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After a unstable Champions League group stage, a well-recognized assortment of Europe’s soccer giants are within the draw for the knockout rounds in Switzerland on Monday, though one titan looms over all of the others. Of the 16 groups who will go into the 2 pots on the UEFA headquarters in Nyon for the draw at 1100 GMT (4:30PM IST), 4 are German and 4 are Spanish.
There are three golf equipment every from Italy and England with two-time winners Porto and final season’s dropping finalists Paris Saint-Germain making up the listing.
Reigning champions Bayern Munich are among the many eight seeds with Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, PSG and Real Madrid.
The different pot will include Porto, Atalanta, Lazio, Sevilla, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig and Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Yet whereas the final 16 has a well-recognized look, most of the gamers don’t.
This has been a season of youth within the Champions League, generally by selection, usually by necessity.
Bayern marched to the title final 12 months profitable all 11 video games.
They gained their first 4 group video games this season earlier than hitting the crash barrier that’s Atletico Madrid and drawing 1-1.
That left the 2 golf equipment tied for many consecutive wins in a single European competitors. Atletico gained 15 straight within the Europa League from 2011 to autumn 2012.
While Bayern, like Chelsea and Manchester City cruised to first place of their teams, different golf equipment had bumpier rides.
“I don’t think we can over-analyse the group stage,” mentioned Chelsea supervisor Frank Lampard after fielding a youthful crew and drawing the final group recreation at residence to Krasnodar.
When groups analyse their opponents after the draw, they’ll have a lot to ponder.
Which Liverpool will they face? Will it’s the crew that scored the largest away victory by an English membership at an Italian opponent after they gained 5-Zero at Atalanta or the one which suffered their largest residence loss below Jurgen Klopp after they fell 2-Zero to similar opponents within the subsequent match?
Barcelona appeared like a European drive as they gained their first 5 video games, together with a formidable win in Turin, solely to soften down, not for the primary time this season, within the final match, dropping 3-Zero at residence to Juventus with 35-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice.
Several different golf equipment are struggling to search out an identification to match Bayern.
– ‘Without a soul you can’t win’ –
“Our goal, must be to find a precise identity as soon as possible, a very specific soul, because without a soul you cannot win, even at table football,” mentioned 42-year-old Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
A season that began late and ends early is a part of the issue.
For some golf equipment, accidents are piling up.
Liverpool, shorn of a number of stars and dealing with a crowded Premier League schedule, fielded their youngest Champion League lineup as they drew 1-1 at Midtyjlland of their final recreation.
“The line-up was the result of consideration about our situation,” mentioned Klopp.
After Barcelona’s loss to Juventus, residence supervisor Ronald Koeman blamed accidents.
“We have some good players out,” he mentioned. “If we have them back then we can compete.”
Yet accidents don’t completely clarify the youthful look of the Champions League because the current pattern of age information tumbling accelerated.
Barcelona turned the primary crew with two scorers below 18 in a Champions League match when Ansu Fati and Pedri struck towards Ferencvaros. Fati has since injured a knee and is out till no less than March.
Dortmund are using a youthful wave by selection.
Promoted
Youssoufa Moukoko turned the youngest participant to seem within the competitors at 16 years and 18 days. At 17 years, 113 days, Jude Bellingham, turned the youngest English participant to start out.
The knockout rounds might provide a well-recognized lineup, however additionally they promise a youthful solid of gamers.
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