After it’s winter break the UEFA Champions League returns next week with the knockout stage, and it has 3 mouth watering ties for the English clubs.
Man City left it very late to qualify, and their punishment for this is a tie against 4 times champions Barcelona. Now Barca may not be the invincible team from 4 or 5 years ago, but anyone who boasts a strike force of Messi, Suarez, & Neymar must be seriously feared.
Chelsea take on France Paris Saint-Germain in a repeat of last years unforgettable quarter final match which saw Chelsea turn around a 3-1 first leg defeat to win on away goals thanks to a late Demba Ba strike. The tie will also see David Luiz return to the club he left for £40 million last summer.
And the other match sees Arsene Wenger return to the club he made his name at and managed for 7 years as Monaco take on his Arsenal side.
Both Spanish finalists last year face German opposition, as Atletico Madrid take on Bayer Leverkusen, and last years winners the mighty Real Madrid (complete with Ronaldo, Bale, Kroos, Benzema, Rodriguez …well you get the picture) take on Schalke.
In fact Germany is the only country to have 4 of it teams reach the last 16, as 2013 champion Bayern Munich take on Ukrainian champions Shakhtar Donetsk who boast the competitions top scorer Luiz Adriano, and despite being near the bottom of their own domestic league Borussia Dortmund have found the Champions League a walk in the park so far, as they qualified top of their group to book a match with Group A runners up and current Serie A champions Juventus.
The final match of the draw sees the conquerors of Liverpool Basel take on Portuguese outfit Porto.
Early betting has nothing splitting Bayern Munich and Real Madrid from the favourite position, although if you have your dosh on Basel, Schalke, or Shakhtar you’ll be quids in as the bookies really don't fancy them at all.
The first legs of the matches start next week, with the return legs starting in the second week of March.
The last 16 fixtures
* Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea
* Shakhtar Donetsk v Bayern Munich
* Schalke v Real Madrid
* Basel v Porto
* Man City v Barcelona
* Juventus v Borussia Dortmund
* Bayer Leverkusen v Atletico Madrid
* Arsenal v Monaco