It’s official: Juventus will face German side Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16.
The first leg will be played at home which will take place on February 17/18 or 24/25 while Dortmund will host the return leg at the Westfalenstadion on March 10/11 or 17/18.
Pavel Nedved spoke to Mediaset immediately after the draw and gave his view on the tie.
“It wasn’t the best possible scenario because they are a team that commands respect, but certainly it could have been worse. Let us not underestimate Borussia, because they are a different team in Europe than what we see in Germany, with many classy players of a European level. They play an excellent football and they run a lot. We can play at their same level because they are not invincible and we want to qualify for the next round.”
Following his comments earlier in the week regarding a possible match up against Juve, former Torino striker Ciro Immobile posted a message on his Facebook draw about the upcoming matches:
“Juventus is far away, we’ll think about it in February and we’ll prepare it the right away. In the meantime the focus is only on the league”
Champions League ambassador and former Dortmund striker Karl-Heinz Riedlegave believes each team has a 50% chance but can’t explin Dortmund’s poor league form this season.
“It is a match that is open to every result,” Riedle told Sky Sports. “If they played the way they did last year I’d say Borussia Dortmund, but today they both have a 50% probability of qualifying. Dortmund have speed, good organisation and strength. Going forward, though, they’re feeling the absence of Robert Lewandowski.”
“I don’t have an explanation for the difference between their performances in the Bundesliga and in the Champions League. In the league there are difficulties that nobody can explain, whereas in the Champions League they always play well. The injuries cannot be used as an excuse. It is a two-faced team.”
Juventus coach Max Allegri took a moment to share his thought on the draw via Twitter:
Champions League Round of 16 draw in full:
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea
Manchester City vs. Barcelona
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Atletico Madrid
Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund
Schalke vs. Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich
Arsenal vs. Monaco
Basel vs. Porto