Familiar foes lurk as English sides prepare to learn European fates
ENGLISH clubs will hope to avoid some familiar foes when the draw for the next rounds of European competitions are made today.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City are all in the pot for the last 16 of the Champions League, while Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton await their opponents in the last 32 of the Europa League.
Jose Mourinho’s Premier League leaders have five possible opponents, with Paris Saint-Germain, who they beat in last season’s quarter-finals, and Juventus the most daunting. The Blues could also meet Bayer Leverkusen, Basel and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Arsenal and City could be drawn against the teams that eliminated them at the same stage last year, Bayern Munich and Barcelona respectively, while both will be desperate to stay clear of reigning champions Real Madrid, currently on a 19-match winning run.
Group winners are drawn against runners-up, but teams cannot face others from the same country in the last 16 or those who progressed from the same group.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Group winners
■ Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Monaco, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Chelsea, Porto
Runners up
■ Juventus, Basel, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Schalke, Shakhtar Donetsk