Champions League Round of 16 draw: Manchester City faces Real Madrid; Chelsea set for PSG

Nyon, Switzerland – The path to European glory became clearer on Friday as the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw delivered heavyweight showdowns, headlined by a blockbuster tie between Manchester City and Real Madrid while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will take on Chelsea.

City, who booked an automatic place in the knockout phase through their League Phase finish, must now overcome the Spanish giants that have eliminated them in three of the past four editions. Real Madrid advanced to this stage by defeating Benfica in the playoff round and famously ousted City on a 6-3 aggregate a year ago.

Holders PSG, fresh from a playoff victory over Monaco, will meet Chelsea in a rematch of last summer’s Club World Cup Final. The two clubs have not clashed in Europe’s premier competition since the 2015-16 Round of 16, when PSG progressed 4-2 on aggregate.

English clubs dominated the seeded positions after Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle, Chelsea and City all secured automatic passage. Arsenal, the top seed, will meet Bayer Leverkusen, while Liverpool take on Galatasaray, Tottenham square off against Atlético Madrid, and Newcastle face a daunting assignment versus Barcelona.

Bayern Munich, second to Arsenal in the League Phase standings, were paired with Italian outfit Atalanta, and high-flying Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt—who have stunned Manchester City, Atlético and Inter Milan in recent outings—will tackle Portuguese side Sporting.

With the bracket now fixed, potential quarter-final blockbusters loom: PSG could meet Liverpool, the Manchester City-Real Madrid victor might face Bayern, and Barcelona could renew hostilities with Atlético.

First legs will be played 10-11 March, with return fixtures on 17-18 March. Quarter-finals follow on 7-8 and 14-15 April, semi-finals on 28-29 April and 5-6 May, culminating in the final on 30 May at Budapest’s Puskás Aréna.