The reporter reported coldly On February 21, the knockout draw for the new Champions League ended, because of the setting of the "imitation Swiss round", the draw for the round of 16 is very different from the traditional Champions League. The randomness of the matchups, and the fact that there is no avoidance of the domestic team, makes the first new Champions League round of 16 match a refreshing thrill.

For Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid, the Champions League knockout draw is still a "hell script" that has been somewhat numbed in recent years. Real Madrid had just eliminated Champions League champions Manchester City two years ago in the play-offs and were about to face the Madrid derby in the quarter-finals. If it passes, Real Madrid is likely to meet the top two in the Premier League, Arsenal and Liverpool. It seems that whether it is the old Champions League or the new Champions League, Real Madrid's "hellish physique" has not changed.

Since 2014, the Galaxy Fleet has met city rivals Atletico Madrid five times in the knockout rounds of the Champions League in 12 years. As for the knockout rounds against the three Premier League giants, Real Madrid have also experienced two consecutive seasons in 2021/22 and 2022/23. This year, most likely, it will be the third time.

Since the Champions League final in Lisbon in 2014, the Madrid derby has become a high-frequency classic matchup in the knockout rounds of the Champions League in recent years. Carlo Ancelotti's last time in charge of Real Madrid was against Atletico Madrid in the knockout rounds of the Champions League for two consecutive seasons. Sergio Ramos' stoppage-time equalizer in 2014 ushered in the golden era of the Champions League in the second phase of Real Madrid's Galaxy Fleet. From 2014 to 2017, the Madrid derby was the highlight of the Champions League knockout rounds every year. Real Madrid won the final in 2014 and 2016, and in 2015 and 2017 they eliminated Atletico in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. After a gap of eight years, the knockout round of the Champions League will usher in the fifth Madrid derby.

The Madrid derby in La Liga this season has drawn two between the two teams, and coincidentally, if both Madrid giants can make it through the Copa del Rey semi-finals, the final will also be a Madrid derby. In the Champions League knockout round, Atletico Madrid had an absolute disadvantage against Real Madrid in the previous 6 games, 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses, especially the two finals defeats in 2014 and 2016, which had a great psychological blow to Atletico Madrid. However, the last time the two teams met in Europe, it was also Atletico Madrid who won (UEFA Super Cup 2018).

Simeone has sent a letter of war to Real Madrid: "Real Madrid? Great opponents, this is really big game. Real Madrid is very calm: after all, they have won the Madrid derby in the previous four Champions League knockout rounds, and the only one that failed to win the championship was in 2015, and they also reached the semi-finals. As for the possibility of meeting Arsenal and Liverpool in the quarter-finals? Real Madrid has a history of winning three Premier League teams in a row.

In addition to the Madrid derby, there are two groups of giants in the Champions League 1/8 finals. Liverpool, who finished first in the first half of the league stage, faced Paris, and Enrique's French giants had just finished the play-offs with a huge 10-0 scoreline. Grand Paris has been out of the Premier League in the last three Champions League knockout rounds, but Enrique has played against English teams twice in the Champions League knockout rounds when he was in charge of Barcelona before, and both defeated their opponents to advance, but the psychological advantage is obvious. He has only been in charge of Paris for two seasons, and has won 1-2 against English teams in the Champions League three times, but this year he won against Manchester City, which has been plagued by injuries. In the 1/8 finals against Liverpool, who topped both the Premier League and the Champions League, Enrique will obviously not be too optimistic. However, after this big matchup, the winner will face Aston Villa or Club Brugge, which is almost a "guarantee" to the last four.

The civil war between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in the second half of the game can be called a continuation of last season's title contest. The two teams have also drawn two league games this season, but Bayer Leverkusen eliminated Bayern Munich in the cup to have a psychological advantage. The 1/8 final of the Champions League is regarded as a "double revenge" for Bayern for last season's Bundesliga and this season's German Cup.

Barcelona, who are in the bottom half of the table with Bayern, were drawn to the upper draw. In the 1/8 finals, Benfica has already played in the Champions League, and if they can advance, they will face weaker opponents such as Borussia Dortmund or Lille. On the road to the semi-finals, compared with Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Bayern, which are going to be strong in the 1/8 finals, Barcelona has the best signing luck, and the road to promotion is the easiest.

Perhaps because Real Madrid is too familiar with the "hell script", after the draw for the Champions League knockout round, Real Madrid is still the top favorite to win the title, but the lead has narrowed. It was followed by Barcelona, who were drawn to the top draw, after all, the difficulty of Barcelona entering the semi-finals is relatively low in terms of strength on paper. Liverpool and Arsenal are tied for third place,