(Football news) The UEFA Champions League draw has been completed and the Round of 16 ties have been confirmed. The UCL group stage this time around had to be congested to accommodate the World Cup. Big dogs and competition veterans Juventus, Ajax and Barcelona were relegated to the UEFA Champions League. Atletico Madrid on the other hand finished rock bottom of their group and will have no European knockouts football this season. There are some very interesting matches coming up which are definitely worth waiting for. The first leg of the matches will be played on 14th, 15th, 21st and 22nd February with the return leg on 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th March. 

The biggest clash is undoubtedly the replay of last season's final between Liverpool and Real Madrid. Since 2018, the two sides have played 4 matches out of which Real Madrid have won 3 and 1 was a draw. The first of the lot was the 2018 final which Real Madrid won 3-1 to lift their 13th UCL and their 3rd in 3 years. The next time the two sides met in the 2020-21 Quarter finals inside empty stadiums. Real Madrid won the first leg at the Bernabéu 3-1 while the return leg at Anfield was a draw. The final last season was once again won by Los Blancos 1-0. This time around the two legendary clubs will play in their fully packed stadiums. Anfield and Santiago Bernabeu are two of the best stadiums in the world and it will definitely be a treat to watch.

The other interesting tie is between PSG and Bayern Munich. Paris are still hunting for their first UCL title while Bayern Munich are looking to make it 7. The two sides met at the 2019/20 UCL final which was won by Bayern Munich. The very next season the two met in the quarter finals. PSG won 3-2 in Bavaria while Bayern Munich won just 1-0 in Paris which meant that PSG went through on away goals. This time around the away goals rule isn't there anymore. PSG are at the peak of their powers while Bayern Munich are struggling a little after the departure of Robert Lewandowski at least in the Bundesliga. However by the time we reach February things could be totally different for both the clubs.

Other fixtures:

Borussia Dortmund vs Chelsea

Frankfurt vs Napoli

AC Milan vs Tottenham Hotspur

Club Brugge vs Benfica

RB Leipzig vs Manchester City

Inter Milan vs Porto

Also read: Rayo Vallecano stun lackluster Real Madrid to keep Barcelona on top