Barca to face PSG in Champions League last 16

PSG players pose for a team photo, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of COVID-19 – Pool via Reuters

REUTERS: Barcelona will face Paris St. Germain (PSG) and former striker Neymar, while title holders Bayern Munich are up against Italy’s Lazio in the last 16 of the Champions League after UEFA’s draw was held yesterday.

The clash of Lionel Messi and Barca with last year’s runners-up PSG is a repeat of their remarkable meeting at the same stage in 2017, when Barca overcame a 4-0 first leg loss to beat the French club 6-1 in Spain with Neymar scoring twice for the Catalans.

“We know them (PSG) well, they’ve got some exceptional players. Paris want to fight for the Champions League, last year they came very close to winning it and they want to go one better this time round, but we’ve got something to say about that,” said Barcelona’s Director of Institutional Relations Guillermo Amor.

Bayern will start as favourites in their tie but will be wary of Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio team who have reached this stage for the first time in 20 years.

“Lazio are an uncomfortable opponent, you saw that in the group stages. It is always uncomfortable against Italian teams,” said Bayern Sports Director Hasan Salihamidzic. 

Premier League champions Liverpool will play last year’s semi-finalists RB Leipzig, creating a match-up between Germany’s most highly-rated young coach Julian Nagelsmann of Leipzig with Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp, the country’s number one coach.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last ten matches against German teams in all European competitions, a run going back to 2002.

13-times European champions Real Madrid face Serie A club Atalanta, who reached the quarter-finals in their first Champions League campaign last season. Real have won ten of their last eleven games with Italian clubs.

Atletico Madrid will face Chelsea in a game which could include the return of striker Diego Costa to Stamford Bridge. Manchester City will take on Borussia Monchengladbach, who are in the last 16 for the first time in the Champions League era.