Champions League draw
Effenberg urgently warns FC Bayern
02/27/2026 – 2:09 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
With Atalanta Bergamo, Bayern face a team that has previously eliminated a Bundesliga rival. Stefan Effenberg urges caution.
In an interview with t-online, Stefan Effenberg sees the Italians as a “very exciting, interesting, unpleasant lot” for Bayern. Because: “Atalanta is doable for the record champions – but also not to be underestimated,” the 57-year-old continues, referring to the Italians’ playoff second leg against Borussia Dortmund, which Atalanta won 4-1 on Wednesday evening and thus moved into the round of the last 16. “Anyone who scores four goals against BVB and shows such morale as to turn around a 2-0 deficit from the first leg is definitely a dangerous opponent. Bayern have been warned.”
The situation is different at Bayer Leverkusen, which meets the current leaders of the Premier League with the “Gunners”. “Leverkusen is the clear underdog against Arsenal. Arsenal has the right to win the Champions League.” Coach Mikel Arteta’s team “performed very well not only in the Premier League, but also in the premier class.” Effenberg hopes that Leverkusen can tackle this task “with joy – and maybe they will even cause a big surprise.”
“We can all be happy that there won’t be a German duel in the round of 16,” says Stefan Effenberg in an interview with t-online, with a view to the fact that two German teams could be represented later in the competition.
The round of 16 first legs are scheduled for March 10th and 11th, with the second legs a week later (March 17th/18th).
