The draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League will take place on Monday noon in Nyon (Switzerland). Fifteen teams, including PSG, have validated their ticket for the next round, namely the first eight and the seven second in the group stage which ended this Wednesday evening with the qualifications of Lille, Salzburg or Benfica. The Atalanta-Villarreal match has been postponed due to the weather. The last qualified will be known later.
We knew this before Tuesday’s victory against Bruges (4-1), but Paris has every chance of inheriting a complicated draw knowing that the capital club finished second in its group, behind Manchester City. This second place places PSG among the non-seeds. Which means two things: the Parisians will inherit a seed (a first in the group) and will move in the second leg of the round of 16.
Among the opponents likely to face Mauricio Pochettino and his gang from mid-February, we find six big clients: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Ajax Amsterdam, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus of Massimiliano Allegri who pocketed first place in Group H ahead of Chelsea on Wednesday, on the strength of its success against Malmö (1-0) and Chelsea’s draw in St. Petersburg.
We will have to raise the level
Lille also snatched the first place in group G by going to win brilliantly on the ground of Wolfsburg (3-1). The northern club is seeded but can not face another French club, which excludes possibilities for PSG. Jocelyn Gourvennec’s team could still fall on the heavy with defending champion Chelsea, Atlético de Madrid, Sporting, Inter, Benfica or the winner of the Atalanta-Villarreal match among their potential opponents.
Despite a contrasting group stage (3 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss), PSG of Messi and Mbappé remains one of the favorites for the final victory in the Champions League after a final lost in 2020 and a half in 2021 which had seen him fall against Manchester City. However, it will be necessary to raise the level in the second part of the competition to hope to see the end, even if it should be remembered that the states of form in autumn are rarely the same as those at the end of winter. Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are well ahead collectively and in terms of the game today.
Among the seemingly “easier” draws, we can cite Ajax Amsterdam and Manchester United, but again, this does not guarantee anything. The Dutch were successful by signing six victories in an admittedly less tough group (Sporting, Dortmund and Besiktas), they impressed collectively and it will not be a part of the pleasure to challenge them.
