After Christmas, the draw for the Champions League round of 16 was held at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland. Under the chairmanship of UEFA Secretary-General David Taylor and Marchetti, the round of 16 matchups were announced.

Defending champions AC Milan meet 2006 runners-up Arsenal, while city rivals Inter Milan meet last season's runners-up Liverpool.

Barcelona, who won the Big Ears Cup in Paris in May 2006, met Scottish champions Celtic.

The 1999 champions, Manchester United, faced Lyon, who had qualified for the round of 16 for five consecutive seasons.

Nine-time Champions League winners Real Madrid met Roma from Serie A.

Schalke 04, the only seed in the Bundesliga, was lucky against 2004 Champions League winners Porto.

The Champions League quarter-finals will be played on 19/20 February and 4/5 March, while the second leg of Inter Milan's clash with Liverpool has been moved to 11 March due to the sharing of a home stadium with AC Milan.

The Serie A top three matches can be said to be the most interesting of all the matchups, because they draw the best teams in Europe, and on the whole this is undoubtedly a sign for Serie A, and TGCom even used an extreme word like "nightmare" to describe the draw.

However, the nightmare is relative, and the opponents in the top three of Serie A are undoubtedly also having a headache, and it is a headache for all six teams.

Meeting Liverpool is not too much for Inter Milan, after all, with Inter's current strength and form, they do not need to fear any opponent in Europe. Instead, draw a team like Liverpool that looks stronger. It can stimulate the Nerazzurri to cheer up and avoid capsizing in the gutter. You must know that in the past two seasons, Inter Milan have lost to Villarreal and Valencia, who are far inferior to themselves, after being considered to have won the draw. The underappearance of the enemy was a big reason for the Nerazzurri's elimination. This time, something like that shouldn't happen again.

In terms of absolute strength, Inter Milan should be stronger than Liverpool. The overall strength of the Nerazzurri is currently rare in Europe, with most Italian experts agreeing that even the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United are far behind Inter Milan. What's more, compared to the vast majority of physically weaker Italian teams, Inter Milan's players are no worse than any English team, and even Lippi said that "Inter Milan have a perfect combination of body and technique". Therefore, in the face of Liverpool, in the case of physical parity, Inter Milan's technical advantages will be reflected.

Liverpool's strengths lie in defence and willpower. Rafael Benitez's side have historically been known for their defensiveness. The Reds, on the other hand, have the tenacity to impress Europe, which is the foundation of their successes in cup competitions, as evidenced by the Istanbul night's win over AC Milan. However, Liverpool has been constrained by the club's internal strife recently, and Benitez's battle with the club's top management has affected the team's combat effectiveness. It is doubtful that they will be able to show the indomitable spirit of the past in the Champions League.

Historically. Inter Milan have played Liverpool twice, in the 1964/65 Champions League semi-finals, where Inter Milan beat Liverpool 3-0 at home, losing 3-1 away, but still reaching the final on goal difference and eventually beating Benfica to lift the title. This gives Inter Milan a certain psychological advantage as well.

Real Madrid are the strongest opponent in the La Liga top three, and the Blancos will have to face Roma, who have the strongest upward momentum in Serie A. Barcelona and Sevilla drew Celtic and Fenerbach respectively, and the road to qualification seemed bright.

Last season, Real Madrid were knocked out by old rivals Bayern Munich. This time, the Blancos met Serie A upstart Roma again. In terms of reputation, Roma are indeed a formidable opponent. But from the analysis of the battle records between the two sides, the Red Wolves are Real Madrid's favorite opponent. Excluding Olympiacos, who are in the same group, Real Madrid only have an overwhelming advantage over Roma in the all-time meetings with the other seven group runners-up. Schalke 04 and Fenerbach have not played with Real Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Lyon are unbeaten against Real Madrid, and Celtic are also tied with the Galaxy Battleship with 1 win and 1 loss, and only Roma is pressed by Real Madrid with a disadvantage of 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses.

In the Champions League in the 01/02, 02/03 and 04/05 seasons, Real Madrid and Roma all met in the group stage. Surprisingly, Real Madrid managed to keep their win on the road against Roma. On September 11, 01, Real Madrid took an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Figo and Guti, and Totti pulled one back from the penalty but to no avail. On September 17, 02, Real Madrid swept Roma with three goals away, Guti scored twice, and Raul was the icing on the cake. On December 8, 04, Real Madrid swept Roma again at the Olympic Stadium, Ronaldo opened the scoring, and Figo scored two goals.

