Nunez, Mane and the players who could face former clubs in the Champions League
Karan Tejwani
- 7 Nov 2022 07:45 GMT
- 4 min read
The Champions League draw for the Round of 16 is today and fixtures will be determined for the second round of the competition, which will take place in 2023.
The Round of 16 sees some big surprises: Club Brugge have become the first Belgian club to go this far in the competition in two decades, while there is a good mix of nations represented.
Two Portuguese clubs, three Italian clubs and four German sides are also in the pot, with Spain – traditional powerhouses in the competition – have just one representative.
READ: Darwin Nunez: Thierry Henry passes judgement on Liverpool’s €100m man
With that, there are also a few players who could return to their former clubs at this stage, which could add an extra narrative to their respective ties.
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Starting with Liverpool, they could see Sadio Mane return to the club in the Round of 16 as Bayern Munich are their most likely challengers in the second round.
Alternatively, Darwin Nunez, who they signed for a mega fee over the summer transfer window, could make a return to Benfica at this stage of the competition.
READ: Ronaldo and Aubameyang are KILLING Man Utd and Chelsea
For Chelsea, Timo Werner, who was sold to RB Leipzig in the summer, could make a comeback at Stamford Bridge as the Germans could draw against Graham Potter’s side.
Alternatively, Romelu Lukaku’s Inter could also play against Chelsea in the second round but seeing as the Belgian is on loan, it’s unlikely he’ll play against his parent club.
Also at Chelsea, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could come up against Borussia Dortmund – he has played for Arsenal and Barcelona since leaving the German club.
Finally, Mateo Kovacic, who swapped Inter for Real Madrid before moving to Chelsea, could make a return to the San Siro in the last 16.
What will the #UCL last 16 look like?
Liverpool vs Bayern is the mostly likely fixture 👀 pic.twitter.com/TXLOz8pyK0— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) November 3, 2022
For Manchester City, Brahim Diaz of Milan could make a return – the Spaniard left for Real Madrid in 2019 but is now shining in Italy.
Meanwhile at Tottenham, Antonio Conte, who will take charge of only his fourth Champions League knockout stage tie, could make a return to the San Siro if his side draw Inter.
Similarly, Ivan Perisic was a star at Inter, spurring them on to a Serie A win in 2021, and he could make a return to the San Siro just a few months after leaving.
At Paris Saint-Germain, Fabian Ruiz, who left Napoli for the French capital, could make a return to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to take on one of Europe’s most exciting teams.
At Bayern Munich, Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting, who has been in fine form so far this campaign, could make a return to PSG, while Juan Bernat from the French side could do the same.
