Sports
Champions League draw in full and Team-by-team guide
Real Madrid face off against Paris Saint-Germain in the pick of the last-16 Champions League ties.
Four Premier League clubs – Manchester City, United, Liverpool and Tottenham – topped their groups, with most getting generous draws for this stage of the competition.
Tottenham take on Juventus, but City, United and Liverpool will all be pretty pleased with their ties.
Chelsea dropped to the runners up spot on the final matchday, leaving them fearing a nightmare draw – which they were handed as they take on Barcelona.
There is a bit of a wait before the last 16 ties are played, with the first legs not taking place until February 13, 14, 20 and 21.
Second legs will take place either on March 6, 7, 13 or 14, with exact dates for each tie to be confirmed in due course.
Champions League draw in full
- Juventus vs Tottenham Hotspur
- FC Basel vs Manchester City
- Porto vs Liverpool
- Sevilla vs Manchester United
- Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain
- Shakhtar Donetsk vs Roma
- Chelsea vs Barcelona
- Bayern Munich vs Besiktas
When are the ties being played?
Juventus vs Tottenham
February 13 and March 7
Basel vs Manchester City
February 13 and March 7
Porto vs Liverpool
February 14 and March 6
Real Madrid vs PSG
February 14 and March 6
Chelsea vs Barcelona
February 20 and March 14
Bayern Munich vs Besiktas
February 20 and March 14
Sevilla v Manchester United
February 21 and March 13
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Roma
February 21 and March 13
Champions League team-by-team guide
BARCELONA
Coach: Ernesto Valverde
Star man: Lionel Messi
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1992, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015
The LaLiga leaders have shrugged off the loss of Neymar this season and came through Group D unbeaten to top the group above Juventus. They will be top of the list of teams to avoid in the last 16.
BESIKTAS
Coach: Senol Gunes
Star man: Cenk Tosun
Champions League/European Cup best: Quarter-finals 1987
Although they topped a relatively weak Group G ahead of Porto, the reigning Turkish champions have suffered indifferent form this season and sit fifth in the Super Lig table. Few clubs ever fancy an away trip to Istanbul, but there are far tougher teams you could pull out of the hat.
LIVERPOOL
Coach: Jurgen Klopp
Star man: Mohamed Salah
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005
Liverpool romped to first place in Group E, scoring 23 goals as they ran up the score in big wins over Sevilla and Maribor. With an attacking unit including Salah, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino there is no end of goals in this team, but their defensive vulnerabilities remain and may well be exposed as the standard of competition ramps up.
MANCHESTER CITY
Coach: Pep Guardiola
Star man: Kevin De Bruyne
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 2016
Guardiola’s team have been widely hailed as the best in Europe after a swashbuckling start to the Premier League season, and they cruised through Group F, winning their first five games before fielding a much-changed side away to Shakhtar Donetsk. But converting plaudits into silverware is the task ahead, and these relative Champions League novices still have plenty to prove.
MANCHESTER UNITED
Coach: Jose Mourinho
Star man: Paul Pogba
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1968, 1999, 2008
Mourinho’s men topped Group A with a mixture of silk and steel as they averaged two goals a game but conceded only three in all six outings. Key summer signing Nemanja Matic has added the missing teeth to United’s midfield to go with the goal threat of Romelu Lukaku and the fit-again Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and few teams will fancy taking them on.
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN
Coach: Unai Emery
Star man: Neymar
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 1995
Paris St Germain have made little secret of the fact the Champions League is their number one priority, and with Ligue 1 appearing to take care of itself – they top the table by nine points – they will go all in. World-record signing Neymar has elevated their game considerably, but Edinson Cavani is keeping up in the scoring rates and they look extremely dangerous.
ROMA
Coach: Eusebio Di Francesco
Star man: Edin Dzeko
Champions League/European Cup best: Runners-up 1984
With Edin Dzeko in the form of his life – the 31-year-old earned a Ballon d’Or nomination this year – Roma managed to edge out Chelsea to top Group C. They are far from the full package, but as Chelsea will attest from their 3-0 hiding in the Italian capital, they should not be underestimated.