Historical results can only be used as a guideline, and with the current squad structure of the two teams, Real Madrid undoubtedly have the upper hand. Under Schuster's development, Real Madrid gradually approached a balance between attack and defence, which is what Roma lacked the most. Real Madrid's three generations of stars are all represented in the lineup, while Roma have a common problem of frizziness in young teams, as evidenced by Manchester United's 7-1 slaughter last season. The duel between Raul and Totti is also quite interesting, the Lord of the Rings ushered in the second spring of his career, but the Roman prince gradually lost himself in the injury after injury.

Regardless of the negative impact of Ronaldo in the Barcelona team, Barcelona must not be underestimated in terms of the strength of Celtic alone. Celtic forced AC Milan into extra-time last season and broke through this season with a 2-1 home win over AC Milan in a 2-1 win at home to the Anglo-Saxons. Celtic have long been angry about Barcelona poaching Larsson, and now they have a golden chance to get their revenge.

For Barcelona, Scotland is by no means a blessed place for them. In the confrontation with Scottish teams, Barcelona has 3 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses. Barcelona and Celtic have met six times, with Espanyol having a slight advantage with 2 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat, with the last meeting between the two sides coming in the group stage of the 04/05 season, when Barcelona were unbeaten 1-1 and 3-1 over two legs. In this season's group stage, Barcelona also won 1 and drew 1 against another giant, Rangers, and remained unbeaten. However, in the history of playing against the unknown Hibernian and Dundee United, Barcelona suffered a big loss. In the quarter-finals of the 60/61 UEFA Cup, Barcelona were eliminated by Hibernian 4-4 and 2-3, while Dundee United maintained an astonishing record of winning all four games against Barcelona.

If Barcelona still looks down on Celtic as European champions. Then what awaits Catalans is not necessarily flowers and applause.

The top of the eight groups all wanted to meet Fenerbach, but it was Sevilla, who entered the Champions League for the first time, picked up a big bargain.

The two teams have never met in their history and it promises to be a tight encounter. Both teams are based on Brazilians, but Sevilla are clearly the more impactful. Canute is the best goalscorer in La Liga, with Alves, Renato and Adriano capable of covering the entire midfield. Fenerbach relied on a group of veterans to win the world, Alex and Carlos were already over 30 years old, and it was difficult to guarantee that there would be no mistakes in the third-line battle. Champions League newcomers Sevilla. But it is the most promising to break through in the top three of La Liga.

Schalke 04, the only Bundesliga team, met Porto from Portugal, while Lyon, the "lone seed" of Ligue 1, was shared with Manchester United, and the mood of the Germans and the French can be described as very different.

It is believed that the result of the draw to Porto should satisfy the Schalke generals. Although the opponent won the Champions League in 2004, with the departure of Jose Mourinho and the departure of many key players such as Deco, the Portuguese powerhouse is no longer as brave as it once was, compared to the likes of Milan, Manchester United and Real Madrid. Being able to draw Porto is undoubtedly a top draw for Schalke 04.

Schalke did well in the Champions League group stage. They beat La Liga powerhouse Valencia to advance to the round of 16 as second in the group with a steady performance, which is impressive, while Porto are even better, they have Liverpool and Marseille from the Premier League and Ligue 1 in Group A to qualify as group winners, which shows that they have been in excellent form this season. The two teams are evenly matched in the group stage, with Porto having held Liverpool to a draw. Schalke also snatched a point from Chelsea. Therefore, the duel between the two sides can also be described as evenly matched.

Judging from the group stage, Schalke's fatal problem lies in the attack. They have scored just five goals in six games, all of which have been against Rosenborg, highlighting Schalke's lack of attacking prowess, but it has a lot to do with the injury to their leading scorer Kuranyi, which will be improved in the knockout rounds. Porto, on the other hand, conceded seven goals in the group stage and were not solid defensively, which also gave Schalke a good chance to win. However, compared to Porto, Schalke's lack of Champions League experience, especially in the knockout round, is a major weakness for them, this is the first time Schalke has entered the Champions League knockout stage in history, and their schedule is home and away, which is their disadvantage in objective conditions. Schalke's home stadium at the Stade Schalke is also seen as a blessing for them, as it was there they beat Monaco in 2004 to win the Champions League that season, and the Portuguese are looking forward to reviving their old dreams.

However, judging from the history of the Bundesliga team and the Portuguese team, the Germans have a clear upper hand, and in recent years, the Portuguese team has rarely had the opportunity to take advantage of the Bundesliga team, which I believe can also bring Schalke a lot of confidence. During this year's winter break, Schalke brought in strong reinforcements such as Streit, which was a big boost to their strength. However, Porto's Quaresma is a formidable opponent to be reckoned with, impressing in the group stage and certainly one of Schalke's opponents to keep an eye on.

