Winners and losers from the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw
On Monday afternoon, the UEFA Champions League held its Round of 16 draw ceremony in Nyon. As expected, we had some juicy ties, but a clerical error saw the entire draw get nullified. As a result, the teams were drawn again, and the second time, the draw stood.
While some teams are happy with the results of the re-draw, some are left dejected. Today, we will give you our take on the draw and try to figure out the possible winners and losers from the Champions League Round of 16 draw.
Now, without further ado, let’s get this show on the road.
Winners: Chelsea
The current UEFA Champions League holders Chelsea surprisingly got the French champions Lille in both the original Round of 16 draw and the controversial re-draw. The Blues finished disappointingly behind Juventus in Group H and could have faced the likes of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. Instead, they have become the only group-stage runners-up to head into the Round 16 as favorites.
Last season’s Ligue 1 winners Lille have failed to hit the ground running in the current campaign. They find themselves in 11th position in Ligue 1 and are trailing leaders Paris Saint-Germain by 20 points.
In the UEFA Champions League, however, Lille have performed admirably so far. They topped Group G, winning three of their six matches.
🏴 Chelsea vs LOSC 🇫🇷
#UCLdraw | #UCL https://t.co/ks74Hh9g0Z
Against Chelsea, Lille can produce moments of brilliance but might run out of juice over the two legs. The Blues’ firepower should help them to a comfortable UEFA Champions League round-of-16 win over the struggling French champions.
Losers: Inter Milan
Current Serie A leaders Inter Milan were beaten comprehensively by Real Madrid in Group D, which saw them finish second in the group. A tough UEFA Champions League draw was always on the cards, but the re-draw made things even more complicated for the reigning Italian champions.
In the original UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw, Inter Milan were pitted against Ajax. Despite being a complicated draw, it was still finely poised. The re-draw has put them in front of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who, like Ajax, won all six of their group stage matches.
🏆🗳 Liverpool have been drawn against Inter Milan in the last 16!
🇮🇹 After the second attempt of the draw, the Reds will now meet the Italian side for the first time since 2008. https://t.co/WfAi3iJ0Ul
Liverpool have been in excellent form lately, winning eight of their last 10 matches across all competitions. Their talisman Mohamed Salah is in red-hot form and looks capable of scoring against any team in his sleep. Liverpool’s midfield has also clicked and their defense looks meaner than ever.
Inter Milan have also been in excellent form, picking up 25 points from their last 10 games. They can make things complicated for the Reds, but doing so over two legs would be an uphill task.