Well that’s it folks and all wrapped up in just over 20 minutes, not like Uefa at all.
For the neutral, it’s an absolutely brilliant draw and although United fans mightn’t like it so much, the clash between Real and Man United and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford is the standout tie.
Elsewhere, Celtic will no doubt be relishing trying to get past an obstinate Juve outfit, while Arsenal fans will probably be glad that they drew a team beginning with B that weren’t called Barcelona.
The only problem with the draw, of course, is that we have to wait two months for the games to take place, by which stage the excitement will have reached fever pitch. We can’t wait.
Champions League last 16 draw (First Legs to be played Feb 12-20, second legs March 5-13)
Galatasaray v Schalke
Celtic v Juventus
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund
AC Milan v Barcelona
Real Madrid v Manchester United
Valencia v PSG
FC Porto v Malaga
FC Porto v Malaga
Valencia v PSG
Real Madrid v Manchester United
AC Milan v Barcelona
Shakhtar Donetsk v Borussia Dortmund
Arsenal v Bayern Munich
The big one… Celtic v Juventus
Here we go…
Galatasaray v Schalke
Nice and brief there from Steve, so after a bit of a lecture about the permutations of the draw – the stuff we’ve told you already – we’ll get down to business…
We’re nearly there folks, but first the far more important matter of a casual Q and A with Champions League legend and Uefa ambassador Steve McManaman…
So it’s a group winner against a group runner-up, with teams restricted from facing a team they already faced in the group stages or a team from their own country. Potential belters of ties include Man United v Celtic, Arsenal v Barcelona (again) and Juventus v Dortmund.
Certainly, if the real draw turns out like this rehearsal, there won’t be many disappointed…
1036:
Group winners: PSG, Schalke, Málaga, Dortmund, Juventus, Bayern, Barcelona, Man. United
Group runners-up: Porto, Arsenal, Milan, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Valencia, Celtic, Galatasaray
Good morning folks and welcome to our live coverage of the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League. Things are about to kick off over yonder in Nyon so hopefully they’ll cut to the chase and get down to the business and avoid the babbling that Uefa and Fifa tend to specialise in on these occasions. We’ll be back with some potential permutations very shortly.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
