This season’s Champions League last 16 draw promises to be one of the most thrilling in recent times as so many quality teams have been drawn together in a number of intriguing ties.
It’s a particularly big one for the four Premier League representatives, with holders Liverpool facing a tough two legs against Atletico Madrid, while Manchester City will have to get past Real Madrid if they want to fulfil their ambitions of finally winning this competition.
Chelsea, meanwhile, take on Bayern Munich in an all-star tie that brings together the two finalists from all the way back in 2012, when manager Frank Lampard was still a player for the Blues and a scorer in their penalty shoot-out victory at the Allianz Arena.
Finally, Tottenham against RB Leipzig also promises to be a must-watch clash, with last season’s finalists now coached by Champions League specialist Jose Mourinho, and Leipzig a real up-and-coming club with plenty of top young talent.
Fans will no doubt be pencilling in the dates of these games, as well as checking the TV scheduling and visiting sites like SeatPick a ticket comparison site for football tickets to ensure they get a close look at the action.
With potential trips to great cities like Madrid and Munich in store, it really does seem worth getting a place to watch these big games live.
Here’s the key info on the ties below…
First legs:
18th February – Atletico Madrid vs Liverpool – kickoff 8pm GMT, Stadio Metropolitano, Madrid
19th February – Tottenham vs RB Leipzig – kickoff 8pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
25th February – Chelsea vs Bayern Munich, kickoff 8pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London
26th February – Real Madrid vs Manchester City – kickoff 8pm GMT, Bernabeu, Madrid
Second legs:
10th March – RB Leipzig vs Tottenham – kickoff 8pm GMT, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
11th March – Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid – kickoff 8pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
17th March – Manchester City vs Real Madrid – kickoff 8pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
18th March – Bayern Munich vs Chelsea – kickoff 8pm GMT, Allianz Arena, Munich
And if you’re not even a particularly big fan of any of the Premier League clubs involved, there are still great games and travel destinations to be found in this year’s last 16 tie.
Here’s a full list of the other teams involved in this season’s first knockout round…
Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
Atalanta vs Valencia
Lyon vs Juventus
Napoli vs Barcelona