Europe's Top Football Leagues: The Historical Legacy
This blog is a glimpse into the success of Europe's top football leagues.
14 December 2023
After the bunch of games that brought exhilarating tension and unbelievable moments, now we are on the way to Wembley for the knockout stages this February.
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We take a look at the eight pairings for the Champions League last-16:
FC Porto vs Arsenal
Europe-wise, FC Porto has a better history of achievements in comparison with Arsenal. The Dragões defeated Bayern Munich to lift the 1987 European Cup trophy. In addition, in 2004, Porto accomplished the highest achievement when they won the Champions League under the management of José Mourinho, which was undoubtedly a landmark in the early career.
However, Arsenal has also had its share of success in the Champions League, reaching the final in 2006 and facing FC Barcelona, although lost. Firstly, in 2010, the team got as far as the semi-finals but lost to Manchester United, the defending champions. The earlier Champions League knockout stage meeting between these teams dates back to 2010. Porto won the 1st leg game 2-1, with Radamel Falcao scoring the only goal but it was Arsenal’s turn to retaliate when they scored 5 goals in the second leg game.
Estádio do Dragão will stage the Porto vs Arsenal face-off on the 21st February and Dragões will visit the Emirates Stadium on 12th March.
Napoli vs FC Barcelona
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The first time these teams played one another in the Champions League was also here at this round of the Covid-19 disrupted 2019/20 season. Barca smashed 3-1 to Camp Nou, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez amongst the goals, following a 1-1 draw in Naples.
Barcelona have been five-time victors of this trophy, where four of them were in the Champions League era. The Catalan club pulled off impressive victories against Manchester United in both the 2009 and 2011 finals, and later Juventus in 2015.
Napoli have never gone beyond the Round of 16 in their European tournaments, losing to the Chelsea team that eventually won in 2012 and the Real Madrid team in 2017.
The Catalans will visit Estadio Diego Armando Maradona on 21st February and the next match will be at Olympic Stadium on 12th March.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) vs Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad hasn't quite made a significant mark in the Champions League era. Their journey to the Round of 16 in 2003/04 marked a notable milestone, but they haven't revisited the knockout rounds until this current season.On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain has been a contender for continental success, finishing as runners-up to Bayern Munich in 2020. Despite reaching the semi-finals in 2021, the Parisians faced four consecutive quarter-final exits from 2013 to 2016. Interestingly, these two teams have never crossed paths on the pitch before being drawn together in the Champions League Round of 16 for the 2023/24 season.
PSG will host Real Sociedad at the Parc des Princes on 14 February, with the return leg scheduled for 5 March at Estadio Anoeta.
Inter Milan vs Atletico Madrid
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Inter Milan showed their strength in the beginning and were the European Cup winners in 1965 and 1966, when Real Madrid was the reigning European champion. Several years later the Nerazzurri collected the Champions League trophy in 2010. José Mourinho’s team was victorious against Bayern Munich in the final and thus managed to win three trophies, which were the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles.
In 2014, Atletico Madrid was ranked as the runners-up of the Champions League, but that was not the case in 2016 when they lost again, this time to their neighbors and rivals Real Madrid.
Inter and Atletico have squared off once only before, back in 2010's UEFA Super Cup. Atletico, which was the Europa League title-holders at the time, had Sergio Agüero on the scoresheet that night in a 2-0 win against the-Champions League title-holders Inter.
Atletico de Madrid will make their first ever appearance at the mythical San Siro stadium on 20 February. Inter Milan, in turn, travel to Estadio Metropolitano on the 13th of March.
PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund
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In 1988, no team could prevent PSV Eindhoven from winning the European Cup, as Guus Hiddink’s team just barely outplayed Benfica in the shootouts. Apart from that, Borussia Dortmund have achieved the title of the European champion in 1997, when they won the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Juventus.
The match between PSV and Dortmund marked the third encounter of the pair in their history. The two teams took on each other in the 2002/03 Champions League group, with Borussia Dortmund winning 3-1 at the Dutch Stadium before playing 1-1 in a tie at the Westphalian Stadium. PSV and Dortmund will clash on 20 February at Philips Stadion and the second fixture is due to be played at Signal Iduna Park on 13 March.
Lazio vs Bayern Munich
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The Bavarian team have been six-time European champions, including one apiece in the Champions League era. In 2013, Bayern Munich beat Borussia Dortmund in Wembley Stadium, which will be the venue for the final next year. The unforgettable triumph against PSG in 2020 was another highlight.
However, Lazio, at least, have never seriously been able to get into the race to win the UEFA Champions League. In 2021, LAFC's fairytale got crushed by the Red Bulls from the German capital, Bayern, in the Round of 16.
Lazio had to deal with the stigma of not being able to knock out Bavarians who were not only the Champions League holders of the year but also had scored a 6-2 aggregate win over Lazio beating them home and away with Lewandowski scoring both at home and away.
On February 14th, the visitors at the Stadio Olimpico will be Bayern Munich. On 5th of March, Lazio will play their guests at their home turf at Allianz Arena.
FC Copenhagen vs Manchester City
The current titleholders will have to go to Copenhagen in the Danish city to defend their valuable trophy.
FC Copenhagen being the team that most of the group winners would have preferred to have met, Manchester City is already looking to the quarter-finals. The burying of the hatchet between the two sides occurred when they met at the group stage in 2022/23, and City thumped the Danes 5-0 home and away.
The Citizens will play at the Copenhagen venue on the 13th of February while Manchester City will then visit the home of the champions on the 6th of March. Book the Copenhagen vs Man City tickets on 1BoxOffice.
RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid
Finally, an epic encounter from underdogs David and Goliath will conclude the Round of 16.
RB Leipzig's rise to prominence has witnessed some steady progression over the past decade in Europe.
Real Madrid, on their side, are reigning champions for 14 championships. Los Blancos became the first team to secure three trophies in a row and that was followed by their recent victory at Europe’s throne in 2022.
The Real Madrid team under the leadership of Carlo Ancelotti got a 2-0 victory at home against these rivals in the match of the group stage of 2022/23 season. The slightly better outing for the Leipzig side was a 3-2 win against Real Madrid at the Red Bull Arena as both teams are now in the last-16.
This blog is a glimpse into the success of Europe's top football leagues.
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