TOTTENHAM
Coach: Mauricio Pochettino
Star man: Harry Kane
Champions League/European Cup best: Semi-finals 1962
They may be struggling to match recent form in the Premier League, but Tottenham are having another coming-of-age season in the Champions League. Their 3-1 win over Real Madrid at Wembley felt like a huge moment, and it is a big achievement to top a group boasting both the current holders and Borussia Dortmund. Just how far can they go?
BASEL
Coach: Raphael Wicky
Star man: Dmitri Oberlin
Champions League/European Cup best: Quarter-finals 1974
Basel impressed as they finished runners-up to Manchester United in Group A, beating Jose Mourinho’s side at home and putting five past Benfica. In Oberlin, the 20-year-old striker on loan from Red Bull Salzburg, they have one of the hottest young properties in European football.
BAYERN MUNICH
Coach: Jupp Heynckes
Star man: Robert Lewandowski
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1974, 1975, 1976, 2001, 2013
After a slow start to the season Bayern are humming once more under Heynckes, the man who masterminded their last Champions League triumph in 2013. They could only finish runners-up in Group B behind Paris St Germain, but won five of their six group stage matches.
CHELSEA
Coach: Antonio Conte
Star man: Eden Hazard
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 2012
With their Premier League title defence faltering, Conte could be tempted to go all in on the Champions League. That said, after finishing runners-up in Group C, they can only be paired with one of Paris St Germain, Barcelona and Besiktas in the last 16, so the task here may be very difficult too.
JUVENTUS
Coach: Massimiliano Allegri
Star man: Gianluigi Buffon
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1985, 1996
With Gianluigi Buffon seeking a fairytale ending to his career after three times suffering defeat in the Champions League final, Juve are once again leaning heavily on their defence. They kept clean sheets in three of their six group stage matches, including a goalless draw with group winners Barcelona.
PORTO
Coach: Sergio Conceicao
Star man: Vincent Aboubakar
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1987, 2004
Porto might be the kindest draw any of the group winners could hope for in the last 16. Runners-up in a weak Group G, they conceded almost two goals a game, and though striker Aboubakar has been in good form, they do not appear to have the weapons to go much further.
REAL MADRID
Coach: Zinedine Zidane
Star man: Cristiano Ronaldo
Champions League/European Cup best: Winners 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017
The back-to-back winners made a slow start to the season – made clear by the fact they remain fourth in LaLiga – but found their mojo in the Champions League, even if they had to settle for runners-up spot behind Tottenham in Group H. Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo scored nine goals in the six group matches and they remain as dangerous as they come.
SEVILLA
Coach: Eduardo Berizzo
Star man: Wissam Ben Yedder
Champions League/European Cup best: Quarter-finals 1958
Sevilla won only two of their Group E fixtures but got through on the back of being hard to beat – all except for the complete aberration which was their 5-1 loss to Spartak Moscow in October. That exposed their key weakness – although they can score plenty, they struggle to keep the back door closed, and kept just one clean sheet against lowly Maribor.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK
Coach: Paulo Fonseca
Star man: Bernard
Champions League/European Cup best: Quarter-finals 2011
Manchester City were always favourites in Group F but Napoli were supposed to follow them through. Shakhtar had other ideas and immediately tore up the script by beating the Italians in their opening match. By the time they wrapped up the group by beating a much-changed City side, Fonseca had to fulfil a promise to turn up to his press conference dressed as Zorro.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the appointment of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men’s National Team, the Super Eagles.
This development was announced by the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, in the early hours of Tuesday, following the approval of the NFF Executive Committee based on a recommendation from its Technical and Development Sub-Committee. Labbadia’s appointment takes immediate effect.
