It will soon become obvious which teams have a good chance of winning the trophy…
The re-emergence of the Champions League after Christmas always sparks excitement in football fans and pundits alike. We can once again marvel at the continent’s best taking each other on, and as the teams are thrown straight into a knockout tournament.
There’s potential for plenty of exhilarating encounters as genuine contenders for the trophy begin to filter through to the latter stages.
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We give the power ranking for the last 16 of this season’s competition:
16 – Monaco (Group C winners, 3-2-1, 11 points)
Monaco won their group, but didn’t have to play any of the big boys and they are sitting fourth in Ligue 1 and aren’t looking likely to mount a title challenge. The Principality side will do well to get past their tie against heavyweights Arsenal as their squad simply isn’t good enough.
15 – FC Basel (Group B runners-up, 2-1-3, 7 points)
Did well to qualify from their group, pipping a lacklustre Liverpool to the second placed spot but weren’t especially convincing themselves. Basel were given a favourable draw against Porto for the last 16 and have every chance of progression, but that would surely be their ceiling.
14 – Bayer Leverkusen (Group C runners-up, 3-1-2, 10 points)
The last 16 is not uncharted territory for the 2002 finalists, though they are struggling at sixth in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen are playing last year’s finalists in Atletico Madrid, so a quarter-final place looks a long way off for the side which was humbled 10-2 on aggregate by Barcelona at this stage in 2012.
13 – Schalke 04 (Group G runners-up, 2-2-2, 8 points)
Schalke struggled to get out of the group, having to leave it to the last match day to pip Sporting Lisbon by one point. They are playing Real Madrid in the round of 16 and it really, considering the German side conceded 14 goals in their six group games, should be a routine win for Los Blancos.
12 – Shakhtar Donetsk (Group H runners-up, 2-3-1, 9 points)
Everything suggests the Ukrainian side will be heading out at this stage. They only squeaked past Athletic Bilbao in their group and are five points behind league leaders Dynamo Kiev in the Ukrainian Premier League and are playing the seemingly unstoppable Bayern Munich. That said, the Miners have been known to shock one or two heavyweights in the past and have the tournament’s top scorer in Luiz Adriano who has scored nine.
11 – Borussia Dortmund (Group D winners, 4-1-1, 13 points)
Having a shocking season in the Bundesliga and look to be fighting relegation, but can step it up in Europe as evidenced in their group stage performance. Their draw against Juventus looks tricky, but who knows this season with Dortmund.
10 – Manchester City (Group E runners-up, 2-2-2, 8 points)
Started off their Champions League campaign pretty poorly, but rescued it with a stunning 3-2 home win against Bayern Munich and an impressive 2-0 away win at Roma. They have been given one of the hardest draws against Barcelona which is the reasoning behind their lowly standing, but if they can recreate the form which saw them make it out of the group it’s entirely possible they could be contenders.
9 – Porto (Group H winners, 4-2-0, 14 points)
Impressive in the group stage, in what was deemed to be the easiest of the lot. They have been given a draw they will be pleased with against Basel and are currently struggling in the Portuguese league, seven points behind leaders Benfica. Possible, but unlikely to repeat the feats of 2004 under Jose Mourinho.
8 – Arsenal (Group D runners-up, 4-1-1, 13 points)
The Gunners are possibly the biggest enigma of European football as they have appeared in 17 consecutive Champions League tournaments, but have never won it. Arsene Wenger’s side are looking good for another year of Champions League football at the moment in the Premier League and Monaco shouldn’t pose them too many problems, though Arsenal did struggle against Anderlecht in the group.
7 – Juventus (Group A runners-up, 3-1-2, 10 points)
The Old Lady are looking a good bet for yet another Scudetto, but it’s a long time since they mounted a serious push for European honours. They only beat Greek side Olympiakos out of the group by one point, but have been drawn against Dortmund, who are having a torrid season domestically, in the next round – get past that and it could be on for the Italians.
6 – Atletico Madrid (Group A winners, 4-1-1, 13 points)
It would be unfair to say Atleti eased through their group which was tightly contested, though they did win it. They have fallen away in La Liga’s title race, sitting seven points off city rivals Real Madrid and as such could be eyeing the trophy they missed out on last year, having lost in the final. Manager Diego Simeone is a tactical genius and seems to constantly pull rabbits out of hats, it wouldn’t be an upset for Atletico Madrid to lift the trophy.
5 – Paris Saint-Germain (Group F runners-up, 4-1-1, 13 points)
Impressive in the group stage and managed a home victory against much fancied Barcelona. Drawn against 2012 winners Chelsea in the next knockout round, the side who put them out in the quarter-finals last year, and will be wary of a much improved Blues. Should they progress Les Parisiens will have very little to fear
4 – Chelsea (Group G winners, 4-2-0, 14 points)
Chelsea had a routine progression through the group stage and look to be the Premier League’s best bet to win the Champions League. They are much improved on the side which lost to Atletico Madrid in the semi-final last year, with additions like Cesc Fabregas and ex-Atleti player Diego Costa making them a different proposition.
3 – Real Madrid (Group B winners, 6-0-0, 18 points)
Currently top of La Liga by four points and drawn to Schalke in the last 16. The current holders breezed through their group by winning every game, scoring 16 goals and conceding only twice in six games. They look a great bet to progress past this stage and will take some stopping.
2 – Barcelona (Group F winners, 5-0-1, 15 points)
Only PSG beat the Catalan side in the group stages as they raced to knock-out stage qualification. They look irresistible at the moment and Manchester City will have to go above and beyond to get past them. It can be done but with a front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar firing on all cylinders the odds are in Barca’s favour.
1 – Bayern Munich (Group E winners, 5-0-1, 15 points)
The German side are a steamroller of consistency at the moment and go into the Champions League last 16 with the memory of their 8-0 demolition of Hamburg fresh in their memory. They lost to Manchester City, though they had already qualified and as a result were not at full strength. If they carry on in the same vein of form they have shown so far, they have to be favourites.