MADRID, 17 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad will find out this Monday (12:00 p.m.) their rivals for the round of 16 of the Champions League, in a draw that will be held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon (Switzerland), in which everyone will be in the group first pot and in which they will try to avoid teams like Paris Saint-Germain.
Along with the four Spanish teams, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City will be in pot 1, while PSG, Naples, Copenhagen, Inter, Lazio, Leipzig, Porto and PSV Eindhoven.
Carlo Ancelotti's men, 14-time European champions, had a perfect group stage, with six wins in six games to finish leading Group C ahead of a Naples team that they will not be able to face in the first of the qualifiers. Your options are, therefore, Copenhagen, PSV, Inter, Lazio, PSG, Leipzig and Porto.
Barça, who will avoid the Portuguese after facing them in Group H, also finished first, although with many more doubts, such as those left by their defeat on the last day at Antwerp. Thus, it could be measured against Copenhagen, PSV, Naples, Inter, Lazio, PSG and Leipzig.
Atlético, like the Blaugranas, confirmed their place in the round of 16 on the fifth matchday, but it was on the last matchday that they crowned a great group stage by beating Lazio at the Cívitas Metropolitano (2-0). As first in Group E, they will be able to face Copenhagen, PSV, Naples, Inter, PSG, Leipzig and Porto.
Finally, Real Sociedad was the big surprise of the first phase of the continental competition by finishing first in Group D against Inter, against whom they achieved a draw at the Giuseppe Meazza in their last duel (0-0). Copenhagen, PSV, Naples, Lazio, PSG, Leipzig and Porto could be their rivals.
Despite being second in Group F after Borussia Dortmund, Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain is the main bogeyman of the draw for the Spanish, who should try to stop Kylian Mbappé who has accumulated 15 goals in Ligue 1 and three in the 'Champions' this season.
Lautaro Martínez's Inter, leader of Serie A and second in the San Sebastian group, could also be a dangerous rival for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Rojiblancos, just like Naples, fourth in the Italian championship, second in Group C after Real Madrid and that has the Nigerian Victor Osimhen as one of its best weapons.
The round of 16 matches will be played over four weeks; The first leg matches will be held on February 13, 14, 20 and 21, while the return matches will take place on March 5, 6, 12 and 13.