© EuroFootball.com
On Friday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, the draw for the Champions League 2005/06 season round of 16 was held, dividing the 16 strongest teams from the Old Continent into eight pairs.
Fate once again brought together the two strongest teams from England and Spain - just like last season, when the duel between these teams was one of the most memorable of the year, London's Chelsea and Barcelona teams and their coaches Jose Mourinho and Frank Rijkaard will face each other in the round of 16.
Also traveling to London will be another Spanish superclub, Real Madrid, who will meet with Arsenal. Meanwhile, in the third giant duel, German champions Bayern Munich will face off against last season's finalist, Milan.
Italian champions Juventus will play against Werder Bremen, while another Italian club, Inter Milan, will face Ajax. The best team in the Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven, will once again meet Lyon in the quarterfinals.
The first-time participants in the knockout stage, Glasgow Rangers and Villarreal, will face each other, while defending champions Liverpool will play against Benfica, who eliminated Manchester United.
The round of 16 matches will be played on February 21-22 and March 7-8, with each group winner playing the second leg at home. The winners of the ties will advance to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals, and the Champions League final will take place at the Stade de France in Paris on May 17th.
Round of 16 matchups
Chelsea (England) - Barcelona (Spain) Real Madrid (Spain) - Arsenal (England) Werder Bremen (Germany) - Juventus (Italy) Bayern Munich (Germany) - Milan (Italy) PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) - Lyon (France) Ajax (Netherlands) - Inter Milan (Italy) Benfica (Portugal) - Liverpool (England) Rangers (Scotland) - Villarreal (Spain)
