The 16th phase of UEFA Champions League it will be played from february 2021
The UEFA Champions League has now entered the final phase, after the draw of the round of 16 that took place on December 14, on Monday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The final of the event will be held on May 29, 2021 in Istanbul and at the «Atatürk Olympic Stadium», as it was planned to host the final of the 2019/20 season.
The first matches of the «16» phase (in the seats of the teams that were second in their groups) will be held on 16, 17, 23 and 24 February and the rematch on 9, 10, 16 and 17 March 2021.
Quarterfinals: The draw will take place on March 19. The first games will take place on April 6 and 7, the rematch on the 13th and 14th of the same month.
Semifinals: The draw will take place on March 19. The first games will take place on April 27 and 28, the rematch on May 4 and 5.
Although it is early, however, the draw brought opponents a great pair: Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain. Where of course we will have the opportunity to admire long-range stars such as Messi, Griezmann, Coutinho, on the one hand and Neymar, Mpappe, Di Maria on the other.
Of course at the moment one cannot talk about a possible favorite, or even who has even a small advantage. By mid-February, when the first game takes place, a lot can change on both sides. After all, we must not forget that on January 24 – fortunately – elections will be held in Barcelona where a lot can change for the Catalan team.
It is certain and there is no doubt that two of the most financially sound teams in the world will compete, but also two of the best teams in the world. The central person will be Lionel Messi, for whom the relevant rumors say that it is not excluded that he will be transferred to Paris Saint-Germain next summer, in order to create an incredible triple with Neymar and Mpappe.
A reverse reading, maintained by similar gossip, could lead to the prospect of Messi and the Brazilian star coexisting in Barcelona, given Neymar’s recently expressed desire to play alongside Messi. In any case, the fans of good football of both superstars will have the opportunity to watch two exciting matches.
And let’s hope that by then the situation with the coronary pandemic will have improved ..
Bayern is the favorite
In another interesting game, the holder of the trophy, Bayern Munich, will face the Italian Lazio, having the second game at its headquarters, in the «Allianz Arena». So Flick’s team is presented as the logical favorite for a place in the quarterfinals.
Beyond that, the matches between Atletico Madrid and Chelsea are ambiguous, as the «Rojiblancos» and the Londoners take full advantage of the instability of the … traditional title contenders in Spain and England in recent years.
Remaining for the time being at least, in a position … co-contender in the top leagues of Europe. Diego Simeone has created a team with an extremely good defensive function, while Frank Lampard supports this year ‘s course of Chelsea, in the amazing and with many options offensive ability of the «blues».
However, the experienced Brazilian central defender, Thiago Silva, also contributes a lot, who together with the French goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, have strengthened the defense.
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool is expected to have anything but an easy task, which will find the German, Leipzig Forsberg, Poulsen, Angeliño, Upamecano, Dani Olmo, and an intelligent and hard-working coach, Julian Nagelsmann, who has create a wonderful ensemble.
Sevilla’s two games against Borussia Dortmund, which also has Croatian coach Edin Terzic as its interim coach (replacing the sacked Swiss Lucien Favre), are considered open to any result.
On the contrary, it is easy to present the draw between Manchester City and the German Gladbach, at least from a theoretical point of view, while that of Atalanta with Real Madrid may have some «traps» on the part of the Italians, who have the experienced Gasperini in their technical leadership.
As for Porto, Sergio Conceicao has an extremely difficult task against the particularly ambitious (again this year), Juventus of Cristiano Ronaldo, Dybala and Morata.
The complete program of the matches for the «16» phase of the Champions League is:
Α΄ LEGS
TUESDAY 16/2
Leipzig (Germany) – Liverpool (England)
Barcelona (Spain) – Paris Saint-Germain (France)
WEDNESDAY 17/2
Porto (Portugal) -Juventus (Italy)
Seville (Spain) – Dortmund (Germany)
TUESDAY 23/2
Lazio (Italy) -Bayern Munich (Germany)
Atletico Madrid (Spain) – Chelsea (England)
WEDNESDAY 24/2
Gladbach (Germany) -Manchester City (England)
Atalanta (Italy) – Real Madrid (Spain)
Β΄ LEGS
TUESDAY 9/3
Juventus (Italy) -Porto (Portugal)
Dortmund (Germany) – Seville (Spain)
WEDNESDAY 10/3
Liverpool (England) – Leipzig (Germany)
Paris Saint-Germain (France) -Barcelona (Spain)
TUESDAY 16/3
Manchester City (England) – Gladbach (Germany)
Real Madrid (Spain) – Atlanta (Italy)
WEDNESDAY 17/3
Bayern Munich (Germany) – Lazio (Italy)
Chelsea (England) – Atletico Madrid (Spain)
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