Who will Real Madrid Face in Champions League round of 16?
Madrid faces some potentially challenging ties in Europe after winning Group F.
Real Madrid ensured that their destiny was in their own hands by defeating Celtic by a score of 5, and they went on to win the group. They made sure the Scottish squad wouldn’t keep them winless after previous “wobbles” against Shakhtar and Leipzig.
As group champions, they will play one of the teams who finished second in the rankings; there are no limits since they are the only Spanish team remaining in the tournament, but who can they play?
Liverpool
The squad with the largest name among potential competitors, but one that is not expected to be enjoying the best season so far. They suffered a heartbreaking loss to Leeds United last weekend and are now seated in the league’s middle.
They’ve had a mixed record in Europe, eventually losing to an aggressive Napoli team that Madrid will be trying to avoid. Many believe that the cycle is about to stop for Liverpool’s aging team and long-reigning manager Klopp. However, player skill does not magically vanish, therefore Madrid shouldn’t enter any probable matchup against the 5-time champions with any complacency.
Team Brugge
The unexpected winner of Group B, which also included Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Porto, was Club Brugge (4th).
They held the group’s lead for the whole of the competition, and Noa Lang has emerged as a star on the wings. Although it is too soon to judge whether or not they will pose a danger when the next round of games is played in February, they currently rank third in the league, indicating that they are taking this season’s European campaign very seriously.
Inter
The 3-3 result at Camp Nou pushed the Catalan team to Europe’s second round, where they now stand. Both Lautaro Martnez and his striking partner Dzeko provide a constant danger from beyond the defensive line.
They just lost to Bayern, and Madrid would have significant difficulties playing in Italy. Dumfries and Dumfries significantly improve the side’s performance from wide areas, while Barella, the midfield guru, ties everything together.
Milan
Milan’s red and black squad ended 3 points behind Chelsea, making a difficult matchup for Madrid in the following round. Both Brahim and Leo, who seems to be Europe’s next big money move, would undoubtedly enjoy the tie (apart from Bellingham). Il Rossoneri would undoubtedly give some Madrid supporters pause over the two-legged match with Sandro Tonali to tie everything together.
Eintracht
Eintracht Frankfurt, who naturally eliminated Barça from the Europa League last year, finished one point behind group winners Tottenham Hotspur. However, Real Madrid seemed to be significantly better in the UEFA Super Cup at the start of the season, so maybe Los Blancos wouldn’t be as terrified of this match as they would be of some of the others.
A successful away performance in Germany, though, would not be guaranteed in any way.
Dortmund
Dortmund has been kept from becoming a pushover in Haller’s absence and Haaland’s departure thanks to Moukoko and Adeyemi. Madrid will undoubtedly want to avoid going to Signal Iduna Park early if at all possible.
Although they beat awful Sevilla and Copenhagen teams in the final standings, they held Manchester City to a 0-0 draw with Süle and Schlotterbeck in the back, so it would not be a simple matchup should Madrid be matched with them.
PSG
You’ve come this far, good work. Yes, PSG was able to take second place because Benfica scored six goals in the last group match, which allowed the victor to be determined by the sixth tiebreaker, away goals scored. Where should I start? Messi, Neymar, and Mbappé, among others… Additionally, I seem to recall that these clubs played one another last season. Everything would be in this tie.
As football fans, we want to watch it, but we don’t want to participate because I believe the heat would be too severe this time. This is without a doubt the hardest tie of the bunch, and Messi looks like the greatest version of himself once again.
