The Champions League Last 16 is just around the corner with the heavyweights back in action.
For the first time we once had the knockout play-off phase, which meant that some of the top sides leaned back to see who would earn the right to play them. We had few victims, Manchester City the largest of those to go out, but most established names continue to exist.
Real Madrid is the team to beat. They continued their love affair with this competition to conquer Europe again at Wembley last season and now look very impressive after a slow start.
However, they are not without their rivals, such as PSG, Liverpool and Barcelona, all their own chances. This week Real has one of the more challenging draws and will take on the Atletico Madrid, who are very much in the fight for the La Liga title with them.
The new format also means that some of the less glamorous names are in the last 16, which may not have been possible in the old size. The will of Club Brugge and Lille will try to make the quarterfinals when they resume their European efforts this week.
Mirror Football has arranged the chances of the remains of the party in the competition with every team watching the final in Munich.
16. Club Brugge
The way they celebrated after making the knockout play-offs in Manchester shows how they were still in the competition. The Belgian side then produced a stunning display to see Atalanta and they have demanded some good results, especially at home, but the chances are certainly against them when they take on the Aston Villa of Unai Emery – although they have defeated them during the group phase. Another shock victory would cause them to face PSG or Liverpool.
15. Feyenoord
The Dutch club has just used to Robin van Persie, their former player, while trying to breathe new life into their fortune. Feyenoord defeated AC Milan to set up a collision with their city rivals Inter, but losing their most important frontman Santiago Giménez in the middle season has demolished their attack as they are preparing to enter into Inter Milan.
14. Borussia Dortmund
The Bundesliga -Outfit was finalists, victorious people like Atletico and PSG last season, but will have to go seriously to replicate that performance. They recently changed their manager and brought Niko Kovac in, but they have struggled inland for consistency, although they have the quality needed to have an impact in Europe, while they can lean on their history and family tree for comfort when they compete against Lille.
13. Lille
The French side are not pushovers and a top eight finish in the competition phase, she saw them go directly to the last 16, where Dortmund is waiting. They defeated Atletico Madrid in Spain and really hit their own patch. They also gave Liverpool a point for their money at Anfield with Jonathan David their most important threat and they will not be the easy draw, some may think they are.
12. PSV
They offer the best the Dutch look at the moment, even if they are in the interior behind Ajax. They claimed a scalp by beating Juventus in the final round, beating the Italians in extra time and have pedigree in Europe as former champions, although they do not belong to the depicted group, but opponents are in a difficult place, so a shock result is not out of the cards.
11. Benfica
The Portuguese outfit is now led by ex-wolves boss Bruno Lage and have remained competitive in the Champions League. They previously defeated Atletico in the tournament in a stunning way and are in second place in their competition only on target difference. In Angel di Maria they have Knowing Champions League how and just a late, late show, Barcelona saw them beat them earlier in the Lisbon competition – but they get the chance of revenge this week.
10. Aston Villa
The side of Unai Emery can already consider their tournament as a success. This is their first Champions League adventure and so far they have claimed a number of impressive results, which defeated Bayern Munich. The last-16 draw has also been nice for them with Villa who depicts a place in the neighborhoods while on Clubbrugge what could lead to a completely English collision with Liverpool. This tournament has bought the best out of it and although Emery is a smart operator in Europe, he may still want to prove himself at the top table.
9. Arsenal
Go a few months ago, when they saw PSG to the Emirates, and they would be a lot higher, but the Gunners have since dropped out. This is largely due to injuries with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus among those on the sidelines. Now the lack of depth in their team is exposed. Goals are hard to find and they are confronted with a discouraging last collision against one of the Madrid clubs when they pass PSV.
8. Bayer Leverkusen
They are not the power from 12 months ago, but Xabi Alonso still did not need the knockout play-offs to make the last 16. Perhaps the biggest red flag is exactly how they were torn apart in Liverpool in the tournament. That said, Leverkusen have only lost three times this year and have the sparkle of Florian Wirtz to go. Faced with well -known opposition this week in the form of Bayern Munich could also be to their advantage.
They slipped somewhat under the radar, but the side of Simone Inzaghi is as smart as they come. They don't have the stars of some of their rivals, but are among the best artists in the tournament so far with Lisandro Martinez perhaps their head name.
They defeated Arsenal and kept the city in Manchester with their recent pedigree in the tournament difficult to ignore after a final performance less than two years ago. Feyenoord presents them in the last 16 with a very defeated opposition with Bayern or Leverkusen as possible. Come the next. Barcelona are possible semi-final opponents when they get so far.
6. Bayern Munich
The German giants will always feel a right to be in the last phases, but they needed the last of the late goals to pass Celtic. Now they have the not enviable task to experience a domestic rival in Leverkusen. Their hope can come up with whether the quality of Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane and Co can make up for a manager in Vincent Kompany who learns as he goes. All in Munich will dream of another final in their own stadium.
5. PSG
In the Post-Kylian Mbappe era there were worries, but this PSG side has more a team feeling and Luis Enrique is one of the managers in the competition who knows what is needed to lift the trophy. Adding Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January was a coup and Ousmane Dembele may play his best football so far. Fabian Ruiz is a Rolls Royce from a player, but their struggles in the competition phase can be a small concern, especially with Liverpool that would come.
4. Atletico Madrid
Many have said that this is perhaps the best Atletico side since Diego Simeone La Liga won in 2014. He has often followed a similar size, but this time it has star quality and, in Julian Alvarez, they have a deadly finisher that is fed by people like Antoine Grezmann. They will always keep that grim side to them, but they know how to dig deep and win big games. Simeone and Atletico AE lose finalists twice and will be desperate for that, but must first be really overcome.
3. Barcelona
A team with so much firepower cannot be ignored. Their defense has not always inspired confidence, but they have five past Benfica, four past Bayern with people like Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal who have viewed their attack. Pedri in midfield also gives them ticking and Hansi Flick is a Champions League-winning coach, who can be a difference maker. They are also their first assignment on the more generous side of the draw with Benfica.
2. Liverpool
The Premier League outfit was on the top of the competition phase. They claimed a scalp over Real, they bossed Anfield and only lost in their last game when they rested a large number of their players as PSG is now waiting for them. Liverpool looked ruthless under Arne Slot in the Premier League, which starts to see a formality. A number of players, namely Mohamed Salah, will be desperate to go out with a bang if this is indeed their last Anfield campaign. The Reds know that they cannot really meet in the final, because it is a potential semi -final.
1. Real Madrid
The victory over City in the final round was perhaps such a large statement that every team has made this season in Europe. They have a large number of players who won the tournament last season and those who gave that experience, and they have added Mbappe's star quality to their ranks. Negotiating about Atletico will be a tough question, but they have shown that they can win in more than one way with Carlo Ancelotti's side more than able to dig a result, especially on the road.
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