Born on 8th February 1966 in Darmstadt, Germany, Labbadia enjoyed a distinguished playing career, earning two caps for the German national team. His club career included stints at prominent clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Arminia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC. Notably, he won the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich in 1994.
Labbadia’s coaching career has seen him manage top-tier clubs such as Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, among others. He holds a UEFA Pro License and is well-regarded for his tactical acumen.
With his appointment, Labbadia becomes the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr. Höner notably guided the Super Eagles to a runner-up finish at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr qualified Nigeria for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Labbadia’s immediate task is to prepare the Super Eagles for their upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches.
Nigeria will face Benin Republic on Saturday, 7th September in Uyo, and Rwanda on Tuesday, 10th September in Kigali. The team will also play four additional qualifying matches in October and November as they aim to secure a spot in the 2025 AFCON, scheduled to be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The Super Eagles, placed in Group D, will face familiar foes Benin Republic, who recently defeated Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The draw for the AFCON qualifiers, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month, also sees Nigeria taking on Libya and Rwanda, both of whom are also part of the Super Eagles’ group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers set to be hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Labbadia’s appointment comes at a crucial time as the Super Eagles look to regain their dominance on the African continent and secure qualification for both the AFCON and the World Cup.
Finidi George has stepped into a new role as the technical manager for NPFL side, Rivers United, following his resignation as coach of the Super Eagles.
During his brief tenure with the Eagles, George’s 1-1 draw against South Africa in Uyo and a 2-1 loss to Benin Republic in Abidjan cast doubts on Nigeria’s World Cup qualification, prompting calls from fans for his dismissal.
South Africa vs Nigeria: Why we failed to defeat Super Eagles – Percy Tau
Nevertheless, Rivers United, the 2021-22 champions, expressed optimism in a statement on Wednesday via their official handle about having the former Eagles international manage their team.
“Finidi brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, having had a distinguished playing career spanning over fifteen years,” the statement read.
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Dr. Okey Kpalukwu, General Manager of Rivers United FC, welcomed George, stating, “We are delighted to have Finidi George join our team. His appointment marks a new chapter in our club’s history, and we are committed to working together to achieve success.”
Expressing his gratitude to the club, an elated George remarked, “I am honored to have this opportunity, and I thank the Sports Commissioner, the General Manager, and the supporters for their confidence in me. I am committed to working hard and making the team win.”
Inter Milan were taken over by US fund Oaktree on Wednesday after the Serie A champions’ outgoing owners Suning missed a deadline to repay a debt worth hundred of millions of euros.
In a statement, Oaktree announced they had “assumed control” of Inter after the non-repayment of a “three-year loan to Inter Milan’s holding companies that matured on 21 May 2024 with a total balance due of approximately 395 million euros ($428 million)”.
Chinese conglomerate Suning have relinquished control of Inter to Oaktree three days after the team were officially crowned Italian champions for the 20th time.
Suning borrowed 275 million euros at over 12 percent interest three years ago to pay staff and players as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the finances of clubs across Europe, putting up their controlling stake in the club as collateral.
“Oaktree is dedicated to achieving the best outcome for the long-term prosperity of Inter Milan, with an initial focus on operational and financial stability for the Club and its stakeholders,” Oaktree continued.
Inter became a powerful force at home and abroad after Suning acquired the club in 2016, with seven trophies including two Serie A titles and two European finals.
Simone Inzaghi’s team cruised to this year’s championship, winning the Scudetto with five matches remaining by beating AC Milan in a thrilling local derby.
Oaktree, which manages $192 billion in assets, said they are “committed to working closely with Inter Milan’s current management team, partners, the league and governing bodies to ensure the Club is positioned for success on and off the pitch”.
Inter ended up in the hands of Oaktree in a manner similar to the way another US fund, Elliott Management, took control of their local rivals Milan in 2018.
Elliott became Milan’s owners when Chinese businessman Li Yonghong was unable to repay a loan he had taken out when he bought the club from the late Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest the previous year.
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