Two of North America’s brightest young stars will face off in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
Christian Pulisic’s Chelsea will battle Alphonso Davies and Bayern Munich in a clash of titans, one of several intriguing assignments for Canadians and Americans abroad as UEFA held the draws for the knockout stages of the Champions League and Europa League on Monday in Nyon, Switzerland.
Bayern finished the group stage with a perfect 6-0-0 record and will host the decisive second leg of the matchup, set for March 18, with the first leg set for Feb. 25 at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. It’s a rematch of the 2012 Champions League final, where current manager and former New York City FC Designated Player Frank Lampard captained the Blues to a dramatic victory after a penalty-kick shootout at Allianz Arena, Bayern’s home ground.
Elsewhere, Tyler Adams’ RB Leipzig has been drawn against last season’s finalists Tottenham Hotspur, while reigning champions Liverpool will meet 2019 MLS All-Star Game guests Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid lock horns with Manchester City in clashes of English and Spanish aristocracy. All 16 teams will be eyeing a path to the tournament final, set for May 30 in Istanbul.
Full UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw
- Borussia Dortmund vs. Paris Saint-Germain
- Real Madrid vs. Manchester City
- Atalanta vs. Valencia
- Atletico Madrid vs. Liverpool
- Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich
- Lyon vs. Juventus
- Tottenham vs. RB Leipzig
- Napoli vs. Barcelona
One rung down the ladder, several North Americans learned their fates for the first stage of the Europa League knockout rounds, starting with Jesse Marsch’s RB Salzburg drawn against former US men’s national team defender Timmy Chandler and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Scotland’s Rangers FC, home of ex-Chicago Fire defender Matt Polster and Canadian international Scott Arfield, will duel with Portuguese side Braga. USMNT mainstay John Brooks and Wolfsburg will tangle with Sweden’s Malmo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s first professional club.
CanMNTer Jonathan David and his Belgian club Genk are set for a tough-looking test vs. AS Roma, while Ethan Horvath’s Club Brugge are in a similar boat with a matchup against Manchester United.
Europa League first legs will take place on Feb. 20, and return legs unfold a week later on Feb. 27. The tournament final will be hosted by Gdansk, Poland.
Full Europa League round-of-32 draw
- Wolves vs. Espanyol
- Sporting Lisbon vs. Istanbul Basaksehir
- Getafe vs. Ajax
- Bayer Leverkusen vs. Porto
- FC Copenhagen vs. Celtic
- APOEL vs. FC Basel
- Cluj vs. Sevilla
- Olympiakos vs. Arsenal
- AZ Alkmaar vs. LASK
- Club Brugge vs. Manchester United
- FC Ludogorets vs. Inter Milan
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs. FC Salzburg
- Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Benfica
- Wolfsburg vs. Malmo
- Roma vs. Gent
- Rangers vs. Braga
