Jose Mourinho believes his Spurs side will be one to avoid in the Champions League last-16 draw 

‘They know we have a good team, there are better options that Tottenham’: Jose Mourinho believes his Spurs side will be one to avoid in the Champions League last-16 draw

  • Draw for the last-16 of the Champions League takes place on Monday
  • All four English clubs will discover their knockout round opponents in Nyon
  • Tottenham can play Barcelona, Juventus, PSG, Valencia or RB Leipzig 
  • And Spurs manager Jose Mourinho believes all will want to dodge his team 

Jose Mourinho believes Tottenham will be a team to avoid in the Champions League knockout stages.

Spurs, along with Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, will find out their opponents for the last 16 on Monday as the draw takes place in Switzerland.

They finished second in Group B, meaning they can be drawn against one of Barcelona, Paris St Germain, Juventus, Valencia or RB Leipzig.

Jose Mourinho believes his Tottenham side will be one everyone wants to avoid in the draw for the Champions League last-16, which takes place in Switzerland on Monday lunchtime

Mourinho and his assistant coach Joao Sacramento celebrates Spurs' winner at Wolves

Mourinho and his assistant coach Joao Sacramento celebrates Spurs’ winner at Wolves 

Mourinho reckons those five teams will be hoping to avoid his side.

‘We have five options,’ he said. ‘We don’t have much to choose.

‘Basically every team has five or six options in the draw, the teams that finish first they have better luck than to get Tottenham.

‘They have better options than Tottenham, so every team that finished first and has better options than Tottenham, if they get Tottenham in the draw I think they will be very happy to play in our stadium but they know we have a good team.’

Reigning champions Liverpool, who beat Spurs in last season’s final, will be hoping to avoid a horror draw.

The draw for the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League takes place on Monday at 11am GMT

The draw for the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League takes place on Monday at 11am GMT

How does the draw work? 

The Champions League group winners will be seeded and runners-up unseeded.

The eight seeded and eight unseeded teams are placed in two separate bowls, with one picked from each to determine each of the eight two-legged last-16 ties. Unseeded teams will play the home leg first.

Teams can not face any side from their own nation (I.E Premier League sides cannot be drawn against another Premier League outfit) and neither can they face a team they competed against in the group stage.

Seeded

PSG (FRA, Group A)

Bayern Munich (GER, Group B)

Manchester City (ENG, Group C) 

Juventus (ITA, Group D) 

Liverpool (ENG, Group E) 

Barcelona (ESP, Group F)

RB Leipzig (GER, Group G)

Valencia (ESP, Group H)  

Unseeded

Real Madrid (ESP, Group A)

Tottenham (ENG, Group B)

Atalanta (ITA, Group C) 

Atletico Madrid (ESP, Group D) 

Napoli (ITA, Group E) 

Dortmund (GER, Group F)

Lyon (FRA, Group G)

Chelsea (ENG, Group H) 

An extra-time Jan Vertonghen winner gave Spurs all three points at Wolves on Sunday

An extra-time Jan Vertonghen winner gave Spurs all three points at Wolves on Sunday

The big Belgian powered home the header, hoisting Spurs to within three points of Chelsea

The big Belgian powered home the header, hoisting Spurs to within three points of Chelsea

Mourinho leapt into familiar wild celebrations as Vertonghen's header went in the pouring rain

Mourinho leapt into familiar wild celebrations as Vertonghen’s header went in the pouring rain

They could be paired with either Real Madrid or city rivals Atletico, with Borussia Dortmund, Lyon or Atalanta their other possible opponents.

Four of those five teams could also be waiting for City, with Napoli a possible opponent instead of Atalanta, who they met in the group stage.

Chelsea look set to get a tough draw as they could face Barcelona, Juventus, Bayern Munich, PSG or Leipzig.

Liverpool and City as group winners get a second leg at home, while Spurs and Chelsea will be away.

The first legs of the last 16 will be played over 18/19 and 25/26 February, with the return legs on 10/11 and 17/18 March.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Wolves will find out their Europa League round of 32 opponents later on Monday.

 

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