ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Roma who both finished top of their group, however in reality, of the considerable number of teams who finished second in their group, Basel is the weakest on paper which is the reason Man City will be content with the draw and you can’t look further than City going through over the two legs particularly with the form City are in this moment. City are presently the bookies top picks for the title and they will have too much firepower for Basel.
FC Porto versus Liverpool: Liverpool are a bag of revels, you don’t know what you will get with them yet they will be content with the draw. Going forward Liverpool are a delight to watch and on their day they are a match for any team, but their Achilles hill has been their defence so if Porto who have some decent players can exploit that, they have a shot of causing a surprise. Nonetheless, if Liverpool can keep their “fab four” fit and in top form come February I expect them to have too much ability for Porto and advance to the quarterfinals.
Sevilla FC versus Manchester United: Sevilla has a good pedigree in Europe having won the Europa league titles consecutively, yet have not had an effect in Europe’s main competition which is the reason you expect that Manchester United will take care of business. The red devils will be content with the draw having avoided the European giants who finished second in their groups. However, they will still need to be in their top form to beat the Spanish side and in Jose Mourinho a manager who has won the UCL twice you expect them to take care of business.
Real Madrid versus Pars Saint-Germain (PSG): This ostensibly the tie of the round. Madrid who is the two times defending champions have been given the most difficult draw that they could have envisioned in PSG, however, it is something they should savour. The two teams can brag of best-attacking talents in their ranks which mean it’s a game that will guarantee goals (punters observe). It likewise allows PSG to see whether they are ready to win that UCL title since they have failed to meet expectations in late seasons with their best show being a quarter last appearance. Last season capitulation against Barcelona should still be fresh in their brains, so this is another opportunity for them to test themselves against another of Europe’s top sides. It is additionally another open door for Neymar to stake an early claim in next year Ballon d’Or race. It guarantees to be one of the most energizing match football lovers have ever seen and it won’t be a surprise if the losing team goes out on away goals rule.
Shakhtar Donetsk versus AS Roma: Shakhtar finished second in a group that has City and Napoli which is amazing while Roma finished top in a group that has Chelsea and Atletico Madrid which is likewise super noteworthy. You need to make Roma the slight favourite, yet you can’t rule out Shakhtar who won all their three home games in the group stages, which is the reason home form will be key in determining who goes through in this one.
Juventus versus Tottenham: This is another tie that is impossible to call. Of all the teams to finish second that Spurs could have faced, Juventus and Bayern are the teams they would have wanted to avoid. Juventus finished second behind Barcelona and have been finalist in two of the last three seasons with the latest where they lost to Madrid in Cardiff, yet this isn’t the same Juventus that reached the final in Cardiff so Spurs should savor the test and they can take confidence that they finished ahead of Madrid and Dortmund in their group, so in the event that they can play as they did in the group stages, they should go into the match against the old lady with confidence, in addition to they have the advantage of playing the second leg at home.
Chelsea FC versus FC Barcelona: This is another tie to anticipate in the UCL. Since 2005 they have met frequently in the knock out stages and once in the group stages. Chelsea finished behind Roma while Barcelona finished top ahead of Juventus. For Chelsea, their defence will need to be on the top shape to stop the attacking threat of Messi, Suarez and Dembele, though the latter is as yet recovering from injury but ought to be fit for the match. It will likewise allow Messi to change that record of having never scored against Chelsea. Barcelona will be the favourites going into the game yet like past meetings Chelsea have always been a hard nut to crack for Barcelona so it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Chelsea upset the odds.
Bayern Munich versus Besiktas: Bayern finished second in their group and would be pleased when Besiktas name flew out. Besiktas finished top of their group which includes last season semifinalist Monaco and Porto which is the reason they shouldn’t be trifled with, yet you expect Bayern with all the array of talents available to them to take care of business but you can anticipate that Besiktas will make it a challenge particularly with the second leg at the Vodafone Arena where the atmosphere is always unnerving for the visiting teams.
