Four possible opponents that Barcelona can face in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have already directly qualified to the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The Catalan giants, following their 2-2 draw against Atalanta recently, have secured their place in the knockout stages as the top draw alongside Liverpool. However, Barcelona will need to wait until the playoffs are over to know their opponents.

With a total of 24 teams left in the competition, eight have already gone through directly the the Round of 16. However, teams placed 9th or below all the way till the 24th-placed team in the competition will now engage in a playoff round that will see half of those 16 teams be eliminated.

For Barcelona, however, there is already a clear selection of teams that the Catalan giants can possibly meet in the next round. According to Mundo Deportivo, the opponents that Hansi Flick’s team can face in the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals are now known as well.

First comes the Round of 16 stage, and Barça have four possible opponents that they can face. With the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, AS Monaco, Brest, and SL Benfica set to face off against each other to book their own place from the playoffs, Barça will be facing one of those four sides.

Monaco, Brest, and Benfica have all faced La Blaugrana already this season, and Barcelona has managed to beat them all except for Monaco. The recent 5-4 victory over the Portuguese side was quite the thriller, but any future game may end up being a completely different kind of encounter.

However, if Barça manage to get past the Round of 16 and head to the quarterfinals, they could face one of six possible opponents. French side Lille, English outfit Aston Villa, Italian side Atalanta, German club Borussia Dortmund, Portuguese team Sporting, or Club Brugge from Belgium.

Moreover, Barcelona cannot face the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan, or Bayer Leverkusen until a hypothetical semi-final. There is still a long way to go in the Champions League, but Hansi Flick will be happy that his team have managed to secure a good initial position.