Champions League

Who could Barcelona face in the last 16 of the Champions League?

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 12 December 2019

Sports Mole looks at who Barcelona could face in the last 16 of the Champions League, including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli.

Barcelona won their Champions League group for the 13th season in a row and also extended their competition record for number of unbeaten group campaigns to 13 despite being drawn alongside Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund.

A 2-1 win over Inter at San Siro on matchday six with a weakened team confirmed that latter record, with the Spanish giants cruising through to the last 16 as they try to atone for last season's incredible semi-final collapse at Anfield.

A rematch against Liverpool is off the cards for now with the holders in pot one alongside Barcelona, in addition to Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Paris Saint-Germain and Valencia.

Competition rules mean that Barca cannot be drawn against Clasico rivals Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the next round despite both being in pot two, while they will not face Dortmund either having been in the same group as them.

The five-time winners are therefore left with five potential opponents in the last 16: Atalanta BC, Chelsea, Lyon, Napoli and Tottenham Hotspur.

Barca beat Chelsea in their most recent meeting, but that is their only triumph from their last nine meetings with the Blues inside normal time, including a semi-final aggregate defeat in 2012.

Ernesto Valverde's side do have an overall winning record against Chelsea, though, and the same is true against Tottenham Hotspur, a team they have never lost against and beat in the group stages last season.

Barcelona will learn their fate when the draw begins at 11am in Nyon on Monday, with the first legs due to take place on February 18 and 19.