The Champions League 1/8 match is released: Paris is signed, Real Madrid has suspense, and Inter Milan meets Atletico Madrid

For the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League, the draw for the 1/8 finals will be held on December 18, and the draw ceremony will be held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

After a tense draw process, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid were evenly matched, while Paris were drawn to the top draw, and the rest of the matchups looked strong and weak on the surface. However, the La Liga duo has more problems of their own, Barcelona vs. Napoli, Real Madrid vs. Leipzig, and the suspense of these two groups is relatively large.

Regarding the draw rules, teams in the same group and teams in the same association will be avoided, with the first team in the group being seeded and the seeded team playing against the unseeded team.

Among the top 16 teams in this Champions League, 4 La Liga teams have advanced, and these 4 teams are all seeded teams, so they directly meet the rules of avoidance of teams in the same association, and only need to avoid teams in the same group. There are 3 teams in Serie A and 3 teams in the Bundesliga, of which 3 teams in Serie A are all promoted as the second in the group, which also directly meets the avoidance rules of the same association. In addition, there are 2 teams in the Premier League, 1 in Ligue 1, 1 in the Eredivisie, 1 in the Portuguese Super League and 1 in the Danish Super League.

Review of the draw

England legend John Terry served as the guest of the draw and took the lead in drawing the Portuguese Super League giants Porto and avoided the Barcelona team in the same group. John Terry then drew Arsenal from the rest of the group tops. Therefore, in the 1/8 finals, Porto played against the Premier League giants Arsenal. The signing is not bad for Arsenal, and in the case of the away and then the home, there is a high probability that it will be able to pass the test if it withstands the away side.

Napoli were drawn in the second round to avoid Real Madrid in the same group, and then John Terry pulled Barcelona from the rest of the group tops. Therefore, in the 1/8 finals, Napoli will face Barcelona. Barcelona's probability of promotion is slightly greater than that of its opponents, after all, it has more experience in European competitions and its comprehensive strength is relatively stronger, but Barcelona's advantage is not obvious.

In the third round, Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain were drawn first, only to avoid Borussia Dortmund in the same group, and then Real Sociedad were drawn from the rest of the group tops. For Paris Saint-Germain, it can definitely be regarded as a signing, and Real Sociedad should be the relatively weakest group leader. Paris struggled to support themselves in the group stage, and now they have seen the light of day in the knockout round.

In the fourth round, Inter Milan was drawn first, Real Sociedad in the same group was drawn without evasion, and then Atletico Madrid was drawn. For both sides, the 1/8 finals are real tough battles, both sides have no absolute advantage, the victory or defeat or between the first line, the suspense of this group of duels is very large.

PSV Eindhoven were drawn out in the fifth round, Arsenal had been drawn without evasion, and then Borussia Dortmund was drawn to play against them. On the surface, it seems that Dort has drawn the upper lottery, but this season's Eindhoven is by no means a soft persimmon, leading the Eredivisie with 16 consecutive wins, Dortmund itself often drops the chain, and Eindhoven's promotion probability is not lower than Dort.

In the sixth round, Lazio was drawn first, and the Bundesliga team leader Bayern Munich was encountered. In the past, Lazio has always dragged the Serie A team back in the Champions League, and this season has performed well in the group stage, but the next game will be against the strong Bayern, and the Blue Eagles may not be able to escape this fate.

Copenhagen will be drawn first in the seventh round, and since Leipzig and Manchester City are in the same group and need to be avoided, Copenhagen is the only Manchester City to choose from. Therefore, Danish powerhouse Copenhagen will compete with Manchester City for a place in the quarterfinals, which is indeed difficult for Copenhagen, and the probability of breaking through to the quarterfinals is really low.

In the eighth round, Leipzig and Real Madrid competed for a place in the quarterfinals, and on the surface, Real Madrid had a clear advantage and a greater probability of advancing to the quarterfinals. But in fact, Real Madrid's problem is very serious, the team is full of injuries at this stage, and many main players cannot catch up with the 1/8 finals, and it is really difficult to say what the situation will be at that time.

Champions League 1/8 final schedule

The Champions League quarter-finals have been finalized, with the first leg starting on 13 February 2024 and eight matches being played on four matchdays over two weeks, with two matches on each day until the second leg is completed on 13 March. The quarter-finals will be played in April, and the semi-finals will be played from the end of April to the beginning of May. Alternatively, the final will be played on 1 June at London-Wembley Stadium.