Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid have passed their respective Champions League playoff tests and join Barcelona. The three teams will be the Spanish representatives who are in the pot of the draw for the round of 16 that takes place this Friday at the UEFA House of Football, based in Nyon.
In addition to the two Madrid clubs, they also sealed their passes to the next round of the top European competition on PSG, current championAtalanta, Galatasaray, Bodo-Glimt, Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen.
In addition to Barcelona, which is seeded after finishing in fifth place in the regular phase, the other seven that sealed the ‘top’ eight and that will have the home field factor in their favor are, in order of classification, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City.
The eight seeds, which are the first eight qualifiers from the regular phase, will face the other eight qualifiers from the round of 32 phase, but it will not be a pure draw, since it is directed and they are the ones who can go to one side of the draw, the blue, or the other, the silver.
He Real MadridPSG, Galatasaray, and Atalanta will go the other way silver box; Atlético de Madrid, Newcastle, Bodo-Glimt and Leverkusen for the blue route.
The first leg of the round of 16 will be played on March 10 and 11 and the return on the 17 and 18 of the same month. Atlético and Madrid will play the second leg away and Barcelona will play at home, as they are seeded.
Barça’s options according to the blue or silver route
The Blaugrana, the only Spanish team classified in the ‘top 8’, will have to overcome a difficult round of 16, either against Newcastle or against the current champion, PSG. Two tough bones to crack that will test their candidacy for a Champions League that will be sold very dearly.
In the event of being paired with the Premier team, Barça could face Atlético de Madrid in the quarterfinals and even meet Real Madrid in a hypothetical final that would be unprecedented.
This side of luck could happen if the culés fall on the blue route. On the other hand, if chance wants them to go the silver route, things will be very different and, a priori, more complicated.
The other possible combination is that they cross paths with PSG in the round of 16which comes from the play-offs, like last season when they were proclaimed champions, and after going through a lot of trouble against Monaco.
If Hansi Flick’s men manage to overcome this phase, they could meet the winner of the tie between Galatasaray and Liverpool or Tottenham in the quarterfinals.
Furthermore, if the path continues to be positive for Barcelona, in the semis there could be a Spanish Classic transferred to Europe when facing Real Madrid. And if we reached the grand final, on that side of the draw it would not be seen the faces with Atlético until ‘D’ day.
Atlético’s options, framed in the blue route
Likewise, Atlético de Madrid already knows which route they have to take, the blue one, so, no matter what happens, would not face Real Madridunder no circumstances, until the final in Budapest next May 30.
But before going that far, the rojiblancos will have to pass a litmus test that will determine the team’s level to aspire to a competition that historically resists them.
Simeone’s men have two options in the round of 16 and both come from the best league in Europe, the Premier League. Liverpool about Tottenhamthat is, scare or death. Whichever of the two, the requirement to be in the quarterfinals will be maximum.
If they achieve the pass, the ‘colchonero’ club would face the winner of the confrontation between Newcastle and Chelsea or Barcelonaso, in the best of cases, the Spanish teams could meet in the quarterfinals of the competition. At worst, he would have to continue overcoming Premier obstacles to reach the semis.
In the penultimate step before the grand final, Atlético could once again come across two English teams, Arsenal o Manchester City. The revelation of the tournament and ‘giant killers’, Bodo-Glimt, Sporting Lisbon, Leverkusen or Bayern Munich, could also reach the semis.
Whatever the goddess of chance decides, Atlético de Madrid would more than deserve to be in the final if they are able to overcome so many ‘bogeymen’. And in that Real Madrid could be in the last fightin what would be the third final between the two and where the rojiblancos would want to settle their historical debt with Europe and the eternal rival.
Real Madrid’s options, framed in the silver route
And for that hypothetical European derby to happen in Budapest, also the Real Madrid would have to overcome a path full of thorns along the silver route, where it has been framed for next Friday’s draw.
After beating Benfica in the play-offs, the Arbeloa boys wait to see who their rival will be in the round of 16. In the best of cases it will be another Portuguese team, el Sporting de Lisboa; at worst, Guardiola’s Manchester City It would once again be his touchstone in what is already a recurring crossover in the competition.
Madrid and City have faced each other, consecutively, on four occasions, so this could be the fifth. Last season, both met in the play-offs and it was Real Madrid that emerged victorious in a duel that is beginning to be a classic of the Old Continent.
If the 15-time European champions are able to recover from a more than irregular season, the winner of the Atalantawho came back in epic fashion against Borussia in the round of 32 tie, against Arsenal or Bayern.
And in Goddess Fortune’s mind there is also the possibility that Madrid would meet the Gunners again, their executioner from last year in the quarterfinals, that is, at the same level of the draw where they could meet this campaign. But that would only happen if Arsenal fall on the silver route on Friday.
If he is able to overcome these two very complicated rounds that await him, in the run-up to the final he could be measured al PSG, Chelsea o Barcelona, Galatasaray y Liverpool o Tottenham.
And if he achieves the highest and is able to get one of the two tickets to the final on May 30 at the Puskas Arena, there he could see himself with Atléticowith which you would only see in Budapest, and, even, with Barcelonaprovided that the culé team falls on the blue side of the table on Friday.
Many possible combinations for the three Spaniards on the road to glory, but until Friday it will not be known which of them fate will bring to Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid and Real Madrid.
