REVEALED: Why Chelsea will get a tough second round Champions League draw
Chelsea have gone past the honeymoon stage of the Champions League, as the Blues have since sealed qualification to the round of 16.
It was quite an easy group for Chelsea, with Sevilla seeming like the only tough competition, and Chelsea even defeated the Spanish side 4-0 away from home.
The Blues qualified top of Group E, and Frank Lampard, who has experience playing in the Champions League, understands that this stage of the competition is very difficult.
Moreso, this season’s Champions League has seen top sides like Inter Milan and Manchester United knocked out of the competition, while giants like Barcelona and Atletico Madrid qualifying in second spot.
This season, there will be no pushovers in the round of 16, as every side to have made the next round seem capable of causing an upset.
Chelsea will be seeded, having finished as group leaders, but the unseeded teams are no pushovers.
See the list of seeded and unseeded teams below
Seeded teams
Bayern
Chelsea
Dortmund
Juventus
Liverpool
Manchester City
Paris
Real Madrid
Unseeded teams
Atalanta
Atlético Madrid
Barcelona
Lazio
Leipzig
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Porto
Sevilla
With no Premier League side finishing as runners up, Chelsea can be drawn against any of the runners-up – save for fellow Group E side Sevilla. This means, we can have a second round tie against usual opponents Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Other teams like Lazio, Leipzig and Atalanta are also very tough opponents.
Chelsea can be drawn against any of the runners-up – save for fellow Group E side Sevilla
The first leg of the Champions League round of 16 is expected to kick off on February 16.