NYON: One of the fiercest international rivalries in football will play out three times in the last-16 of the Champions League when a trio of English teams take on German opposition.

Five-time European champions Liverpool and Bayern Munich were drawn Monday to face each other, Man­chester City were paired with Schalke and Tottenham will play Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund.

“It was clear it would be difficult, they are obviously a top side,” said Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp, who lost the 2013 final to Bayern when coaching Dortmund.

“For me it’s nice, going to Germany.”

While Bayern is third in the Bundesliga, Liverpool lead the Premier League. Two goals from former Bayern winger Xherdan Shaqiri lifted Liverpool to a 3-1 win Sunday over Manchester United.

“They’re the team of the hour. They’re the league leaders in England,” Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said of Liverpool. “They play good football, they’re very physical and they’re full of energy.”

The first leg is at Anfield on Feb. 19 with the return match in Munich on March 13.

The draw included nine former champions with a combined 40 of the 63 Champions League or European Cup titles since the competition began in 1955.

Three-time defending champions Real Madrid were paired with Ajax. Real and Ajax have won 17 of those 63 titles those but have never met in a final.

The potential first-time winners include Paris St Germain will play Manchester United. The first leg is at Old Trafford on Feb. 12.

PSG are the runaway Ligue 1 leaders and won the toughest group ahead of Liverpool and Napoli, scoring a tournament-high 17 goals.

Man United’s loss at Liverpool left them in a distant sixth place and playing the kind of football under manager Jose Mourinho that is almost unrecognisable from their traditionally fearless attacking style.

“We’re obviously not playing well at the moment,” former United player Denis Irwin said at UEFA headquarters after the draw. “But we have got some fantastic players and a coach who knows how to win, and knows how to win this competition.”

In other matches, Barc­elona were drawn with Lyon, Serie A leaders Juve­ntus will take on Atletico Madrid and Porto will play Roma.

Man City, also seeking their first title, arguably got the weakest opponent on current form. Schalke are in 13th place in the Bundesliga.

“I would like to play on Wednesday, but I can’t, so we have to wait for February,” Man City sporting director Txiki Begiristain said, noting Schalke has a three-week break coming up. “They have the time to rest. Let’s see how they are in February, and how we are.”

Months after leaving Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo will return to the Spanish city with Juventus for the first leg against Atletico. The final on June 1 will also be played at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.

The first legs will be played from Feb. 12-20, with the second legs scheduled between March 5-13.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2018