A glamour ceremony to be held in Nyon, Switzerland, today will unveil the much anticipated pairings for the knockout phase of the Champions League, as the 16 remaining teams continue their quest to reach the May 25 final at Wembley.
A fresh champion will lift one of the most recognisable trophies in the game after holders Chelsea suffered the humiliation of becoming the first defending champions to exit following the group phase.
Perennial favourites Barcelona go into the hat for next February’s matches, as the team everyone wants to avoid, although fellow pool winners Manchester United, Paris SG, Borussia Dortmund, Malaga, Juventus, Schalke and Bayern Munich are all guaranteed to avoid the four-time champions as seeded teams.
Real Madrid who won the last of their nine European Cups in 2002, are the pick of the second-placed group teams although along with Valencia, they cannot face their Catalan arch-rivals as teams from the same country cannot face each other until the quarter-finals.
Celtic are the only other side from the runners-up that include Porto, Galatasaray, Shakhtar Donetsk, Milan and Arsenal, who are certain to avoid Barcelona.
Paris SG, who make their first appearance in the knockout stages since 1995, had the best record in the group round as two-time competition winner Carlo Ancelotti guided the mega-rich capital outfit to five wins and one defeat – 0-1 against Porto.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho who guided Porto and Inter to unexpected crowns in 2004 and 2010 respectively, prophesised that 1997 champions Dortmund can go all the way under Juergen Klopp, after pipping his team to top spot and finishing undefeated.
Manchester United, who won the first of their three European Cups in 1968, are another team to avoid.
Although they went out in the group phase last season, manager Alex Ferguson has again tweaked the Old Trafford juggernaut with the inspired signing of Robin van Persie who has already combined with Wayne Rooney for 19 domestic goals, including his league leading 12.
Juventus took four points off Chelsea including a 3-0 home thrashing and a 49-game unbeaten run in Serie A speaks for itself as the Serie A champions bid for their third title after wins in 1985 and 1996.
Another group winner to look out for is Malaga who are in the competition for the first time in club history thanks to some inspired leadership from Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini.
The cash rich Costa del Sol outfit finished well clear of Milan to set them up nicely for today’s draw.