LIVERPOOL DRAW RB SALZBURG IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16

The draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 was held in Nyon this morning and there were a couple of tasty matchups. Liverpool sealed qualification as winners of group B after a perfect haul of six wins from six.

As group winners, Jürgen Klopp’s side were seeded for the draw and could have been paired with anyone of six possible opponents including: Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Inter Milan, Benfica, Villarreal and Salzburg.

As it turned out, the six time European champions were paired against Austrian outfit RB Salzburg. Salzburg finished runners-up up behind Lille, impressively finishing above Sevilla and Wolfsburg.

They managed to win every single home game, with their two defeats coming away at Wolfsburg and Lille. They qualified for the knockout stages by beating Sevilla on Matchday 6.

They boast a handful of talented youngsters, with Karim Adeyemi the pick of the bunch. The youngster has even been linked with a move to Liverpool and this will be a chance to get a first hand close up of his prodigious talent.

Noah Okafor is another young talent Liverpool will have to be wary of. Salzburg are very much a conveyor belt of talent, it is a much changed side to the one Liverpool faced back in 2019/20.

Liverpool won both games against the Austrian outfit in the group stages back then, with a highly entertaining 4-3 home win preceding a crucial 2-0 victory in Austria on Matchday 6 to seal qualification.

That side was spearheaded by a certain Erling Haaland, ably supported by Takumi Minamino. It’s a return for the Japanese international, as he goes back to the club that put him on the map.

Naby Keita and Sadio Mané also passed through the Salzburg franchise on their way to international recognition. They are the perfect examples of the successful system being run by the Red Bull brand.

Who knows, maybe Michael Edwards will pluck another one from Salzburg’s crop of talents! Liverpool will be away from home for the first leg at the Red Bull Arena and host the return game at Anfield.

It is a draw Jürgen Klopp and his men will be happy with. Salzburg are a very talented young side but Liverpool’s experience and quality should prove too much for them over two legs. The Reds will be confident of progression to the quarter finals.

There were tasty pairings in the other side of the draw, with PSG vs Manchester United being the pick of the bunch as Messi and Ronaldo come face to face for what is likely to be the last time.

Elsewhere, Manchester City were paired against Villareal, whilst Chelsea will face French side Lille. Inter Milan vs Ajax is another exciting clash for the neutral, as is the clash of styles that Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich will offer.

Full draw:

• Benfica vs Real Madrid

• Villareal vs Manchester City

• Atletico Madrid vs Bayern Munich

• Salzburg vs Liverpool

• Inter Milan vs Ajax

• Sporting vs Juventus

• Chelsea vs Lille

• PSG vs Manchester United

The matches are scheduled to be played on February 15/16/22/23 (first legs) and March 8/9/15/16 (second legs).