ENGLISH clubs have made history – with all FIVE teams qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.
It is the first time ever that five sides from a single country have made it through to the last 16 of the tournament.
Liverpool joined the party in style with a 7-0 demolition of Spartak Moscow that confirmed they qualified as Group E winners.
The victory meant four Premier League sides topped their Euro groups for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
And Philippe Coutinho’s hat-trick helped take Reds’ group goal tally to 23 — beating United’s record of 20 for a Prem side set in their Treble-winning season of 1998-99.
Manchester City lost to Shakhtar Donetsk, while Tottenham beat Apollon Limassol, but both Prem sides could relax ahead of their games – already confirmed as group-toppers in F and H respectively. Manchester United were already through, but sealed top spot with a 2-1 Group A win over CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Chelsea also knew they would be in the knockout stages, but a 1-1 draw hosting Atletico Madrid meant they slipped below Roma to finish second in Group C.
Here are the potential opponents for each of the five English teams in the Champions League last-16 draw…
Manchester United (Group A winners):
Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, Real Madrid.
Chelsea (Group C runners-up):
Paris St-Germain, Barcelona, Besiktas.
Liverpool (Group E winners):
Basel, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, Real Madrid.
Manchester City (Group F winners):
Basel, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Porto, Real Madrid.
Tottenham (Group H winners):
Basel, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto
The five Premier League giants will find out who they face in the last 16 at 11am on Monday 11 December when the draw takes place at Uefa’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
Each group winner will be drawn against a runner-up, with winners away for first legs on 13/14 and 20/21 February, and at home for the return games on 6/7 and 13/14 March.
Teams cannot be drawn against sides they faced in their group, or clubs from the same country. As Chelsea finished second, that means they cannot face Prem sides – but could land Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona as one of just four possible ties.
Things look a little rosier for the likes of United, City, Spurs and Liverpool.
But Spurs did the other three no favours by beating Real Madrid into second place, with Bayern Munich and Juventus also lurking for the group winners.
From The Sun
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