On December 18, 2022, Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar against France. A year later, football fans have moved on, as they were waiting for the draw for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 this Monday. The last French representative, Paris Saint-Germain, who was mishandled during the group stage (2 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats) and who finished in second position, was waiting to know the identity of their opponent. Kylian Mbappé and his teammates knew they had a chance of facing a big club.
Indeed, they could come across Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Real Sociedad, Manchester City and Arsenal. On the other hand, they could not face Borussia Dortmund, who were in their group. And the residents of the Parc des Princes were rather well off since they came across Real Sociedad. On paper, he is the least dangerous opponent for the Parisians. But at this level of competition, everything is obviously possible.
The Spanish are not happy
While PSG did not react after this draw, the Spaniards delivered their first impressions. It was the club president, Jokin Aperribay, who was the first to speak. What can we do ? PSG was probably the most difficult, but we will go to win. We will also have pressure because we want to have a good Champions League. They are not the best rival and they are favorites, there is no doubt (…) PSG is for us, let’s see how it goes.
Aware that it will be difficult to overcome the Parisian ogre, the Spanish leader wants to believe it. “In pot 1 there were extraordinary rivals. But we came across the best of pot 2. Are they going to have more pressure? Yes, these are the favorites. We wanted to have a good Champions League campaign and they are not the best rivals.” Unlike PSG, Real Sociedad are not happy with the draw. But everything will be played out on the pitch between February and March.
