Who Can Real Madrid Draw in the UCL?

Real Madrid has qualified as first in their group as they now await the draw for the Knockout Round of the UEFA Champions League.

First, let’s take a look at who qualified in their respective groups:

Group A – 
1. Borussia Dortmund
2. Atletico Madrid

Group B – 
1. Barcelona
2. Tottenham Hotspur

Group C – 
1. Paris Saint-Germain
2. Liverpool

Group D – 
1. FC Porto
2. Schalke

Group E – 
1. Bayern Munich
2. Ajax Amsterdam

Group F – 
1. Manchester City
2. Olympique Lyonnais

Group G – 
1. Real Madrid
2. AS Roma

Group H –
1. Juventus
2. Manchester United

For those unfamiliar with the draw, there are two basic things that you need to know. First, the teams in first place will be drawn against a team from second place in their groups. Second, a team from one country cannot be drawn against a team from the same country. So for example, Real Madrid will not be drawn against Atletico Madrid.

Therefore, let’s take a quick look at the teams that could end up playing against Real Madrid once the draw is done on Monday:

Tottenham Hotspur
Now, this would be a game some may favour since knocking Tottenham out may in one way or another play into the fact that Pochettino can finally join Real Madrid. Unfortunately, I feel like one has nothing to do with the other and that Pochettino is a manager who knows how to beat Real Madrid. This is a much more difficult game than it looks.

Liverpool
Oh now, wouldn’t this be absolutely beautiful? With all the drama that surrounded the UEFA Champions League final last season, I bet a certain Real Madrid captain would be relishing another opportunity to show his capabilities in ‘comparison’ to players such as Dejan Lovren (if he’s picked of course).

Schalke
This is one of the easier draws that Real Madrid could get and one that they would be expected to win fairly easily. Unfortunately, the easier the game, the more Los Blancos suffer at times so you never know what to really expect.

Ajax Amsterdam
Personally, I would be really worried to play Ajax after watching some of their performances this season. With two absolutely wonderful talents in their team and a squad built around each other, it would be a winnable game but definitely very far from easy.

Olympique Lyonnais
They have their ups and downs but I think it’s safe to assume that they’ll definitely be at their best when stepping on the pitch against Real Madrid. Overall, they have their problems but they could be very dangerous when required.

Manchester United
Playing against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United is a weird feeling. He has them in shambles at times but there is no denying that he will know how to wake them up against the kings of Europe and they’ll want to be at their best as well. Not a good few years for the Red Devils but they can be a force when they want to be.

In conclusion, no opponent is easy for Madrid, with each posing a different challenge. For Solari and the squad, they must come together during the business end of the competition if they want to be successful.