Madrid will face Atalanta, Barça against PSG, Atlético against Chelsea and Sevilla against Dortmund after a draw for the second round of the Champions League in which the Spanish teams came out better than expected. Neither Bayern nor Liverpool, the two coconuts in the draw, will face the Spanish teams.
Zidane's team will face an Atalanta that last year was one of the great sensations of Europe. Gasperini's men are having a hard time maintaining that level, although they are still a team capable of beating big rivals. He did it this year against Liverpool at Anfield and Ajax at the Johan Cryuff Arena. The technician maintains his scheme with three centrals and two long lanes. The question is knowing how will the relationship between Gasperini and his star, Papu Gómez. The Argentine is facing him and it is possible that he will come out in winter. The good news for Madrid is that they will play the second leg in Valdebebas.
Barça, for their part, will have a tough opponent at PSG. The duel evokes great recent clashes between them. For example the one in which the Catalans came back on the return with a 6-1 and the famous arbitration of Aytekin. The Parisians already reached the final last year, but there are many doubts about Tuchel. The unknown of Neymar's injuries remains in the air, but just in case Mbappé is also there to solve in attack.
Chelsea and Haaland
Meanwhile, Atlético will face Chelsea, a rival that sounds important but can be perfectly eliminated for the mattresses. The blues come from beating Sevilla in the group stage, but it is a young project and one that needs even more time under Frank Lampard. Chelsea has been reinforced with Thiago Silva, Chilwell, Havertz, Werner and Ziyech, although it still leaves some doubts behind despite the fact that Kepa is no longer a starter and Mendy is. In the memory is that semifinal against the English resolved at Stamford Bridge in favor of Atlético.
Finally, Sevilla will face Dortmund. It will be a completely different Dortmund from today, as Favre's dismissal opens the range for a new coach to arrive and energize the team. The presence of Haaland and his level in the Champions League are the biggest threat to Sevilla, who are faced with options to be in the quarterfinals.
In the rest of the qualifiers, the pairings were Lazio-Bayern, Gladbach-Manchester City, Porto-Juventus and Leipzig-Liverpool. The first leg of these eighths will be on February 16, 17, 23 and 24, while the return is scheduled for March 9, 10, 16 and 17. The 19th will be the draw for the quarters among the eight classified. All with the aim of reaching the grand final, scheduled for May 29 in Istanbul.