Champions League last-16 draw: Arsenal face PSV as Liverpool landed a tricky test vs PSG
Following UEFA Champions League Last-16 draw help on Friday morning, Premier League leaders, Liverpool, face a bi-leg fixtures against French League giants, PSG.
Arsenal, who are second on the EPL log, are drawn against PSV Eindhoven, while Aston Villa landed Club Brugge.
Defending champions, Real Madrid, who dumped Manchester City in the play-off match, are set to face league rivals, Atletico Madridas Bayern Munich play Bayer Leverkusen in a fixture which seems like Bundesliga affair.
This will be first time Liverpool will be facing PSG since 2018-19 season, the season when the Reds eventually conquered Europe for the sixth times.
The victors of the encounter between Liverpool and PSG will face either Aston Villa or Club Brugge in the Quarter-finals while Arsenal will either face Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid if they beat PSV.
The first legs of last-16 fixture will be played on 4-5th March while the second-leg is staged for 11-12th March, 2025.
Last-16 Fixtures In Full
- Club Brugge v Aston Villa – First leg: 4 March (17:45 GMT), Second leg: 12 March (20:00 GMT)
- Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid – First leg: 4 March (20:00 GMT), Second leg: 12 March (20:00 GMT)
- Borussia Dortmund v Lille – First leg: 4 March (20:00 GMT), Second leg: 12 March (17:45 GMT)
- PSV Eindhoven v Arsenal – First leg: 4 March (20:00 GMT), Second leg: 12 March (20:00 GMT)
- Feyenoord v Inter Milan – First leg: 5 March (17:45 GMT), Second leg: 11 March (20:00 GMT)
- Paris St-Germain v Liverpool – First leg: 5 March (20:00 GMT), Second leg: 11 March (20:00 GMT)
- Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen – First leg: 5 March (20:00 GMT), Second leg: 11 March (20:00 GMT)
- Benfica v Barcelona – First leg: 5 March (20:00 GMT), Second leg: 11 March (17:45 GMT)
Do Arsenal Have What It Takes To Win Champions League?
Liverpool and Aston Villa on European collision course.
The English Premier League table-toppers, Liverpool, tie against Ligue 1 holders PSG is bound to be an electric tie. Both sides have an encounter on their hands to prove they can go all the way and llift the trophy in May.
The French champions were on their way out of the champions league before a late “miracle” push helped them finish 15th in the league phase.
They lost to Arsenal before beating Manchester City to stage an all-France knockout phase play-off fixture against Brest which they won 10-0 on aggregate.
The French outfit possess Ousmane Dembele, one of the on-fire goalscorers in Europe presently, already netting six goals in the ongoing competition.
Liverpool do not have good record away against any French opposition−they have played five away matches against French teams−since a Champions League win against Marseille in 2008.
“At this stage of the competition, the quality of opponent is only going to be of a very high standard and in PSG we have drawn a team and a club with real European pedigree,” said Liverpool boss Arne Slot.
“They qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League in style earlier this week with a big win against Brest and they had some really good results in the league phase, defeating Stuttgart, Manchester City, Girona and Salzburg.”
If Liverpool manage to beat Luis Enrique’s team, then they will have to battle it out against local rivals Aston Villa in April if they can get past defending Belgians champions Club Brugge, who ended in the 24th position in the league phase before the defeat of Atalanta in the knockout phase play-offs.
Howbeit, Aston Villa were defeated by Club Brugge in the league phase, that’s either of the two losses suffered by Unai Emery’s side so far in the competition.
“I’m really happy because we are going to enjoy this moment with our supporters,” said Emery about the tie.
Arsenal’s round of 16 opponents PSV Eindhoven are the Dutch defending champions, who once defeated a weak Liverpool side 3-2 in the current campaign in January on their way to ending in the 14th position in the league phase.
The Gunners have already beaten PSV three times in the group stages of the Champions League, with their most recent win came last season at home, ending 4-0.
“We know what we are facing,” said boss Mikel Arteta.
“We’ve played against them, they’re a really good team. When you are at this stage every team is really good.”
‘Liverpool Might Be A Bit Disappointed’
According to Stephen Warnock, former Liverpool and Aston Villa defender, on The Football News Show.
‘Liverpool will be slightly disappointed’
Stephen Warnock, former Liverpool and Aston Villa defender on The Football News Show.
“I think Liverpool will be slightly disappointed to draw PSG; ideally they would have liked Benfica.
“But if you are going to win the Champions League, you are going to have to beat some big teams along the way.
“Liverpool will fancy their chances against PSG, who have been a little bit hit and miss.
Speaking On Aston Villa’s Chances
“Aston Villa will be happy with Club Brugge, and boss Unai Emery has been here before in this European competition.
“Usually, he has success a lot more in the Europa League but in the Champions League he had that magnificent run with Villarreal [in the 2021-22 season], so we know he’s capable of balancing it,” Warnock added.
Champions League Last-16 Draw: Arsenal Face PSV
