Sports

Champions League draw in full and Team-by-team guide

Published

9 years ago

December 12, 2017

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.

Manchester United were paired with Sevilla (Image: AFP)

Chelsea will lock horns with Barcelona (Image: AFP)

The prize everyone is after this season (Image: AFP)

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

United are hoping to return to their former glories (Image: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

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

Neymar is PSG’s star man (Image: Bongarts)

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

Spurs have impressed in the Champions League this season (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

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

Bayern are feared opponents for anyone (Image: Bongarts)

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

Buffon is Juve’s star man (Image: REUTERS)

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

Shakhtar are one of the surprise teams in the last 16 (Image: AFP PHOTO / Stanislas VEDMIDSTANISLAS VEDMID/AFP/Getty Images)

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.

Sports

‎Oseni Mobilises Supporters with Free Tickets for Shooting Stars’ Victory ‎

Published

7 days ago

August 29, 2026

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Oyo South Senatorial District, Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has congratulated Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan on their 2-1 victory over newly promoted Inter Lagos in the opening fixture of the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
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‎The Oluyole Warriors began their campaign on a winning note at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, on Friday, securing three points in front of their home supporters.
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‎Ahead of the encounter, the lawmaker mobilised hundreds of supporters to the stadium and provided free tickets for fans to enable them to watch and cheer the Ibadan-based club.
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‎The mobilisation, led by members of his youth wing, contributed to the strong home support for Shooting Stars as the team battled the Lagos-based newcomers in an entertaining opening-day encounter.
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‎In a statement issued on Friday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, who represents, Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency said he was delighted with the victory and commended the players, coaches, management and supporters of the club for starting the new season on a positive note.
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The statement added that the gesture was a reflection of Oseni’s passion for sports and his belief that sustained support from the fans could inspire the team to greater achievements during the season.
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“ Oseni is a lover of sports and passionate about Shooting Stars. This is one of the ways, among others, that we can support the team and encourage them in their quest for victory,” the statement stressed.
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It further explained that the free tickets were provided to encourage more supporters to fill the stands and give the players the backing they needed, particularly in their first home game of the season.
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According to the statement, Oseni believes that sports provide an important platform for youth engagement, development and community pride, stressing that Shooting Stars remains a club with a strong place in the identity of Ibadan and Oyo State.
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‎On the pitch, Lucky Emmanuel put Shooting Stars ahead in the 15th minute before Inter Lagos equalised through Uchenna Njoku. Sodiq Ibrahim restored the home side’s lead from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time, with the score remaining 2-1 until the final whistle.
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‎The APC chieftain urged the Oluyole Warriors to build on the victory and maintain their winning mentality throughout the season, assuring the team of his continued support and encouragement.

Sports

Oyo APC Demands Probe of N5.5bn Lekan Salami Stadium Renovation

Published

3 weeks ago

August 18, 2026

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The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other anti-graft agencies to investigate the N5.5bn reportedly spent on the renovation of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde.

The party made the call following the reported rejection of the stadium by the Confederation of African Football as a venue for Shooting Stars Sports Club’s continental campaign.

Shooting Stars secured qualification for continental football after about 28 years but will reportedly play its home matches in Abeokuta after the Ibadan stadium failed to meet CAF’s requirements.

In a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan on Tuesday, the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, described the development as disappointing and embarrassing to the state.

The party alleged that the CAF decision had raised questions about the quality of work carried out at the stadium and the funds reportedly committed to its renovation.

Sadare said the state government should explain why a facility said to have gulped N5.5bn could not secure approval to host a continental competition.

He said, “Everyone in the state should ask Governor Makinde to explain the circumstances surrounding the stadium’s failure to secure approval for the CAF Confederation Cup and provide details of the funds committed to its renovation and upgrading.”

The APC also criticised what it described as the alleged delivery of substandard projects by the Makinde administration, citing the recent erosion that reportedly damaged part of a road project in Bodija shortly after its commissioning.

The party said the stadium’s failure to host Shooting Stars’ continental fixtures was particularly unfortunate because the club’s return to African competition after nearly three decades should have provided Oyo State with an opportunity to showcase its sporting infrastructure to a wider African audience.

The APC therefore urged the EFCC and other relevant anti-graft agencies to investigate the award and execution of the stadium project, establish how the funds were spent and make anyone found culpable to face the law.

It also called on the state government to urgently address the deficiencies identified at the stadium and ensure that the facility is upgraded to meet international standards and capable of hosting major continental competitions in the future.

Sports

UCL Final: ‘I hope last year’s loss to PSG still hurts’ – Wilshere messages Arsenal

Published

3 months ago

May 28, 2026

OAdmiN

Former Arsenal star, Jack Wilshere, has sent a message to the Gunners ahead of their UEFA Champions League final with Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal will take on the French Ligue 1 giants in the Champions League final this year in Budapest on Saturday evening.

Mikel Arteta’s side had lost 3-1 on aggregate against PSG in the Champions League semi-final stage last year.

Speaking on TNT Sports (via GOAL), Wilshere remembered Arsenal about their last year’s defeat to PSG and urged them to use it as a revenge to get a win against Luis Enrique’s side when both sides meet again this weekend.

“Now that the Premier League is over the line, I know that the Premier League was the one. I know that Mikel wanted that. I know that the boys wanted that,” Wilshere said.

“Now you have to go through some tough times and learn from it. I hope that the Champions League semi-final [PSG 3-1 Arsenal] last year hurt them enough that they can go on and use that [against PSG].

“I think when you are on the pitch, and you are playing against your direct opponent, you learn so much about them. And to face them next year, they will be better for that.”