With the Champions League last-16 ties now accomplished, clubs might be establishing their quarter-final clashes at the identical time.
That’s because when the last draw was made, the whole path to the ultimate in Munich was mapped out for every team.
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After topping the league phase, Liverpool were handed a really tough tie against a newly rampant Paris Saint-Germain side.
The Reds stole a 1-0 win in Paris last week heading into the second leg.
Nevertheless, they were beaten 1-0 on the night at Anfield before losing 4-1 on penalties to crash out of the Champions League.
No issues for Arsenal and Aston Villa though as they sealed their places within the quarter-finals of the competition with ease.
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The Gunners beat PSV Eindhoven 9-3 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw on the Emirates Stadium while Villa’s easy win over Club Brugge on Wednesday sees them through 6-1 on aggregate.
Villa have been rewarded with a tie against Liverpool’s conquerors PSG, while Arsenal will face record winners Real Madrid.
Speaking of which, there was also an enormous twist within the Madrid derby tie, which Real won 4-3 on penalties.
The important thing moment within the shootout saw Julian Alvarez’s strike, which beat Thibaut Courtois, was deemed illegal because the Argentine inadvertently kicked the ball twice as he slipped when running as much as take the spot-kick.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona and Inter Milan sealed their place within the quarter-finals.
Normally, fans would then be awaiting a quarter-final draw after the last 16, but that is different this yr.
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We already know who each team will face on their path to the ultimate after the whole draw was mapped out.
With the English teams on the identical side of the draw, it also means it could lead on to an Arsenal vs Villa semi-final.
On the opposite side of the draw, Barcelona and Bayern Munich know they’ve their work cut out to achieve the ultimate at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Barcelona saw off Benfica within the last 16, while Bayern thrashed Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 on aggregate to maneuver into the subsequent round.
Barca will come up against either Borussia Dortmund, who edged past French side Lille on Wednesday night with a 3-2 aggregate win.
As for Bayern, they are going to play Inter Milan, who saw off Feyenoord 4-1.
It implies that Barca could face Bayern within the semi-finals – a repeat of their league phase meeting from October, which saw the Spanish side ease to a 4-1 win.
Below is the path to the ultimate, with each team’s road to Munich mapped out…
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Champions League draw: What has been said?
After losing to PSG over two legs, Liverpool manager Arne Slot was stuffed with praise for his team.
Speaking after the sport, he said: “It was the most effective game of football I even have ever been involved in.
“It was an incredible performance, especially in case you compare it with last week. We were creating probabilities after which we were 1-0 down. We ran out of luck after last week.
“We played the proper game, aside from scoring a goal. It was much like Paris last week, once they played the proper game. After which in additional time, they were perhaps a bit of bit higher.”
