Champions League draw: Chelsea faces Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, and Manchester City faces Real Madrid

Chelsea will play defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the Champions League, while Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the knockout stages for the fifth consecutive season.

Although six Premier League clubs have qualified for the round of 16, there will be no purely English matches, as Arsenal will face leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

The draw was between Newcastle United and Barcelona, ​​Liverpool and Galatasaray, and Tottenham and Atletico Madrid.

The first-leg matches will be held on March 10 and 11, and the return matches will be held on March 17 and 18.

Newcastle play at home in the first leg with Barcelona, ​​while their Premier League rivals are all at home in the second leg having qualified for the round of 16 automatically.

Chelsea’s match with Paris Saint-Germain is a rematch of last year’s FIFA Club World Cup final, when the Blues beat the European champions 3-0 in New Jersey.

“It will be difficult but it is nothing to be afraid of for us,” Chelsea director of football David Barnard said.

“It’s too early to talk about the final, we have to think about each match individually. Now we have a strong opening match to face.”

Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool met their opponents during the league stage of this season’s competition, with City’s victory in Madrid in December marking their ninth meeting with Real Madrid since April 2022.

Hugo Viana, City’s director of football, said: “It’s a big game for both teams. It’s like a final, and we’re happy to go there again.”

Liverpool ambassador Ian Rush added: “I think our advantage is that the second leg will be at home. I think the atmosphere at Anfield is unparalleled, and I hope that comes into play.”

The path to the final is already known, and if Newcastle and Tottenham qualify, they will meet in the quarter-finals, as will Chelsea and Liverpool in the other half of the draw.

The final will be held at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, May 30.