The fun has just begun.

The draw for the Champions League Round of 16 (which consists of 16 teams) will take place at 6 PM today, February 27th. The specific path for each team from this round to the final will also be determined.

ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE DRAW RESULTS

The play-off round, which determined the final teams to advance to the Champions League knockout stage, concluded with many emotional matches. Juventus nearly pulled off a spectacular comeback, winning 3-0 after losing 2-5 to Galatasaray in the first leg. According to the old rules, that scoreline would have allowed Juventus to advance, but UEFA abolished the away goals rule many years ago, so the two sides had to play extra time. With a man advantage, Galatasaray scored two goals to win 7-5 on aggregate.

Mbappe (left) and Real Madrid struggled to reach the round of 16.

Photo: AFP

Both defending champions PSG and Champions League winners Real Madrid had to play in the play-offs, struggling to overcome Monaco and Benfica respectively to advance. Meanwhile, Atalanta overturned a 4-1 deficit from their 0-2 first-leg defeat to Borussia Dortmund. This result prevented Serie A from having no representatives in the final 16.

This is the first time in Champions League history that six teams from the same country have been drawn into the competition. Furthermore, all six English representatives have reached the round of 16. Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, and Man City are all guaranteed to avoid facing each other in today's draw. Only Chelsea faces the possibility of playing Newcastle or PSG.

German football has two representatives left, and Bayern Munich could potentially face Leverkusen. Another noteworthy outcome of the draw could be the appearance of multiple English-Spanish pairings in the Round of 16. Atletico Madrid is already guaranteed to face an English opponent (Liverpool or Tottenham). Barcelona will face Newcastle or PSG, while Real Madrid is anxiously awaiting to see whether their next opponent will be Man. City or Sporting Lisbon. If Real Madrid faces Man. City, Norwegian football fans will be eagerly anticipating a continued run of form from the "tiny" team Bodo/Glimt. In that case, Bodo/Glimt would only have to compete for a place in the quarter-finals against the more manageable opponent Sporting Lisbon.

UNCONVINCING, OR NOT REACHING THE RATE?

English football currently leads by a considerable margin over its closest rivals in terms of performance across the three European cups this season. The favorable circumstances in the next round of the Champions League (most teams will not be playing each other) further increase the Premier League's chances of accumulating points in the race for the fifth Champions League spot next season.

The most striking impression in the Champions League so far has been the rise of the small team Bodo/Glimt from northern Norway. Conversely, there is debate about who has struggled the most: defending champions PSG, giants Real Madrid, or Italian football in general?

Even after beating Benfica in both legs of the play-offs, Real Madrid's performance was still considered unconvincing. But of course, one cannot underestimate this team, which is said to possess "Champions League winning DNA." Real's squad, especially the outstanding goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and the superstar duo of Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe in attack, is always strong enough to secure victories even when they aren't performing exceptionally well. On the other hand, there's also the argument that Real often presents an unconvincing, less flamboyant image precisely because of this overly simplistic winning formula.

Last season, PSG also had to play in the play-offs to reach the round of 16, before truly flourishing and defeating every strong opponent on their way to the championship. This is the basis for observers to cautiously assess that PSG and Real Madrid may not have truly accelerated their pace yet. The Champions League only truly becomes high-level and fierce from the round of 16 onwards.

Ultimately, despite turning the tide against Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta still struggled to progress further (they will face Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the round of 16). Italian football essentially suffered a defeat as Juventus and Inter both fell short, and Napoli didn't even make it to the play-offs. This could be seen as a reflection of the Italian national team's uncertainty regarding whether they will even qualify for the World Cup through the play-offs, even with the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuoc-vui-moi-bat-dau-185260226211542401.htm