Monday 17 December 2018, 12:03

Round of 16 draw sketches out road to Madrid

  • UEFA Champions League round of 16 draw throws up intriguing ties

  • Holders Real Madrid to face four-time champions Ajax

  • 2018 finalists Liverpool drawn against five-time winners Bayern Munich

The path to the final of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League became a little clearer today as the tournament's round of 16 draw was held in Nyon.

Several mouthwatering clashes between former champions were thrown up, including holders Real Madrid against Ajax, as well as a pair of five-time champions facing off: 2018 finalists Liverpool against Bayern Munich.

Familiar foes Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur will once more clash in continental competition, having faced off in the last 16 of the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League, and the group stage of last season's Champions League.

The pairing of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain is the only tie in the draw that has thrown up a first competitive meeting, with the European heavyweights set to compete for a place in the quarter-finals when the fixtures are played out in February and March next year.

The first legs of the Round of 16 will be played on the 12th and 13th, and 19th and 20th of February 2019, with the return legs to be played on the 5th and 6th and 12th and 13th of March 2019.