UCL Round 16: Osimhen’s Napoli Face Frankfurt, Liverpool Handed Real Madrid Rematch

Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen and his Napoli side will square off against Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

The draws for the Round of 16 of this year’s UEFA Champions League took place in Nyon Switzerland yesterday.

Only three Nigerians made it out of the group stages. Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge), and Zaidu Sanusi (Porto) are the only Super Eagles stars that survived the group stage.

Napoli qualified as table toppers in group A, above Liverpool, Ajax, and Rangers. While Porto won group B, above Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen, and Atletico Madrid.

In the draws, all the Nigerians involved got pretty decent opponents.

Osimhen and his Napoli teammates play Eintracht Frankfurt in the next round; Onyedika and his Club Brugge side were pitched against Benfica; and finally, Sanusi’s Porto will trade tackles with Inter Milan

Meanwhile, Liverpool will have the chance to avenge last season’s Champions League final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid after they were drawn to face the holders again in the last 16.

Paris Saint-Germain were drawn to play Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 2020 final which was won by the German club.

Manchester City will play RB Leipzig and 2021 winners Chelsea also drew German opposition in the shape of Borussia Dortmund.

After topping their group thanks to a last-gasp winner away to Marseille last week, Tottenham Hotspur were given a tough draw against Italian champions AC Milan.

The first legs of all last-16 ties will be played in February with the return matches in March.

The final of this season’s Champions League will be held in Istanbul on 10 June next year. The Turkish city was supposed to host the final in 2020 and again 2021.

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