February always seems a long way off when the Champions League knockout draw is made, but this season perhaps more than ever. With a World Cup to be played between now and then, the usual fluctuations of form are likely to be more pronounced, particularly with fatigue and injury. But this is, nonetheless, a fascinating draw, throwing up two of the past three finals.
RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City
For Manchester City, after four Premier League titles in the past five seasons, the Champions League remains the grail. It clearly has the talent, but Pep Guardiola’s repeated near-misses in the competition have perhaps damaged confidence. The question now is whether the goals of Erling Haaland can overcome that, or whether the more direct style he necessitates renders City more vulnerable to the counterattacks that have always been its Achilles heel—and it has, of course, been Guardiola’s attempts to guard against that flaw that have repeatedly undermined his sides in the biggest games.