In addition, Lyon from the French Ligue 1 encountered the Premier League giants Manchester United, which is definitely one of the opponents that Lyon does not want to meet, and in the history of European competition, Lyon twice challenged Manchester United without victory, this time it encountered Manchester United again, Lyon may also be more than lucky, in the face of Rooney, Xiao Luo and others to build a luxury army, the only star in the Lyon team is still a newcomer Benzema, the strength of the two sides has long been not at the same level, and Lyon, who has stagnated in the Champions League in recent years, is likely to hate the quarterfinals again.

Compared with Manchester United, who qualified for the group stage with 5 wins and 1 draw, Lyon's road to the group stage qualification can be described as bumpy, they were almost suppressed by Rangers, and the game with Barcelona is not dominant. If such a state wants to upset Manchester United, it will be difficult for Lyon.

In the Premier League, Arsenal's matchup with defending champion AC Milan and runners-up Liverpool and Inter Milan is particularly interesting; The less aristocratic Grant led Chelsea did not face a big team in the round of 16. Manchester United will play against Lyon, who have a rather "dark horse" temperament.

Liverpool and Arsenal advanced to the round of 16 as group runners-up, which actually laid the groundwork for the Champions League 1/8 finals to attract attention. As a result, Arsenal, the current Premier League leader, met the reigning Champions League champion AC Milan; Last year's runner-up Liverpool met Inter Milan, who currently occupies the pole position in Serie A, so that the top four of the Serie A Premier League will truly achieve the "right door", but the last time the two sides met in the "ancient times" of the two focus battles, making the taste of revenge slightly insufficient.

The collision of Serie A and the Premier League has become a major theme in the Champions League in recent years. Two of the last three Champions League finals have been played between Italian and British clubs. Especially the Rossoneri, who were able to win the club's 7th crown in the Champions Cup last time, can be said to have stepped on the "corpse" of the English team to climb the ladder to the top of Europe, Celtic in the 1/8 finals, Manchester United in the semifinals and Liverpool ...... in the final.

This time, AC Milan met Arsenal. It's not scary for the Gunners to face a tough opposition, Arsene Wenger has said before: "It's not that playing against big teams doesn't mean that there are all kinds of harm and no benefit, at least they have to play on the pitch to win." "The only meeting between the two clubs in Europe was in the Super Cup in February 1995. As a result, AC Milan won the championship with 1 win and 1 draw, and Arsenal also lost more than they won against the Italian club.

Edelman, a club official who attended the draw ceremony, said: "It's going to be an exciting matchup, a great game. Arsene Wenger has built a strong squad so we are confident. In the 1/8 finals, I don't think there will be a more exciting matchup than our collision. "Arsenal's two domestic matches before they met AC Milan were relatively average. So as long as they make sure their core players don't get injured, they will have a tough time with the Rossoneri.

Liverpool, who finished second in the group, will meet another Milan side from the city, reigning Serie A champions and current leaders Inter Milan. The Reds faced tough opponents Barcelona in the quarter-finals last year, but they also made it all the way to the final. In the case of the League Cup exit and little hope of winning the league, Benitez, who has a gap with the boss, can "save his life" is to lead the team to win the Champions Cup or FA Cup, of course, the former has a heavier negotiating weight than the latter, after all, the owner of Liverpool is not a traditional Englishman.

The club's chief executive, Parry, said: "We haven't played against them in a long time, they are a good team. The race is certainly tough, but it's not easy at this stage. 'The last time the two teams met was in the heyday of the Nerazzurri. The 'Big Boys' era, when both sides won on their home turf in the semi-finals, but the Nerazzurri advanced and defended their title with an aggregate score of 4-3. This time, Liverpool will test whether the opponent really ushered in the second "big man era". Like Arsenal, Liverpool's all-time meetings with Serie A clubs have been fewer defeats and more wins. Even a neutral fan in England said on the BBC's message board: If Liverpool is like this next year, they will definitely be beaten by Inter Milan if they go to Italy.

Manchester United met six-time Ligue 1 champions Lyon, and the British media became a sign of "Tricky", reminding the Red Devils that it seems simple to be vigilant, Lyon has never reached the last four in the Champions League, but the results in the last four seasons have been relatively stable. Ferguson's dream now is to take these children to lift the Big Ears Cup again, and although they have won consecutive championships in the domestic arena, it is not good to be humiliated by the Reds fans.

