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The UEFA Champions League has finally reached the round of 16 and we are very excited to see how the league unfolds. A lot of the big teams qualified, while some that had the capability and talent to do so failed to qualify.
Teams that Qualified for the UCL Round of 16
The teams that qualified for the UCL Round of 16 include the following. From Group A, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). From Group B, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. From Group C, Ajax and Sporting Lisbon. From Group D, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan. From Group E, Bayern, and Benfica. From Group F, Manchester United, and Villarreal. From Group G, LOSC Lille, and RB Salzburg. From Group H, Juventus, and Chelsea.
Teams Going to the Europa League Group Stage
Teams that did not qualify for the UCL Round of 16 but came in third in their respective groups get a slot to play in the Europa League group stages. They include the following. From Group A, RB Leipzig. From Group B, FC Porto. From Group C, Borussia Dortmund. From Group D, Sheriff. From Group E, Barcelona. From Group F, Atalanta. From Group G, Sevilla, and Group H, Zenit.
Giants Fail to Qualify for the UCL Round of 16
Notable UCL giants such as Barcelona and FC Porto failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 this time round in what is a tell-tale to their dwindling quality of play. Other notable miss-outs include RB Leipzig, Sevilla, Sheriff, Zenit, and Atalanta.
These are top-tier teams in their respective countries and are very capable of bringing the heat to the European level. Their failure to qualify for the UCL Round of 16 is quite a shame and we hope they can pull up their socks and come the next time around well prepared. Their automatic qualification to the Europa League group stages is nothing short of a small consolation prize because these teams have the capability and talent to do far much better.
The UCL Round of 16 Results thus far
So far, only leg 1 of the Round of 16 has been played and some of the games are still being played this week. So far, PSG beat Real Madrid 1-0. Manchester City beat Sporting Lisbon 5-0. Bayern Munich and RB Salzburg drew 1-1 as Liverpool beat Inter Milan 2-0. The results so far can be taken as a good indication of the best teams in the UCL right now.
Manchester City and PSG are showing good effort as they are aching to lift the UCL trophy for the first time. Liverpool, the former champion, are keen to ensure this does not happen and are showing great defense of their championship. Bayern Munich have somewhat slumped but are still capable of lifting the UCL trophy again.
The UCL Round of 16 Fixtures
The first leg of the Round of 16 is still underway and we expect Chelsea to face LOSC Lille as Juventus faces Villarreal on the 22nd. Manchester United will face Atletico Madrid as Benfica face Ajax on the 23rd of this month. The second leg of the UCL Round of 16 will then kick off on 8th March. We are excited to see who qualifies for the Round of 8 and can’t wait to see how the league unfolds. Stay tuned.
