The thirteen-time champion of the Champions League, Real Madrid, will face Manchester City, England’s champion, while Liverpool, current European champion, will face Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 of the Champions League, after Monday’s draw.
Madrid ended up in hype two after finishing second in their group behind Paris St Germain, and City has been the unlucky team that will face them.
Manchester City, which will play at home the second leg, has not yet managed to beat Zidane, accumulating two draws and two losses in their previous four matches.
However, their coach, Pep Guardiola, has much better statistics with nine wins, four draws and four losses in his 17 games as coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“It’s a hard game,” said Txiki Begiristain.
“We play against a great, a team with 13 European Cups. But we are encouraged and the return is at home. We want to be the best team, so we must eliminate the best. We know what we are facing, but they also know our team and our coaching staff, ”he added.
Previous clashes between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid have thrown a team victory and two draws, with four goals in favor and one against.
Only the five most important leagues in Europe – England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain – were represented in the draw, and 11 of the 16 teams also reached the knockout stages last season.
Both England and Spain managed to get their four teams into the round of 16. On the other hand, Juventus, champion of Serie A, will face French Olympique Lyon, and PSG Borussia Dortmund.
Barcelona will face each other against the unpredictable Naples, the first time both teams face each other.
Naples fired coach Carlo Ancelotti immediately after beating Genk to secure the pass to the round of 16, and he was replaced by Gennaro Gattuso, who had never previously trained in the Champions League.
“A great team, a great challenge, two fascinating matches. We will face them without fear, ”he said.
Valencia, meanwhile, will have to play the standings against Atalanta, who qualified for eighths in his first participation in Champions despite losing his first three games of the group stage.
Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur will play against RB Leipzig, who is in the knockout stage for the first time, while Chelsea will face Bayern Munich.
