Champions League Draw Results, Liverpool's Bitterest Gift

NYON, FRIDAY – Liverpool "lost" in the game of chance during the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Despite having the opportunity to face Benfica, which, on paper, seemed much easier, the draw instead paired Liverpool with the French giant, Paris Saint-Germain. The emergence of the Madrid Derby also added an element of surprise during the draw.

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League took place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, Friday (21/2/2025) evening WIB. The eight teams that qualified for the last 16 through the playoffs were not included in the draw because they were non-seeded. Thus, the draw process only involved the eight teams that finished top in the league phase.

Liverpool dominated the Champions League group stage after recording seven victories with only one defeat. However, despite successfully finishing at the top, Liverpool did not get an easy opponent. Instead, they received a bitter gift by facing PSG in the Round of 16.

PSG is highly likely to become a stumbling block for Liverpool. The team led by coach Luis Enrique did not qualify directly for the Round of 16. However, in the playoff round, PSG advanced after securing a convincing aggregate victory of 10-0 over Brest. Additionally, PSG is currently driven by a strong ambition to win their first-ever Champions League title in history.

Although the draw is a tough road for both PSG and Liverpool, this match will certainly attract public attention. That's because besides bringing together two big European clubs, PSG and Liverpool are also rare to meet in the European arena. Throughout their history, the two teams have only met four times.

The two most recent meetings were in the 2018-19 Champions League group stage. Both teams beat each other at home. This will be the first time PSG and Liverpool have met in the knockout stages.

If Liverpool gets a tough opponent, Barcelona is lucky because the draw results bring them together with Benfica. "Blaugrana" finished in second place and has the potential to meet PSG. On paper, facing Benfica is relatively easier than PSG. That way, Barca's chances of advancing far in the Champions League are even greater.

However, Barca's Sporting Director, Deco, who attended the draw, did not want to underestimate whoever his team's opponents were. According to the former FC Porto player, every team has an equal chance of winning.

"The draw puts us like this. First, we have to beat Benfica to qualify. It will be a tough game and the atmosphere there (at Benfica's home ground) is quite complicated. Benfica are a very strong team at home and that is our focus when we play them," said Deco.

Another big match presented in the last 16 is the Madrid Derby which brings together Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The meetings between these two teams are always filled with high tension. Moreover, Real and Atletico have fought in the 2013-2014 Champions League final and the 2016-2017 semifinals.

Real and Atletico have met five times in the Champions League so far. All of those matches ended in Real winning. However, Atletico has been a tough team for Real to beat lately.

In the last four meetings, Real lost once and drew three times. However, Real has a stronger morale to win after eliminating Manchester City who were one of the favorites to win in the playoff round.

"The first game will be at the Bernabeu and we have confidence in our fans. We have to play two extraordinary games considering the quality of our opponents. However, we have full confidence in our players and their ability to overcome all the difficulties," said Real's Director of Institutional Relations, Emilio Butragueno.

On the other hand, Arsenal failed to have a small reunion with their former mainstay striker, Robin Van Persie, who is now managing Feyenoord. The draw results brought Arsenal together with PSV Eindhoven. Meanwhile, Feyenoord will undergo a very tough match by challenging Italian giants, Inter Milan.

In addition to the Madrid Derby, the draw also brought together teams from the same country. Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen were forced to eliminate each other early. This meeting was the one that Munich avoided the most. This is because Leverkusen under the direction of coach Xabi Alonso has become the team that troubles Munich the most in Germany.

Munich has not been able to beat Leverkusen in the last five meetings. On the contrary, Leverkusen has been able to disrupt Munich's dominance which has won the German League for 11 years in a row.

Another German representative, Borussia Dortmund will face French representative, OSC Lille. Meanwhile, English representative, Aston Villa, will test Club Brugge who eliminated Atalanta in the playoff round.