Soccer Central

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League has been announced, and Lyon is the unlucky team that will have to face Barcelona. Holders Manchester United have been drawn against Inter Milan; last year’s runners up Chelsea meanwhile will be playing Italian team Juventus.

The following is the full draw for the last 16 of this year’s Champions League:

Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid v FC Porto
Lyon v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Arsenal v Roma
Inter Milan v Manchester United

There are definitely some interesting matches to be played in the last 16; particularly in the fact that Claudio Ranieri will be returning to Stamford Bridge, hoping to guide Juventus to victory against the team he managed between 2000 and 2004.

The last 16 is where the Champions League really starts to come alive; where teams begin to step it up a gear, and champions begin to show their true colours. Last year’s finalists Manchester United and Chelsea will both be expected to progress into the quarter finals; neither team has it easy though, and upsets definitely do happen.

Inter Milan is perhaps the toughest team Manchester United could possibly have been drawn against; Inter is a very good side, and the team has an excellent manager also in the form of Jose Mourinho. Manchester United will still be expected to nick the victory; Inter Milan is likely to put up a good fight however and certainly won’t prove to be a pushover.

Barcelona is the favourite team to win the Champions League this season; knocked out at the semi-final stage by Manchester United last year, Barcelona will now be hoping to put last year behind them and focus on lifting the trophy this time around.

No one has it easy; all 16 of these teams have proven themselves this season in getting this far, and the tournament is now down to the all important knockout stage. The quarter finals await for the eight teams that can find an aggregate win at this all important stage of the Champions League; victory is crucial for all teams involved right now, and all sixteen will surely give the games their all.

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