Soccer4life takes you around the various clubs to hear what the Mangers and players have to say about the draw their respective teams got.
REAL MADRID VS MANCHESTER UNITED
Sir Alex Ferguson has responded positively to Thursday's news that Manchester United will face Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League.
The Spanish champions were paired with the Red Devils in the tie of the round, with the first leg to be played at the Bernabeu before a return encounter at Old Trafford.
As a sub-plot to a fascinating tie, Cristiano Ronaldo will face his former team for the first time since his £80 million record transfer to Madrid in the summer of 2009.
Ferguson will also come up against old rival Jose Mourinho, whom he enjoyed many a battle with during the Portuguese's time at Chelsea. Mourinho also got the better of United - famously - while at Porto in 2004.
Ferguson's reaction
Well, it's the tie of the round," Ferguson told the club's official website. "It's a great opportunity for our fans to see Cristiano again and also for me to meet up with Jose again - I'll need to order some good wine!"
Rio Ferdinand had earlier responded to the draw, tweeting from his personal account: "Oh yes, Madrid! What a great couple of games that'll be! Cristiano [Ronaldo] see you soon bro!"
Emilio Butragueño, Madrid directorIt will be a thrilling experience for everyone. Manchester United are not only a great team but a great organisation known around the world. We are happy with that, we have a great relationship with them, but we know it's going to be tough. Sir Alex Ferguson has been there over 25 years and he's a fantastic manager – he knows how to get the best out of his players. They have top players, but we are Real Madrid and we will try our best.
I'm sure it will be a special game for Ronaldo. He's a great professional. I'm sure he's going to do his best to help us qualify. It's going to be very, very special for him. I know they [José Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson] have a great relationship.
ARSENAL VS BAYERN
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger got his wish in Thursday's Champions League draw as his side were spared another showdown with Barcelona, yet he admitted the rise of German sides is ominous ahead of a last-16 tie with Bayern Munich.
Arsenal and Bayern have met twice before in the Champions League. En route to winning the Champions League in 2001, Bayern drew 2-2 in London and won 1-0 at home, while in 2005 a 3-2 aggregate win saw Bayern qualify for the quarter-finals.
The runaway Bundesliga leaders were satisfied with the draw and looking forward to a reunion with Arsenal star Lukas Podolski, who played for Bayern from 2006 to 2009.WENGER'S REACTION
"The general secretary of UEFA confirmed that only five teams from the last 16 of a year ago are back again," stated Wenger. "There are 11 newcomers and it shows how quickly it changes. It also shows how difficult it is to be in there every season because the turnover is quick.
"The German clubs have made a big, big leap forward in recent years. The Spanish clubs are traditionally there and in England we have a little deficit because usually at that level we have four, but there are only two this season."
"I don't think anyone is happy to play Barcelona," added Wenger. "Even against Barcelona, I believe we would have a good chance, but I would rather avoid that."
BAYERN'S chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's Reaction
"We know Arsenal well. We can be satisfied with this draw," Rummenigge said. "It won't just take care of itself. It's important we go in search of a good result and score a goal there."
"I think we enter this match as the slight favourites, but we can make the mistake of underestimating them.
"Arsenal have struggled at times in the league over the last few months. I wouldn't call this a lucky draw, but one that we can overcome. I look forward to seeing my old friend Arsene Wenger and I hope we can reach the next round."
CELTIC VS JUVENTUS
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has hailed his side's Champions League last 16 draw against Juventus as "a beauty" and backed them to push the Italian champions all the way in the race for a place in the quarter-finals.
Lennon guided his Celtic team through the group phase of the Champions League and he could not hide his excitement when he summed up his feelings on the draw with Sky Sports.
LENNON'S REACTION
"In terms of glamour, it's a beauty of a draw," stated Lennon. "Juventus are one of the great European teams, the Italian champions and it's great. It's going to be very tough for us, but we'll take it as it comes and I'm sure our supporters are looking forward to it.
"The draw could have been kinder, but it could have been worse as well. It's certainly something to look forward to. We'll have to take some kind of advantage with us to Turin. Celtic Park is very special on a European night and I'm sure they'll raise the roof once again.
"We believe that over two games anything is possible. Juventus have been very consistent over the last 18 months and they have a great winning mentality, but so do we. Our ambition is to go as far as we can in this competition and we believe we can do this."
He added: "It's very exciting for me as a young manager to be in this position. It's come very early in my management career, but I'm going to enjoy it and I wouldn't go along with the idea that Celtic have nothing to lose in this competition.
