Champions league draw for the knockout stage (Last 16) which was on schedule this Monday, brought us many good encounters. Matches are scheduled for February (16,17) and March (23,24) next year, and the balls in Nyon merged today some truly incredible opponents.

It is difficult to determine which will match will be the most interesting to football public, because in competition are some great games between Roma and Real Madrid, Arsenal and Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich and PSG and Chelsea.

But, what’s interesting is that many teams will face their familiar teams as many have played already in last season, while in recent years many of them have tested each other on several occasions. So let’s start with our recap.

GENT and WOLFSBURG are the only a couple of knockout stages of the Champions League that has not already met at least once in European competitions for the past decade. Dynamo Kiev, who in February will play with Manchester City, knocked up the Citizens back in 2011, also in the eighth finals, but in the Europa League after celebrating at home 2: 0, and losing away game 1-0.

Benfica knocked Zenit in the last 16 stage back in a season 2008/09 with total 4: 3, but the Russians celebrated in both mutual matches last season in the group. In 2908 Atletico Madrid defeated PSV in both games.

Bayern Munich on their road to Champions league title in 2013 with two wins of 2: 0 in the quarter-final stage was better than Juventus. Alaba and Muller have scored in the first leg in Munich, and in the second leg in Turin scorers for Bayern were Pizarro and current Juventus striker Mandzukic.

Barcelona beat Arsenal in the famous Parisian final back in 2006, after which these two teams have met in Last 16 stage in 2010 and 2011. Barca was more successful each time.

Chelsea and PSG are meeting for the third year in a row in the knockout stage of the Champions league. Chelsea celebrated two years ago, and PSG last season in a thrilling duel, when Mourinho’s team was eliminated at Stamford Bridge after extra time, although twice during the match Chelsea had a lead and that was with one more play on the pitch as Ibrahimovic was sent off.

Bus drivers of Real Madrid and Roma probably blindfolded know how to find the way from the airport to the stadium, because this will be the ninth time since 2001 that these two sides will meet in the Champions League. In last 11 years these two teams have played 11 times. From all those games, the most memorable perhaps was back in 2008 when Roma eliminated Real Madrid in the last 16 stage with two 2-1 wins.

Round of sixteen

GENT – WOLFSBURG
ROMA – REAL MADRID
PSG – CHELSEA
ARSENAL – BARCELONA
Juventus – Bayern
PSV – ATLETICO
BENFICA – ZENIT
DYNAMO KIEV – MANCHESTER CITY

Before UCL draw:

Participants in the round of sixteen LP

The group winners Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Zenit

Runner-up: Marseille, PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Juventus, Roma, Arsenal, Dynamo Kyiv, Gent

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