Champions League Round of 16 draw: Winners and losers
On Monday, UEFA held the draw for the round of 16 in the Champions League, and with 16 of Europe's best teams still alive, the draw promised at least a couple intriguing matchups in the opening round of knockout play.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea FC
Manchester City vs. FC Barcelona
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid
Juventus vs. Borussia Dormtund
FC Schalke vs. Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. FC Bayern Munich
Arsenal FC vs. AS Monaco
FC Basel vs. FC Porto
WINNERS
Arsenal. The biggest winner, without a doubt. The Gunners' only possible opponents were Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Monaco or Porto. After drawing Monaco, Londoners dressed in red will be smiling from ear to ear on Monday. Had the Gunners not drawn either Porto or Monaco, Arsenal would not be expected to advance. Instead, manager Arsene Wenger will be rubbing his palms in joy, while American owner Stan Kroenke will be smiling over the extra profits of advancing to the quarterfinals or beyond. This probably means Wenger will be in for another season, then. As a reminder, Monaco's star player, Rademel Falcao, is on a season-long loan at Manchester United
FC Basel and FC Porto. They have to both walk away from Monday's draw feeling good about their chances. Basel was facing the prospect of drawing Bayern, Barcelona and Chelsea. Porto sounds like the best possible scenario for the Swiss side. Likewise, Porto should like its odds of advancing against Basel.
Borussia Dortmund. Considering how poor Dortmund has looked in Germany and the traces of that form that have crept into Europe, Juventus should be pleased with drawing the faltering German side. By drawing the Germans, the Italians avoided the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea, which were all possibilities at this stage. With the maturation of Paul Pogba and the lethal striking ability of Carlos Tevez, Juventus would expect to boss Dortmund out of the competition.
Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Finalists a season ago, both Spanish clubs drew German opposition, and both came out looking like winners. Schalke may be the weakest side to make it through to the knockout rounds, and Bayer Leverkusen finished second in its group behind Monaco. Considering its incredible form, Real Madrid did not need any favors, but Cristiano Ronaldo and company will not be complaining when Schalke comes for a visit at the end of the winter. The two sides met in the round of 16 a season ago, and Real Madrid thrashed Schalke 8-1 over two legs.
LOSERS
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. They met in the quarterfinals of the 2013-14 Champions League. After winning 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, the Londoners went to Paris and lost 3-1. With the score level at 3-3 on aggregate, Chelsea advanced to the semifinals on the strength of a crucial away goal. Needless to say, neither Chelsea nor PSG are happy. For the neutral, however, this is one of the two best matchups in the round of 16.
Manchester City and Barcelona. This is the other top matchup. The defending Premier League champions were extremely fortunate to sneak into the round of 16, but the level of quality in the squad makes the Citizens impossible to overlook for Barcelona, which beat City 4-1 over two legs in last season's round of 16. Man City figures to have Sergio Aguero back from injury, and the little Argentine's involvement will be crucial against Barcelona's little Argentine, Lionel Messi. City midfielder Yaya Toure also faces his former team for the second season in a row, but the Ivorian will be suspended for the first leg.
Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar drew the short straw in being paired with Bayern Munich. The Ukrainian club that features the top scorer of the Champions League group stage, Luiz Adriano, would shock the world if it managed to overcome Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich. Still, this could be a far more entertaining fixture than one would initially expect.
Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA
