UEFA Champions League: Qualified Teams For Round Of 16 - Perfect Liverpool, Ajax The Underdogs, Cristiano Ronaldo FC

9 Dec 2021

Sports Illustrated

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UEFA Champions League Qualified Teams For Round Of 16 Perfect Liverpool Ajax The Underdogs Cristiano Ronaldo FC

Who has qualified for the Champions League round of 16? As the European competition gets to the knockout stage, we take a look at each team that is still in the competition and what they will bring to the table.

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola's men are the favourites for the competition, despite never taking the trophy back to Manchester. The blues came top of Group A, only just by a point to PSG, but did enough to get a favourable draw next round.

City have been dominant in most matches this season, but have struggled to finish teams off quite often. This lack of scoring will allow teams at this level every opportunity to punish them and stop them winning their ulitimate goal. A first Champions League trophy.

PSG

The French outfit have one of the best teams in the world. On paper. Unfortunately for them 'on paper' doesn't win you the major honours. Like their group opponents, PSG are yet to win the Champions League, but yet like Man City are one of the most fancied to do so this season.

With Lionel Messi finally in the scoring books, will the frightening front three be enough to secure PSG's first Champions League win? Their inconsistency could be their downfall when coming up against the bigger teams in Europe however in knockout, one performance can get you through.

Liverpool

Liverpool became the first ever English team to win all six group matches in the Champions League. They are currently on their best form in two years and look the most dangerous side in Europe. No one will want to draw the reds as their pedigree in Europe is second to none.

If Liverpool stay injury free, they can easily be seen as favourites in some people's eyes. Having won the competition already with this group pf players, they already have a mental advantage over most teams. Can Jurgen Klopp's men make it Champions League number seven?

Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone did it again. When it looked like his team were down and out, they pulled off an impressive 3-1 win away to Porto in the last group match to secure their place in the next round. The Spanish giants can be a tough team to beat and on their day, can make it difficult for any team.

With such a well drilled defensive structure and an attack with plenty of talent, Atletico Madrid can be a dangerous opponent and should not be ruled out.

Ajax

Could well be the surprise package of the season. Ajax, like Liverpool and Bayern Munich, also won all six group matches, scoring an impressive 20 goals in doing so.

Such an exciting team going forward with so many goal threats up top, Ajax are certainly a team to keep an eye on and won't be afraid of giving anyone a game. Whether they continue to progress or not, the games involving the Dutch side will be exhilarating.

Sporting Lisbon

Another team that are good on the eye. The Portuguese champions came second to the impressive Ajax side, but also looked decent in their other group matches. With the likes of Pedro Goncalves and Paulinho in the team, Lisbon have the talent to shock any team.

Having knocked Borussia Dortmund out, who can doubt them? Whoever gets them in the next round, will not be seeing it as an easy contest. Underestimate these at your peril.

Real Madrid

The biggest club in Europe weren't impressive, even losing to Moldavian side FC Sheriff, but they got the job done in the end and still managed to come top. As big as the club is, the team itself isn't quite what they used to be.

They did knock Liverpool out last year, but it was a completely different Liverpool team than they would meet this year. Yes Europe is in their blood but will that be enough to see an in-experienced side win the competition? They do have plenty of talent, but experience could let them down.

Inter Milan

The Italian champions were very poor in the group stage, but with FC Sheriff and Shakhtar Donetsk being their only contenders, Inter Milan were able to get out of the group in second place.

Edin Dzeko has done a good job so far replacing Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, but it's other positions that are letting Inter Milan down. They have been poor at the back and can't seem to get any real control of a game. They were the better team against Madrid but still ended up losing 2-0 and having a player sent off. Will their inability to control matches lead to an early exit?

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich are one of the favourites for the competition and rightly so. They have been sensational in the group, winning all six matches and leaving the rest of the group behind them. Robert Lewandowski has continued last season's form which doesn't bide well for other teams.

Alongside Liverpool and Manchester City, Bayern will be the ones to stop. If you want to win this competition, you will have to go through at least one of these three. Right now, you wouldn't want to draw either of them anytime soon.

Benfica

After a win in the last match and Barcelona losing to Bayern Munich, Benfica find themselves surprisingly in the next round. The Portuguese side have a decent team but find it hard to hit the next level, which could lead to trouble in the next round.

Attacking wise, they do score quite a lot but when it comes to facing the big boys, the standard of football could be too much for them. Discipline is something that needs working on, especially in this competition. You can easily be on the wrong side of a battering if discipline lets you down.

Manchester United

Manchester United are through because of one man. Cristiano Ronaldo. His late goals secured an early group victory for the Red Devils. With Ralf Rangnik now managing the side, they could well be a different animal.

However, it may be a little too late in the season for Rangnik to really work his magic and Manchester United could get found out when facing a much tougher team. Last minute goals only work if you are still in the contest at that point.

Lille

The French champions went on a brilliant run two years ago, even knocking Pep Guardiola's Manchester City out. They have such a talented squad, but like most teams left in the competition, lack of experience will cost them.

They haven't been too impressive this season and are yet to hit the levels of last season. Even though they finished top of the group, the next round will be difficult as the levels of competition left is just too high.

Salzburg

One of the most under-looked sides in Europe. Usually the birthplace of future superstars, Salzburg continue to hold their own and knock out some impressive European teams. Beating Sevilla on the last game secured qualification for the Red Bull side.

Liverpool target Karim Adeyemi will be one player to watch for the knockout stages. Will it be a step too far for the Austrian side or can they make a name for themselves?

Juventus

Juventus, somehow won the group. The Italian side are having a terrible season so far, especially domestically. In Europe they have had a couple of decent games but aren't pulling up trees.

Despite losing Cristiano Ronaldo, they still have a very talented team, so they could progress further in the competition. However, I believe Chelsea have made them look better than what they are.

Chelsea

What a poor European campaign for the defending champions so far. A last minute goal conceded against Zenit pushed Chelsea down to second and will now face a much tougher opponent for the next round.

If they avoid Bayern Munich, they will probably be favourites to go through. They do need to get out of their bad rut really quickly, otherwise a season that looked good could easily turn into a disaster.