Madrid-Liverpool, PSG-Bayern in Champions League last-16

Nyon, November 7 (BNA): Real Madrid will play Liverpool in the round of 16 of the Champions League in the return match from last year’s final.

Real Madrid beat Liverpool in both the 2018 and 2022 finals, and the two giants will meet again in February after being drawn in Monday’s draw, which also put PSG against Bayern Munich. This is a rematch of the 2020 final, which the Germans won.

Paris Saint-Germain have had a big draw at this point for the second consecutive season. The French champion’s quest for a first European title ended in March with a stunning hat-trick of late Karim Benzema for the Madrid champion, The Associated Press reported.

PSG were unseeded in this tie and left open to face Bayern because Benfica’s stoppage-time goal in last week’s 6-1 win over Maccabi Haifa means the Portuguese club are top of their group.

Benfica was rewarded on Monday with a match against 15th-placed Club Brugge in the draw.

Milan, the lowest-ranked, will play at home to Tottenham in the first leg of the Champions League knockout rounds after a nine-year hiatus.

Manchester City were paired with Leipzig, and Chelsea were drawn to face Borussia Dortmund in the Premier League’s clash against the Bundesliga.

Napoli, with the highest number of goals in the group stage, plays with Eintracht Frankfurt, while Inter Milan plays at home first against Porto.

Teams from the same country or who have played each other in the group stage cannot be brought together in the Round of 16.

The first leg matches will be held from February 14 to 22. Return matches from March 7-15.

The unusually long wait of more than three months between the group stage and the knockout stage was caused by the World Cup in Qatar, which was held in November and December.

The busy season meant the six-round group stage started earlier than usual in September and was completed in just nine weeks.

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