A few days after the end of the group stages of the most prestigious of European competitions, the sixteen teams who have obtained their tickets for the next round will know their opponent. It should be noted that there may be some shocks from these meetings which will be played on February 16, 17, 23 and 24, 2021 for the outward journeys, and on March 9, 10, 16 and 17 for the returns. Indeed, FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid are in particular in the second hat after finishing second in their respective group.
Both can therefore be the opponents of Paris Saint-Germain within two months. A reunion between the Ile-de-France club and Atalanta is also possible, as we can for example witness a new opposition between the Catalans and Bayern Munich. It is also recalled that the teams which finished in the first hat will play their return match at home, and that two clubs from the same country cannot compete in the eighth.
This season, the favorite is none other than the defending champion, Bayern, which today seems far above the other big teams of the Old Continent. But by spring, the situation may change … We can also feed the hope of seeing the final stages – perhaps not from the eighths but why not from the quarters – with audiences in all European stadiums, as we have seen during the home matches of the Russian teams during this group stage. Everything will depend logically on the evolution of the health situation between now and then.
The matches of the knockout stages of the Champions League:
- Borussia Mönchengladbach (ALL) vs Manchester City (ENG)
- Lazio (ITA) vs Bayern Munich (ALL)
- Atlético de Madrid (ESP) vs Chelsea (ENG)
- RB Leipzig (ALL) vs Liverpool (ENG)
- FC Porto (POR) vs Juventus (ITA)
- FC Barcelona (ESP) vs Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
- Sevilla FC (ESP) vs Borussia Dortmund (ALL)
- Atalanta (ITA) vs Real Madrid (ESP)