"There is always pressure when you are Celtic boss. Going back to the Jock Stein era and latterly with Martin O'Neill and Gordon Strachan, the expectation is always massive here."
Pavel Nedved (JUVENTUS) REACTION
Juventus "need to face Celtic with great respect" but believes the Bianconeri have an excellent chance of emerging victorious from the tie.
"It could have gone a lot worse but we still need to face Celtic with great respect. They were the only team to beat Barcelona and have qualified for the next round with great credit.
"We're on a path of development but many of our players are playing Champions League football for the first time in their careers and will need to be up to the challenge. We'll be stepping into a red-hot atmosphere and will encounter difficulties if we're not fully up to speed.
"We need to match their intensity, hoping that our players have something extra on a technical level. Playing the return leg at home, in front of our public, certainly gives us a slight advantage. If we put in a Juventus style performance then we'll have a good chance of getting through to the next round."
AC MILAN VS BARCELONA
FC Barcelona will face AC Milan in a rematch of the 1994 UEFA Champions League final
Barcelona renew acquaintances with Milan, a team they played in the group stage and quarter-finals last season. More famously, they went head-to-head in the 1994 Athens showpiece, Daniele Massaro scoring twice in a 4-0 victory for the Rossoneri.
Umberto Gandini, Milan sporting director' Reaction
Last season we faced them twice [group stage and quarter-finals], this time only once fortunately. We are now used to playing in Catalonia. We are all very close to Tito Vilanova and his family and we wish him all the best for his surgery. We hope he will be on the bench against us. We are improving and I am sure we will continue to do so until February. We face a perfect machine even if they had more problems than usual this season in the group stage. Let us just hope we will qualify this time. This is the highest hurdle we could face, but if we manage to jump it we can go all the way.
Carles Puyol, Barcelona captain' Reaction
Personally I am really happy, not because it will be in any way easy, quite the opposite in fact. I am happy because Milan are a team I have always liked and I like playing there. They have an incredible stadium and I am sure this will be a fantastic eliminator. [Last season] we lost the UEFA Champions League and the Liga practically in the same week. This time around we have started really well and we hope to continue along that path into 2013.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk VS Dortmund
FC Shakhtar Donetsk have happy memories of facing German opponents after a 2-1 win against SV Werder Bremen in the 2009 UEFA Cup final secured the Ukrainian side their maiden European trophy. Their UEFA Champions League round of 16 opponents Borussia Dortmund, however, were victorious in the only previous meeting of these teams. A Jan Koller double in the home leg helped his club oust Shakhtar 5-1 on aggregate in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round in August 2001.
Mircea Lucescu, Shakhtar coach's Reaction
We have some positive experiences against German sides including Stuttgart, Schalke and Werder. But Dortmund won the strongest group in this season's competition and that gives you an idea of how good they are. Maybe you wouldn't call Borussia superstars but their team play has been perfectly finetuned.
They also have lots of team spirit which is always a feature of German teams. No one else in the Bundesliga plays such a passing and flowing game as Dortmund. However, Shakhtar have reached such a level of development that we have to think about our own preparation before thinking of the other team. I hope the class and experience of our players will allow us to approach the Borussia games in top shape and so qualify for the quarter-finals.
Serhiy Palkin, Shakhtar chief executive's Reaction
I had a feeling we would get Dortmund. We discussed possible pairings and spoke at length about Borussia. Barcelona were exceptional among the clubs we could have got, with the others more or less at the same level. Borussia are one of the leading clubs in Europe, with a great fan base. If we want to go through we have to win in Donetsk as we know the match in Dortmund will be really tough. We need to play the football that has come to be expected of our team.
Kevin Grosskreutz, Dortmund midfielder's Reaction
We have to stay alert because they will not be easy opponents. They are very good defensively, but also have good forwards. The weather will certainly not help us, but if we reproduce the form we showed in our last two Champions League games, we can progress. Donetsk won't exactly be celebrating the fact that they have been drawn against us.
MALAGA VS FC PORTO
Málaga CF were left cursing their luck after the tournament debutants were drawn against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, director Francisco Aguilar saying the Portuguese side are "not the team we had in mind" prior to the ceremony in Nyon.
Aguilar described the Dragons as the "best side" in the competition, high praise which was reciprocated as his counterpart at the Estádio do Dragão cited the Spanish club's exploits in topping Group C as an indicator of their strength. Porto will be at home on 19 February and travel to Spain on 13 March.
Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, Porto chairman's Reaction
We will have trouble against a team with the best defence in the Spanish Liga, conceding fewer goals than Real Madrid and Barcelona, a team with a lot of consistency. We must not forget that Málaga qualified for the knockout stage unbeaten, winning a group that included Milan and Zenit.
