The biggest talking points from the Champions League last 16 draw 💫 | OneFootball

The draw for the Champions League round of 16 was made on Monday, and what a draw it was. You can check out the full list of ties here.

And here are the biggest talking points …

Can Liverpool get revenge for last season’s final?

Last season was a monumental effort from Liverpool in which they played every available match and came closer than anyone ever has to winning an unprecedented quadruple.

But the campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion as the Reds not only missed out on the Premier League title on the final day of the season, but were also beaten by Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Paris.

Jürgen Klopp’s side were unfortunate to lose the final too, with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois putting in the performance of his life to keep a clean sheet, and Vinícius Jr punishing a momentary defensive lapse to score the game’s only goal.

The organisational chaos and extremely heavy-handed policing that meant many fans endured a nightmare trip to the Parc des Princes only rubbed salt into the wounds.

Revenge could be on the cards for the English outfit in the last 16, but they will again be coming up against a formidable Madrid side who are unbeaten in LaLiga this season and look like the team to beat in Europe once more.

Liverpool’s Premier League form in the first half of the season has been a cause for concern, but in Europe they have looked more like their old selves and will be hoping a good result at Anfield in the first leg of this tie will set things up nicely for a shoot-out at the Bernabéu, where crazy things tend to happen in the Champions League.

PSG pay a heavy price for finishing second

Perhaps it was a case of the football Gods conspiring against Paris Saint-Germain when a 6-1 win for Benfica over Maccabi Haifa in the final group game saw the Portuguese side leapfrog the Ligue 1 champions into first place in Group H.

It meant PSG faced the prospect of another very tough last 16 draw and after drawing Real Madrid and Barcelona in the last two seasons, this year they have been paired with Bayern Munich.

The Bundesliga champions have taken some time to get up to speed domestically this season, but in the Champions League they sailed through a group containing Barcelona and Inter with a 100% record and will be aiming to maintain that level of poise in the knockout stages.

But Bayern should be just as afraid of PSG as PSG are afraid of Bayern … if not more. Despite some pretty high-profile off-field distractions, Christophe Galtier has got his side playing some great football this season with Lionel Messi and Neymar in particularly good form, and Kylian Mbappé his usual terrifying self.

This tie may be a few months away but you can bet it’s going to be one of the epic duels of the season.

Tricky ties for the English sides

Liverpool’s clash with Real Madrid is undoubtedly the hardest test a Premier League side will face in the round of 16, but the other assignments aren’t exactly straightforward either.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter has enjoyed an unbeaten record in his five matches in the Champions League so far, with the double over AC Milan in the group stage being two particular highlights, but the Blues’ up and down Premier League form suggests Potter has a lot of work to do if he’s going to be a success at Stamford Bridge.

It will be a reunion with Borussia Dortmund for Chelsea duo Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic in the last 16, and the first leg at the noisy Westfalenstadion could be where the tie is won and lost.

A late winner for Tottenham in their Group D finale with Marseille meant they finished top and will now face Milan in the last 16. Like Chelsea, it’s been tough to predict which version of Spurs you’re going to get this season but Antonio Conte will relish the battle with his fellow Italian Stefano Pioli, and the Serie A champions will give as good as they get, especially in the first leg at San Siro.

And while Manchester City’s clash with RB Leipzig may look easy on paper, coming up against a team featuring such talent as Christopher Nkunku and Dominik Szoboszlai, who have won 10 of their 14 matches under Marco Rose so far, should provide Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions with a decent test of their mettle.

The best draw we’ve seen for a while?

This certainly felt like a one of the more interesting and well-balanced draws we’ve seen for some time.

The two mammoth clashes mentioned above mean at least two of the best teams left in the competition won’t be in the hat for the quarter-finals, and that great sense of jeopardy is what knockout football should be all about.

It also means there is potential for one or two possible dark horses to make it at least as far as the last eight.

Benfica’s late flurry in Haifa has rewarded them with a tie against a Club Brugge side who will be playing their first ever Champions League knockout fixture and will be hoping to keep the dream alive for as long as possible, while current Serie A leaders Napoli will be testing themselves against Europa League holders Eintracht Frankfurt and — like Porto v Inter — it’s tough to call a clear favourite.

With Barcelona and Manchester United also being paired together in the Europa League, it has been a good day for draws, and February cannot come soon enough.