Manchester United and Lyon met in the group stage in 2004/05, with United drawing away and winning at home, but Lyon won the group top. Of course, the Red Devils have always had a good way of playing Ligue 1 teams, as long as they are in good spirits. Listen to what United official Aaron Ramsden said: "They are one of the good teams, but they are certainly not happy to meet us. "Some Manchester United fans gave the Red Devils advance support on the BBS, sealing Benzema's space, beware of Juninho's free kick Jr., and the rest will depend on the "new three saints".

As for Chelsea, Lyon and Roma were the only five potential opponents screened according to the rules, with the London Lions having the better luck to meet Greece's Olympiacos. English fans joked that the signing was for Chelsea to give them a break and then focus on the next stage of the competition. The two teams have never met before, with Chelsea unbeaten in their previous two meetings with the Greek club. Even Olympiacos' home stadium, the Kareskaschi Stadium, was the Blues' European birthplace, where they beat Real Madrid to win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1970/71.

As soon as the draw for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League was announced, there was no shortage of strong conversations in the eight matches. However, compared to last season's 1/8 finals. But there is a lack of meaningful matchups like Real Madrid vs Bayern and Mourinho's reunion with Porto.

But counting carefully, there are still a lot of stories worth playing in the round of 16 this time.

The battle between Italy and Britain is undoubtedly the biggest attraction in the 1/8 finals, and coincidentally, the opponents who are about to fight are barely called enemies. Liverpool had a glorious period in the '60s, winning the English top flight title in 1963/64 and 1965/66, but when they set their sights on Europe, Moratti Sr.'s 'Big Inter' stood in front of the Reds.

May 1965. Inter Milan and Liverpool met in the semi-finals of the Champions League, only to come back 3-0 at home after a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool. They eliminated Liverpool 4-3 on aggregate to advance to the final, and finally defeated Benfica in the final to defend their title.

The Nerazzurri stepped on Liverpool's corpse to win the Champions League, creating the myth of the era of big powers; Liverpool, on the other hand, were knocked out by Inter Milan when their first European title was within reach, and it took eight years. The Reds have only reached the top of the competition in Europe for the first time (the League Cup). And the first Champions Cup was 12 years late!

This is an unforgettable pain for the older generation of Liverpool fans, and the worst thing is that this reunion, Inter Milan still grasps Liverpool's sore feet and says things. "Meeting Liverpool brings back fond memories for me and hopefully this time we can relive our old dreams." Inter transfer chief Oriali said so. Red army? Of course, they want to rewrite history, but before they can do so, they have to heal the civil strife.

AC Milan and Arsenal have only met twice before, in the 1994 UEFA Super Cup. Arsenal won their last European trophy in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994 and then met Champions League champions AC Milan in the UEFA Super Cup that year. Two rounds of the contest. AC Milan drew 0-0 away at Arsenal and returned to home to win 2-0 to reach the top. Arsenal missed out on their seventh major trophy. "We have a psychological advantage." Galliani said.

At that time, Arsene Wenger had not yet taken over the Arsenal coach, and the Super Cup was not as important as the Champions Cup, and it was not a heartache. However, there is a new feud between the two teams, and just last month, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti went so far as to publicly disparage the Gunners who were on the verge of momentum at the time: "It's useless to play well now, the key to the Champions League is spring, when Arsenal is too young and the weakness of lack of experience will be exposed." "I didn't expect the two teams to meet as soon as the words fell, which gave the young Gunners the best chance to hit back at Carlo Ancelotti." Well, I'm sure it's going to be a great game. Arsenal managing director Edelman said.

The contest between Roma and Real Madrid seems to be very different in strength, but with the maturity of the Roma youth army in the past two seasons, it is actually difficult to predict the outcome of the battle.

Interestingly, Roma and Real Madrid were once the most affectionate rivals in the Champions League, with a surprising number of times between 2001 and 2004 when the two teams met. It is worth mentioning that in October 2002, Roma defeated Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu Stadium, which was the only win for Roma in the six meetings between the two sides, but broke Real Madrid's 35-year unbeaten history against Italian teams at home. What superteams such as Milan and Juventus could not do, the Roma did, may have left Real Madrid with more than just regrets.

As for Manchester United's clash with Lyon, it is inevitably reminiscent of the two group stage meetings in the 2004/05 season. At that time, although Lyon was at a disadvantage in the two-legged direct confrontation, one draw and one loss, they still beat Manchester United to become the top of the group, which directly led to the Red Devils meeting AC Milan in the 1/8 finals and finally being eliminated. This time they met again in the quarter-finals, and Manchester United will certainly want to leave the nightmare to their opponents. Interestingly, Lyon, as one of the player output bases, has to beware of "moles" when facing Manchester United, because Ben Arfa, a young player who has become popular this season, has revealed his good feelings for Manchester United. (To be continued......)