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Champions League draw confirmed as Liverpool handed nightmare last-16 tie

talksport.com, 21 February 2025, 17:30
Liverpool have been pitted against Paris Saint-Germain in a tough Champions League last-16 draw for Arne Slot's men.

The Reds topped the league phase, but have been rewarded with a tough tie against a newly-rampant PSG side.

PSG eased through their knockout play-off against Ligue 1 rivals Brest - beating them 10-0 on aggregate.

Luis Enrique's men created Champions League history during their 7-0 second leg victory by becoming the first team to have seven different goalscorers in the same game.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have been drawn against PSV Eindhoven, who won the tournament in 1988.

It is the third season in a row that that the two teams will have faced each other in Europe.

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The Gunners and the Dutch giants have pitted their wits against each other in the group stages of the Europa League and Champions League, respectively.

Arsenal won both fixtures at the Emirates, but drew and lost in their two away matches at the Philips Stadion.

And Arsenal will be hoping history doesn't repeat itself after losing to PSV in the last-16 in 2007 - which is the last time the Eredivisie holders reached the quarter-finals.

Should Arsenal triumph against PSV, they will face the winners of the Madrid derby between Real and Atletico.

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Elsewhere, Aston Villa's reward for finishing in the top eight of the league phase is a clash against Club Brugge after Brugge stunned Atalanta in the play-off round, dumping the Europa League champions out.

If Unai Emery's men progress into the quarter-final, an all-English meeting with Liverpool will take place providing the Merseyside outfit prevail over PSG.

With all the English teams on the same side of the draw, it could be Arsenal vs Villa or Liverpool in the semi-finals.

In the other side of the draw, Barcelona and Bayern Munich know they have their work cut out to reach the final at the Allianz Arena.

Barcelona will face Benfica, while Bayern will face their Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16.

For Barca, if they emerge victorious, they will come up against either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarter-finals.

As for Bayern, they could come up against Inter Milan or Feyenoord.

It means that Barca could face Bayern in the semi-finals - a repeat of their league phase meeting from October which saw the Spanish side ease to a 4-1 win.

First legs for the last-16 tie will take place on March 4/5, with the those that advanced from the knockout play-offs hosting the encounter.

The return leg will then take place the following week, which will see Arsenal, Liverpool and Villa all welcoming their opponents.

Aston Villa fan believes they can make it to The Champions League Final after convincing 2-0 win Vs Bologna

Champions League last-16 draw: What has been said?

When the draw was concluded, the talkSPORT panel reflected on it and looked at what it meant for all the English teams.

After seeing Arsenal's potential route, talkSPORT's Alex Crook said: "That is Arsenal's Champions League dream over."

Meanwhile, Villa are set to face Brugge again after losing to them in the league phase.

And Kevin Hatchard thinks that Emery's men would have preferred Dortmund.

He said: "They've already lost in Bruges.

"Brugge played really well against Atalanta over two legs and deserved to go through - it wasn't a fluke.

"It's an easier draw than some could have been, but not straightforward.

"I'd have preferred Dortmund because Dortmund are inconsistent, and they are capable of poor performances."

Meanwhile, Troy Deeney feels like the Villa crowd would have been more up for facing Dortmund.

He said: "It would have been a massive occasion for Vila and their fanbase. This one has a got a bit more jeopardy, where they are going into this game where everyone would expect Aston Villa to go through."

There are also concerns over Liverpool's draw against a reinvigorated PSG.

Hatchard said: "I don't fear for Liverpool, but it is a very, very tough tie.

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"I actually think this PSG team is far better equipped to win the Champions League than they ever were with Neymar [Lionel] Messi and [Kylian] Mbappe in that team because they were never a functional team.

"But the second leg would be at Anfield."

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