CL: Round of 16 Draw

[Baxterman]

I didn't take either team on paper. It was just a question of whether one was really better than the other or not on paper. I think it's debatable; I can certainly see the side of either argument but when you account for form I don't see why Spurs wouldn't have a good enough chance.

Tottenham have been awful for the most part this year. Yes the RM win was great but outside of that the results have not been impressive at all.

The Dortmund win looked good at the time but now seeing what they are its not so great. We are currently behind Liverpool and Arsenal in the league and level with Burnley which is absolutely pathetic.

I think Juventus will win this pretty easily and our nightmare season continues down a road of disappointment.

 

[Theokritos]

The scenes when all 5 EPL teams make it to the next round. It's very possible. Spurs aren't being given enough credit in that match against Juve. They're inexperienced and maybe facing a big opponent on the grand stage will get to them but if they play like they did against RM they can certainly progress and it's closer to a 50/50 split than people will be willing to admit.

I absolutely think it's a 50/50 split. If Tottenham play like they did before Alderweireld went down (he's expected to be fit by Februar, I assume?), I don't think Juventus are favourites.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Tottenham have been awful for the most part this year. Yes the RM win was great but outside of that the results have not been impressive at all.

The Dortmund win looked good at the time but now seeing what they are its not so great. We are currently behind Liverpool and Arsenal in the league and level with Burnley which is absolutely pathetic.

I think Juventus will win this pretty easily and our nightmare season continues down a road of disappointment.

Holy hyperbole.

 

[Deficient Mode]

United and Liverpool exchanging their cupcake group stage opponents would be funny

Close. Make it a three way trade and get City in on the action as well.

PSG-Madrid oooooooohhh

 

[Havre]

Tottenham have been awful for the most part this year. Yes the RM win was great but outside of that the results have not been impressive at all.

The Dortmund win looked good at the time but now seeing what they are its not so great. We are currently behind Liverpool and Arsenal in the league and level with Burnley which is absolutely pathetic.

I think Juventus will win this pretty easily and our nightmare season continues down a road of disappointment.

Hopefully you are too young to remember the 90s.

If this is a nightmare season........

 

[YNWA14]

I'm not really sure what people wanted to see? Should all 5 EPL teams have gotten the hardest possible opponents to appease you? Chelsea could have had Besiktas and Spurs could have had easier. Sevilla is by no means a weak team, and Porto just beat Leipzig and demolished Monaco. At this stage there are generally going to be 'favourites' and 'underdogs' but all of the teams had to play well to get there and are dangerous to play.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

This dam uefalona at it again drawing some random ass mid table club!

Loving this draw couldn't have asked for a better really. Piece Madrid! Lol

 

[Deficient Mode]

I'm not really sure what people wanted to see? Should all 5 EPL teams have gotten the hardest possible opponents to appease you? Chelsea could have had Besiktas and Spurs could have had easier. Sevilla is by no means a weak team, and Porto just beat Leipzig and demolished Monaco. At this stage there are generally going to be 'favourites' and 'underdogs' but all of the teams had to play well to get there and are dangerous to play.

Nah, if you finish first in your group you deserve a shot at a weaker R16 opponent. Unfortunately, with the change to the league winners being automatic pot 1 teams, we've seen an uptick in teams like Bayern and Madrid as #2 seeds, and the benefit of finishing first has diminished. United and Liverpool have definitely had easy draws so far though.

 

[bluesfan94]

So 3 EPL teams got the easiest opponents.

That’s what happens when so many epl teams win their group.

 

[Baxterman]

Hopefully you are too young to remember the 90s.

If this is a nightmare season........

Not too young but not as into EPL as I am now.

But I do think that expectations are, and should be, higher now for Tottenham then they were back then.

 

[YEM]

Spurs season has been so up-and-down some of the players might be getting seasick

I welcome the Juve tie, gotta beat very good teams at some point here to move along

 

[Live in the Now]

Really wanted to play a bigger team, but there's always the next round if Liverpool gets there.

 

[Evilo]

True, but you changed your mind and it was a funny string of posts in the light of how the actual draw turned out.

Totally
One should always trust its instincts though !

 

[The Abusement Park]

Nah, if you finish first in your group you deserve a shot at a weaker R16 opponent. Unfortunately, with the change to the league winners being automatic pot 1 teams, we've seen an uptick in teams like Bayern and Madrid as #2 seeds, and the benefit of finishing first has diminished. United and Liverpool have definitely had easy draws so far though.

