The draw ceremony for the 2023-2024 Champions League 1 8 finals ended successfully last night, judging from the draw results, this season's knockout round is not like a strong dialogue, and the only group of matchups with relatively close strength is Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid. In the past, the Champions League knockout rounds were always indispensable to the famous scene of strong dialogue, but this season's 1 8 finals did not have a situation where strong teams met in advance, and Inter Milan met Atletico Madrid. In addition to this group of matchups, the other groups of matchups are relatively strong and weak, and there is always one side in a clear advantageous position.
The specific matchups are as follows:
Porto vs Arsenal.
Napoli vs Barcelona.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Sociedad.
Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid.
PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund.
Lazio vs Bayern Munich.
Copenhagen vs Manchester City.
RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid.
According to the schedule, the first leg of this season's 1 8 finals will be divided into four match days on February 14 15 and 21 22 Beijing time, and the second leg will be arranged on March 6 7 and 13 14. After all the quarterfinals are determined, UEFA will arrange a draw ceremony for the 1 4 finals and semi-finals. Although the opponent and the time of the match have been determined, there are still almost two months to go before the match, and there will be a lot of uncertainties during this period, so it is not too early to jump to conclusions.
Let's take a look at the defending champion Manchester City, Manchester City's opponent in the 1 8 finals is Copenhagen from the Danish Super League. When the defending champions draw Copenhagen, it is estimated that everyone will think that Manchester City has drawn a "big package", and Copenhagen is the lowest-ranked team in the knockout round. Whether in terms of strength or popularity, Copenhagen is at an absolute disadvantage, and it can beat Manchester United and Galatasaray to advance to the knockout round, and Copenhagen has already created a miracle. In the two meetings with Bayern, Copenhagen once drew with the strong Bayern away from home, which shows that Copenhagen is still doing a good job in defense.
Manchester City are the defending champions last season and are unbeaten in winning all six of their Champions League group games this season, but City will have to be cautious as it was a chilly February in Copenhagen. In addition, Manchester City's recent league form has been sluggish, with a two-goal lead at home before being held to a stubborn draw by Crystal Palace in their last game. Manchester City have won just one of their last six Premier League games and are a bit stretched down in attack with Haaland injured. Fortunately, Haaland and De Bruyne will return as scheduled, so the elimination of Copenhagen will be a high probability event.
Next, we take a look at Champions League winners Real Madrid. Real Madrid reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, but Real Madrid lost to Manchester City in the semi-finals. Real Madrid have made a comeback this season, winning all six of their group stage matches, and as the most successful team in the Champions League, Real Madrid's performance in the Champions League has been as consistent as ever. However, Real Madrid has recently lit up the red light at the back, and in the last round of the league, Real Madrid lost defender Alaba again, and now they only have two central defenders left, so Real Madrid urgently need to bring in a central defender in the winter window. In the championship rankings, Real Madrid is still close to Manchester City, and with Bellingham's hot form, Real Madrid will see if the defense can withstand the pressure.
RB Leipzig have been regulars in the Champions League in recent seasons and have been consistent in the Bundesliga, although they cannot surpass the traditional giants of Bayern Munich and Dort, but RB Leipzig have often been able to retain their Champions League places in the league. In the group stage match against Manchester City this season, Leipzig's Opponda still impressed us. Leipzig's young people are keen on attacking, they like the situation of opening and closing, and when they meet Real Madrid, they must be playing the offensive banner, depending on whose forward line is more reliable.
Next, let's talk about Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid, this group of matchups is the closest group of matchups in the Champions League 1 8 finals. Inter reached the Champions League final last season, and although they lost to Manchester City, it has made Inter better and better in the Champions League this season. In Serie A, Inter have been also solid this season and are now firmly at the top of the table. The two strikers, Lautaro and Thuram Jr., are also on fire, and against an opponent of Atletico Madrid's level, Inter Milan is not at all defeated.
Whether it is in the Champions League or La Liga in recent years, Atletico Madrid's performance has declined compared to previous seasons. But Atletico Madrid under Simeone, iron and blood are already the hallmark of Atletico. Atletico Madrid have had a smooth run in the group stage this season, with strikers Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann scoring five goals each, making them the hottest strikers in the group stage. And Griezmann has also regained his former form after returning to Atletico, which is why Atletico Madrid can maintain excellent results in the league and the Champions League. Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan have played each other officially, in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup, Atletico Madrid, as the winner of the Europa League, defeated the Champions League champion Inter, which is also the only official meeting between the two sides in the Champions League.
Personally, Inter and Atletico Madrid have half the probability of qualifying, and if you have to pick a team, then Inter may have a slightly better chance. Atletico Madrid have won 4 of the last 11 Champions League matches against Italian teams, with a specific record of 4 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, so Atletico Madrid's attacking ability is still slightly lacking when facing teams that are also very good defensively. Combined with the performance in all aspects, Inter will have a slight advantage because Inter is better as a whole.
