Messi battles Neymar as Liverpool face German guns
Barcelona will face Paris St Germain and past striker Neymar even while title holders Bayern Munich are against Italy's Lazio within the last 16 of the Champions League after UEFA's draw happened on Monday.
The clash of Lionel Messi and Barca with last year's runners-up PSG is a repeat of their exceptional meeting at the same stage in 2017 when Barca overcame a 4-0 first leg damage to beat the French club 6-1 in Spain with Neymar scoring twice for the Catalans.
"We know them (PSG) well, they have got some outstanding players. Paris need to struggle for the Champions League, this past year they came very near to winning it plus they want to choose one better this time around round, but we have something to say about that," explained Guillermo Amor, Barcelona's Director of Institutional Relations.
Bayern begins as favourites in their tie but will be skeptical of Simone Inzaghi's Lazio workforce who have reached this stage for the first time in 20 years.
"Lazio are a distressing opponent, you saw that found in the group," said Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. "It will always be uncomfortable against Italian clubs."
Premier League champions Liverpool will take up last year's semi-finalists RB Leipzig creating a good match-up between Germany's just about all highly rated fresh coach Julian Nagelsmann of Leipzig with Liverpool's Juergen Klopp, the country's number 1 coach. Liverpool happen to be unbeaten in their previous ten matches against German clubs in every European competitions, a work heading back to 2002.
13-occasions European champions Real Madrid encounter Serie A golf club Atalanta, who reached the quarter-finals in their first Champions League marketing campaign last season. Real have gained ten of their last eleven game titles with Italian clubs.
Atletico Madrid will deal with Chelsea in a casino game which could are the come back of striker Diego Costa to Stamford Bridge. Manchester Metropolis will need on Borussia Moenchengladbach, who will be within the last 16 for the very first time in the Champions League era.
Italian champions Juventus will face Porto, a game where Cristiano Ronaldo will go back to his homeland Portugal.
Both legged ties will be played from Feb. 16.
