Madrid handed Bayern test

Midweek win
Bayern secured their place in today's draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon with a 1-0 victory against RSC Anderlecht on Wednesday to finish second behind Olympique Lyonnais - who will play Real Sociedad de Fútbol - in Group A. Madrid, nine-times champions of Europe, are the favourites to win the competition after topping Group F.

'Old friends'
Bayern executive director Karl Hopfner told uefa.com: "Coming here we always thought we might play against Real Madrid. And it has happened that old friends meet again. We will have the winter break and I am convinced the team will use the time to prepare their best for the two matches against Madrid."

'Prestigious game'
Speaking to uefa.com, Madrid's assistant sporting director Emilio Butragueño said: "The fact Bayern are not at their best means nothing. We know what this type of match means to clubs and to players. It is going to be a very difficult tie for both teams. It is the most prestigious game, the strongest of all in this round and there is a lot of history."

Fascinating tie
Another fascinating encounter pits the UEFA Cup holders and 1987 European champions FC Porto against Manchester United FC, the 1999 winners and the top team in Group E. VfB Stuttgart, one of three teams competing at this stage of the Champions League for the first time along with Real and RC Celta de Vigo, will play Chelsea FC, winners of Group G.

Sparta for Milan
The third English side in the draw, Arsenal FC, were paired with Celta. RC Deportivo La Coruña, another Spanish representative, tackle Juventus FC. The holders AC Milan face Czech opposition in the form of AC Sparta Praha, who qualified with a 93rd-minute goal on Tuesday. The final tie brings together AS Monaco FC and FC Lokomotiv Moskva.

Match dates
Teams who met in the group stage or those from the same country could not be drawn together. The first-leg matches will be played on 24/25 February with the return legs on 9/10 March. The first knockout round will be followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the final, which will take place in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on 26 May. The full draw can be accessed here (Adobe Acrobat required).