The ties will be played across February and March next year (Picture: Getty Images)
Arsenal have been handed a tricky tie against Porto in the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League– while holders Manchester City will take on FC Copenhagen.
The draw for the first knockout stage took place at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on the morning of Monday, December 18 – with just two Premier League sides left in the pot after Manchester United and Newcastle were both eliminated.
Arsenal cruised through the group stage despite losing away at Lens, finishing four points ahead of second-placed PSV and netting 16 goals – a tally only two teams bettered.
One of those was City, who netted 18 goals and won all six of their group matches, with Real Madrid the only other team to boast a 100 per cent record in the competition.
Monday’s draw – which saw Chelsea legend John Terry pull out the balls – had the possibility of throwing up a number of potential banana skins, with Paris Saint-Germain the biggest name of the eight runners-up.
Inter, meanwhile, are four points clear at the top of the Serie A table and have lost just once in the league, while RB Leipzig and Napoli both pose stern tests.
Despite stunning Manchester United and Galatasaray in the group stages, surprise package Copenhagen were the team the seeded sides all wanted to draw – and it was Pep Guardiola’s City who landed the most favourable draw of the round of 16.
Full Champions League draw for the last-16
All of the Champions League last-16 ties
Napoli vs Barcelona
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Sociedad
Inter vs Atletico Madrid
PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund
Lazio vs Bayern Munich
FC Copenhagen vs Manchester City
RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid.
At this stage of the competition, teams from the same association – for example, Arsenal and Manchester City – cannot be drawn against each other, nor can teams play a side they have already faced in the group stages.
As the seeded sides, the group winners will all be at home for the second leg of their last-16 clashes.
Arsenal will be relatively happy to pull out Porto and avoid some of the bigger names, though they are only two points behind league leaders Benfica in the Portuguese top-flight having played a game less.
Reigning Serie A champions Napoli against Spanish champions Barcelona is a stand-out tie elsewhere, as is Inter’s tussle with Atletico Madrid, while unseeded PSG avoided a marquee showdown after being drawn against Real Sociedad – who are sixth in La Liga.
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When will Champions League last-16 fixtures take place?
There is a long wait until the knockout stages of the Champions League, with most clubs around Europe about to pause for their mid-season winter breaks.
The competition will resume in 2024, with the first legs taking place on February 13/14 and 20/21, before the second legs conclude on March 5/6 and 12/13.
The draw for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will all take place in one go shortly afterwards, on Friday, March 15, once again at UEFA’s Nyon HQ.
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