NEW DELHI: The Champions League round of 16 draw on Friday revealed several high-profile matchups, including a Madrid derby, a German classic, and an intriguing clash between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Madrid, the defending champions who eliminated 2023 winners Manchester City, will face local rivals Atletico Madrid.
The two Madrid teams previously met in the finals of 2014 and 2016, with Real emerging victorious on both occasions.
In Germany, current Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen will take on defending champions Bayern Munich. The two sides recently played out a goalless draw in their domestic league encounter.
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Top-seeded Liverpool has been drawn against PSG, who were seeded 15th.
The two teams have only met in the 2018-19 group stage, where both secured home victories. Liverpool went on to win their sixth European Cup that season.
The first legs of these matches are scheduled for March 4-5, with return fixtures taking place the following week.
Barcelona, seeded second, will face Benfica, whom they recently defeated 5-4 in Lisbon. Arsenal draws PSV Eindhoven, while Inter Milan will compete against Feyenoord.
Club Brugge, who barely qualified in 24th place, will meet Aston Villa, a team they have already beaten this season. Borussia Dortmund has been paired with Lille.
The new Champions League format allows teams from the same country to face each other in the round of 16, enabling domestic matchups like the Madrid derby and the German clash. This was not possible under the previous format. Teams that met in the league phase can now also face each other again in the knockout stages.