Forget global league talk, Champions League last 16 pitches Man City vs Real Madrid

December 16 – Manchester City will have to do it the hard way in their quest to break their Champions League duck and finally land the trophy.

Despite comfortably winning their group, City were pitched into a last-16 showdown with 13-time winners Real Madrid when the draw was made today.

Defending champions Liverpool will go up against Madrid’s other contenders, Atletico while Chelsea take on Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 2012 final. In the pick of the other ties, Borussia Dortmund will play Paris St-Germain and Napoli take on Barcelona.

The first legs will be played on 18, 19, 25 and 26 February with the return matches on 10, 11, 17 and 18 March

This season’s final is on  May 30 at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, the ground where Liverpool won their epic 2005 final against AC Milan. The draw also takes them back to the stadium in which they won last year’s all-English final against Tottenham: Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano.

Tottenham’s last-16  opponents RB Leipzig currently lead the German Bundesliga and have in Timo Werner one of Europe’s most coveted strikers and in Julian Nagelsmann one of the continent’s most promising young coaches.

Last-16 draw in full:

Borussia Dortmund v Paris St-Germain

Real Madrid v Manchester City

Atalanta v Valencia

Atletico Madrid v Liverpool

Chelsea v Bayern Munich

Lyon v Juventus

Tottenham v RB Leipzig

Napoli v Barcelona

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