The 16 round of 16 of the Champions League have been determined, and the pairings from Friday. But the draw does much more.
When it comes to Dietmar Hamann, FC Bayern is in front of that in the Champions League. “If Bayern do not improve drastically, then – no matter who – will be over in the next round,” Hamann told “Münchner Merkur/TZ”. It is known that the opponent is called either Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid. Leverkusen is currently “playfully better,” said the ex-professional: “And at Atlético you know: They can eat you!”
FC Bayern will find out who of the two teams will be on Friday. From 12 p.m. the pairings will be drawn in Nyon (Switzerland). But in addition to the round of 16 pairings, there is still a lot more certain. Because of the Champions League reform, there is a finished tournament tree that works similarly to a seed list in tennis. So number one and number two of the league, FC Liverpool and FC Barcelona, can only meet in the final.
It is already clear that a possible quarterfinal opponent of Bayern should get on, the record champion is Feyenoord Rotterdam. The Dutch prevailed in the intermediate round against the Italian top club AC Milan, meet in the round of 16 either on Inter Milan or Arsenal FC. The winner of the duel Feyenoord against Inter/Arsenal meets the winner of Bavaria against Leverkusen/Atlético. In a possible semi -finals, Bavaria also met Borussia Dortmund at the earliest.
Also interesting for Dortmund and FC Bayern: On top teams such as Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain, the Munich can only meet in the final, as they are on the other side of the tournament tree.
For BVB, the round of 16 is against a relatively weaker opponent. Aston Villa and the OSC Lille are the possible teams that Dortmund can meet. No easy tasks, compared to Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid, but possibly a little more feasible. Sports director Sebastian Kehl, however, said: “To be honest, I don’t care who we will play against in the end.”
If BVB prevails in the round of 16, Liverpool or Barcelona could wait in the quarter -finals. One of the two top teams meets Benfica from Lisbon. The winner of the game then challenges BVB or Lille/Villa.
Before the draw, Bayer Leverkusen knows relatively little about the course of the tournament from the quarter -finals. Due to the fact that the team of coach Xabi Alonso was one of the best eight teams in the Champions League league, it is considered a “set team” that is on Friday to go over the intermediate round teams on Friday had to be drawn. Leverkusen can either meet Real Madrid – and thus in a possible quarter -finals to the winner of PSV Eindhoven against Inter Milan/FC Arsenal – or get it to do with Bayern.
If Leverkusen’s opponent is real, a meeting with Bavaria or BVB would be possible in the final at the earliest.
After the tomorrow’s event in Nyon, there is no longer a mating in the current Champions League season. Only the home right of the games from the quarter -finals is open, which is always drawn. Apart from that, Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen know which teams would lead their way to the final in Munich.