Fernando Gomes, Porto director
Málaga topped a group where Milan were the big favourites. They lie fourth in the Spanish Liga with the best defence, and they have made a significant investment in order to have a say in Spanish football and at international level. They also have two Portuguese players [Duda and Eliseu]. They have great players. We hoped to reach this stage and we did it. Now we have to prepare for this tie with a great sense of responsibility, competence and confidence, knowing that we will face a very difficult opponent.
Javier Saviola, Málaga forward's Reaction
Porto will be tough opponents. I faced them during my time with Benfica and it's difficult – it's hard to win at their stadium. They are a physically strong team who play with a lot of intensity and tempo. They will make things very difficult for us. [Playing the second leg at home] is always important, especially when you can get a good result in the away leg.
Galatasaray VS Schalke
Galatasaray AŞ have won only six of their 24 fixtures against German opposition, but in Hamit Altıntop they have a man well versed in the threat his former side FC Schalke 04 pose in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The teams meet in Istanbul on 20 February before travelling to Gelsenkirchen for the return on 12 March.
Hamit Altıntop, Galatasaray midfielder's Reaction
I played my first Champions League match while at Schalke 04 and scored a goal against AC Milan. It will be nice to face them. There are no easy games at this level. The draw may seem easier than it could have been, but I know the German culture: they will be a team high on discipline. An interesting couple of meetings lie ahead.
I know all about their stadium and the atmosphere. Almost every game is a sell-out. In my first year there we were playing in the Intertoto Cup and there were 55,000–60,000 people there. Even if the excitement is not what we have in Turkey, there's substantial support. The Turkish community in Germany will be an advantage for us. We need to prepare well.
Benedikt Höwedes, Schalke captain's Reaction
It's a satisfactory draw, but we will definitely not underestimate Galatasaray. I know the stadium in Istanbul from the [German] national team and I know the atmosphere is very special there. A great stadium, a great city and I'm sure our fans will look forward to it.
Jens Keller, Schalke coach's Reaction
There are no easy draws in the second round of the Champions League, but I feel we have a chance against Galatasaray. If we play to our full potential we can reach the quarter-finals.
Horst Heldt, Schalke sporting director
We will be facing a team at the same level as us. Two difficult games await us and the emotions will certainly be high. It's likely to be close, but we remain confident we can progress to the next round.
Valencia VS Paris Saint-Germain FC
Valencia CF coach Ernesto Valverde is relishing a "wonderful tie" against Paris Saint-Germain FC in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. The Spanish side have recent experience of facing Ligue 1 opposition after beating LOSC Lille 2-0 and 1-0 in this season's group stage. Valencia have an excellent record against French teams – they have won 13, drawn four and lost just once in 18 games. Meanwhile, PSG sporting director Leonardo, formerly a player at Mestalla, is looking forward to being reunited with the club's "unbelievable fans".
Ernesto Valverde, Valencia coach
They have great individuals in their team and could even sign more shortly, but who knows [what form] they will be in come February. It's a wonderful tie but a very difficult one. We will see two open games and hopefully we will have the chance to go further in the UEFA Champions League.
Fernando Giner, Valencia director's Reaction
Having made it to the best 16 teams in Europe, you're always going to get a hard opponent. We are also a difficult team to play because we have made it this far. It will be a tough match, particularly because in these knockout ties, playing the first leg at home and the second away, you have a little advantage. We will try to achieve a good result at home, because I think we can score away.
The team is very much involved in this competition, because we know the joy we can give to our fans by making it through this tie and continuing towards the final. The fans will certainly respond. To be among the best 16 teams in Europe is very important, and Mestalla has always responded well to such moments.
Leonardo, PSG sporting director's Reaction
It is unclear whether this is a good draw or not – we will not know until the return leg. In any case, it will be [two] great games. It will be a tough tie against Valencia, who have a lot of experience. Valencia have played in two Champions League finals [2000 and 2001]. All will depend on us, we hope to play well. I played for Valencia 20 years ago, the fans are unbelievable. We are happy to be going there.
Carlo Ancelotti, PSG coach's Reaction
The most dangerous team were Real Madrid, but Valencia are historically very good in the Champions League. Things will be different in February; they will be fitter, with a better team spirit. On paper, Valencia are a better draw than Real Madrid. Our aim is obviously to reach the quarter-finals, but we have two games to play before that and the second leg will be tough. I am not saying it is an easy draw, but if we play our best, we can qualify.
First legs to be played 12/13/19/20th February, 2013
Second legs to be played 5/6/12/13th March, 2013
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