I mean United’s group was one of the easiest ones for sure, but Sevilla isn’t some walkover team. I think United-Sevilla will be a good tie and I’m glad we could avoid Juve and Madrid.

 

[Evilo]

That’s what happens when so many epl teams win their group.

Really? With Bayern, Juventus or Real second in their group and FOUR EPL group winners, you'd expect at least half to get tough draws?
But no, only Spurs, just like in the first draw. Spurs got the toughest group and also got the toughest R16 opponent.
Meanwhile United and Liverpool had the easiest groups and also some of the easier R16 draws.

 

[Cassano]

Juventus - Tottenham
Basel - Man City
Porto - Liverpool
Sevilla - Man Utd
Madrid - Paris
Shakhtar - Roma
Chelsea - Barcelona
Bayern - Besiktas

 

[Live in the Now]

Sevilla is an easy draw compared to the others but they are a good team. Against Liverpool their only apparent weakness was their fullbacks, which is easily apparent when playing against two top wingers and a striker who has habits of running into midfield to draw the CB's away from wide positions. Manchester United on the other hand aren't so great out wide and don't have a mobile striker like that. They do have an obviously more dominant midfield especially if N'Zonzi is to leave, but Sevilla has clinical finishers who will get some chances to score. On top of that they already took a trip to England this year and got a point, so they'll know what it's like to play there. I don't think they'll win but I wouldn't automatically say they'll lose easily.

Only teams I'd write off in the next round are Basel and Besiktas. They don't really have any quality that should lead to them beating those teams.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

On other years I would have said to look out for Sevilla but they suck this year. United should advance.

We were likely drawing Chelsea and that's what happened. I'm confident we can win them and regardless it should be an entertaining draw!
Ah, and I love that Madrid got PSG

 

[Baxterman]

Should win easily:

Juventus - Tottenham
Basel - Man City
Bayern - Besiktas

Tight because neither team are any good:

Porto - Liverpool

Tight because both teams are meh:

Sevilla - Man Utd
Shakhtar - Roma

Tight because all 4 are top teams:

Madrid - Paris
Chelsea - Barcelona

While I am not a fan of the match-ups because my team got screwed and two rivals got cupcakes the matches are fairly even. It sucks that some bottom teams (Liverpool-Porto) and midteams (Man-U-Sevilla, Shaktar-Roma) are matched up meaning lesser teams will go through at least those should be competitive match-ups.

I guess the chaos of good teams drawing good teams and other getting by on easy draws is part of the fun of the tournament though and what they want rather than just RM-Barca-Juve-Bayern-City-PSG-Chelsea every year.

 

[Savant]

Really? With Bayern, Juventus or Real second in their group and FOUR EPL group winners, you'd expect at least half to get tough draws?
But no, only Spurs, just like in the first draw. Spurs got the toughest group and also got the toughest R16 opponent.
Meanwhile United and Liverpool had the easiest groups and also some of the easier R16 draws.

I mean I wanted a bigger team for Liverpool. The draw is the draw. Really isn’t anything else to say.

That being said while I do think they should keep group winner vs runner up, maybe Uefa should lift the rule about teams from same nation not playing each other. I don’t really know what else could be done to fix it within reason.

 

[YNWA14]

Juventus - Tottenham
Basel - Man City
Porto - Liverpool
Sevilla - Man Utd
Madrid - Paris
Shakhtar - Roma
Chelsea - Barcelona
Bayern - Besiktas

Next round is going to be lit.

 

[cgf]

Looking forward to Juventus vs Tottenham, Real vs PSG, Chelsea vs Barcelona and also Shakhtar vs Roma. In the other match-ups, City, Liverpool, United and Bayern should advance.

My gut says that one of United or Liverpool will drop the ball against Sevilla or Porto. Both of those teams have the experience to park the bus and frustrate Kloppo or leave the tie against Mourinho up to chance.

LFC has more players I like, but I won't be shocked at all if they are the english team to drop the ball in this round.

 

[Live in the Now]

Porto tried to park the bus against Besiktas and couldn't, but they have individual quality going forward. They probably will try to retain possession and have some players who may be capable of doing so against pressure.

 

[Evilo]

Don't think Chelsea can beat Barca. Really don't.

As to why R16 teams can't face same nation, I absolutely don't get the reasonning. Except of course favouring the bigger leagues coefficients, as usual.

 

[Evilo]

Besiktas isn't an easy team to break down. They are well coached and can defend extremely efficiently.
I wouldn't write them off, even though they're far from favourites.