After watching a set of matchups with suspense, let's take a look at Napoli vs Barcelona together. The two teams met in the 2020 Champions League 1 8 finals, when Barcelona drew away at Napoli and came back home to win 3-1. Then in the 2022 Europa League play-offs, Barcelona drew 1-1 at home to Napoli and won 4-2 away. So in this encounter, Barcelona is still the side with the greatest possibility of qualifying.
Barcelona are struggling in La Liga at the moment, with they sitting fourth in the league and nine points clear of the top, so manager Xavi is under intense pressure. Despite their sluggish performance in La Liga, Barcelona have performed well in the Champions League, and last season they failed to repeat such a tragedy after they failed to make it out of the group stage last season. Napoli performed well in the Champions League and Serie A last season, and also won the Serie A title after a long absence. However, with the departure of the manager, Napoli's performance in the league and Champions League has declined this season, and the stars Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia are still not happy with the management of new coach Mazzari, and the form of the two is not as hot as last season.
The fifth group matchup is Porto vs Arsenal. This is Arsenal's return to the Champions League for the first time in many years, with the last time they qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League was in 2016/17. After several dormant seasons, under the leadership of young coach Altaet, Arsenal finally improved in the league and the Champions League. This time in the Champions League knockout round against Porto, Arsenal has a chance to advance to the top 8. The last time Arsenal reached the last eight of the Champions League, they were knocked out against Porto, who were 6-2 over two legs. Since then, Arsenal have reached the round of 16 for seven consecutive seasons and have never tasted the last eight of the Champions League again. Now, exactly 14 years later, Arsenal finally have the opportunity to climb this not difficult but long-lost dirt slope.
Porto have been a regular presence in the Champions League over the years, but they are no longer as brave as they used to be, and now they are facing serious problems with the principle of financial fairness. In the Portuguese Super League, Porto's competitiveness in the league has also gradually declined, and they are now three points away from the top of the league. Porto was lucky to be able to draw Arsenal, after all, they have more experience in the knockout rounds of the Champions League than the Gunners over the years. Porto achieved the same result as Barcelona in the group stage, but could only settle for second place due to the disadvantage of mutual goal difference.
In terms of fame, Arsenal is undoubtedly the more famous side. Judging from the strength and integrity at this stage, Arsenal does have an advantage over Porto, but Porto is not without opportunities. In the past six Champions League games, Porto have qualified from the group five times, which shows that Porto has not relied on luck to get to where it is today. Even though Arsenal has a better chance of qualifying, it cannot be ruled out that Porto will qualify.
Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Sociedad.
Paris qualified for the knockout rounds in the Group of Death, which was not easy for Paris. Now there is only one team left in Ligue 1, Paris, and Paris carries the honor and disgrace of Ligue 1. Paris have been inconsistent at the start of the season and are now in a period of transition, but they have Kylian Mbappe, who will be a terrible nightmare for Real Sociedad's defence. Although Paris is only second in the group, his strength is no worse than that of Real Sociedad, who are the first in the group, on the contrary, Real Sociedad is more afraid of the impact of Mbappe, Muani, Dembele, and Gonzalo Ramos.
Real Sociedad have been doing well in La Liga and the Champions League this season, and they are also a dangerous attacking team. To be able to beat Inter Milan and win the first place in the group, it depends on attack. In the 6 games of the group stage, Real Sociedad only conceded a total of 2 goals, which is the fewest goals conceded by 32 teams, so Real Sociedad is quite good in addition to attacking. Real Sociedad have been quite solid defensively in the Champions League this season, with Real Sociedad Xi using strong forward pressing and two wingers to dominate the opposition. Overall, Paris is more likely to advance than Real Sociedad.
Finally, take a look at PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund won the group in the group of death, which shows that Dortmund is still strong in strength. They are ahead of Paris, Newcastle and AC Milan in the so-called group of death, which makes them favourites. Dort's progress from the Group of Death is on a hot steam and the win over PSV Eindhoven is not a problem for them at the moment. PSV Eindhoven have won all 16 games in the Eredivisie this season and are arguably the best team in Europe. While PSV Eindhoven have been strong in the Eredivisie, it has not been the case in the Champions League. With 10 goals conceded in six group games, Leipzig is tied with Leipzig for the most in the round of 16, and their defence will be put to the test.
Finally, let's take a look at the matchup between Lazio and Bayern Munich. Bayern are unbeaten in their last 12 games against an Italian side in the Champions League, the longest unbeaten run against an Italian team in the history of the Champions League. Bayern has only been eliminated in the Champions League 1 8 finals in the previous 10 times, and it was Liverpool who overturned them at that time. In today's Bundesliga, although Bayern did not reach the top of the league, they are also close behind. After getting Kane this season, Bayern is now in full swing and has passed all the way in the group stage, and now Bayern is still the favorite to win the championship, so it is not difficult for Bayern to win Lazio.
Lazio finished 11th in Serie A this season under manager Maurizio Sarri, and now lags far behind their rivals in Serie A. Being able to qualify from the group and qualify for the knockout round, Lazio has already achieved its set goal. Now Lazio's attack and defense are not as good as last season, and against Bayern, Lazio can only ask for more blessings.