Ucl Draw delivers Chelsea v PSG and Man City v Real Madrid in last 16
The ucl draw set the Champions League last 16 in stone, matching Chelsea with holders Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City with Real Madrid while sealing ties including Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen, Newcastle United v Barcelona and Liverpool v Galatasaray. The schedule is immediate: first legs on 10 and 11 March, second legs on 17 and 18 March, with the final fixed for 30 May at the Puskas Arena in Budapest.
Ucl Draw: Chelsea v Paris St-Germain
Chelsea will face Paris Saint-Germain in a tie that doubles as a rematch of last summer’s Club World Cup final in New Jersey, when Chelsea beat the European champions 3-0. That Club World Cup win featured two goals from Cole Palmer and came with a squad built under the management of Enzo Maresca. Chelsea director of football David Barnard said the match will be tough but not a source of fear, urging a game-by-game approach to the knockout phase.
Manchester City meet Real Madrid for a fifth straight season
Manchester City’s last-16 draw with Real Madrid is the fifth successive Champions League knockout meeting between the clubs. City’s win in Madrid in December represented their ninth meeting with Real since April 2022. Hugo Viana, the club’s director of football, described the tie as a big game for both sides and likened it to a final, saying the team were happy to travel there again.
Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen and Opta probabilities
Arsenal, who finished top of the league phase as the only team to win all eight group games, were drawn against Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern Munich finished three points behind in second. If Arsenal progress past Leverkusen they will face the winner of Sporting CP versus Bodø/Glimt in the quarter-finals. Opta rate Mikel Arteta’s side as the pre-tie favourites to win the competition, assigning them a 27. 40% chance of lifting the trophy, with Bayern second at 14. 28%.
Newcastle United v Barcelona and historical echoes
Newcastle United were drawn against Barcelona and will be at home for the first leg. The fixture revives historical connections: Sir Bobby Robson managed both clubs and Faustino Asprilla’s treble at St James’ Park featured in a 3-2 Champions League win over the Spanish side in 1997. The two clubs also met at St James’ Park in September, when Hansi Flick’s side won the league-phase encounter 2-1 thanks to two goals from Marcus Rashford.
Liverpool v Galatasaray, Tottenham v Atlético Madrid and quarter-final routes
Liverpool will face Galatasaray in a rematch that takes them back to Istanbul; Arne Slot’s side lost 1-0 in Turkey in a September league-phase meeting. Liverpool ambassador Ian Rush highlighted the advantage of a second leg at Anfield, citing the stadium’s atmosphere. Tottenham Hotspur drew Atlético Madrid; Tottenham’s squad will include Conor Gallagher, who joined from Atlético in January. The draw provides a clear route map: if Newcastle and Tottenham both advance they would meet in the quarter-finals, and Chelsea and Liverpool lie on a collision course in the other half. Atlético’s Diego Simeone and Tottenham coach Igor Tudor know their sides are contesting for a quarter-final date against either Barcelona or Newcastle, and a north London semi-final against Arsenal is a possible outcome should Spurs continue to progress.
European route and wider club implications
Beyond the Champions League, the Europa League and Conference League outcomes were affected by the draw. Nottingham Forest face Midtjylland in the Europa League; the Danes travel with memories of a 3-2 win at the City Ground in October. Aston Villa were drawn against Lille and sit in the same half as Forest, which removes the prospect of an all-English final but leaves the possibility of an English clash in the semi-finals. Villa and Lille previously met in a Conference League quarter-final two years ago, with Villa prevailing after a chaotic penalty shootout that featured theatrics from an Argentinian goalkeeper.
What makes this notable is the concentration of heavyweight rematches and recurring fixtures—City v Real for a fifth straight season and Chelsea v PSG as a recent Club World Cup replay—creating immediate narratives and tactical questions as teams prepare for the March dates and the path to Budapest on 30 May.
