The 16 teams in the 2018-2019 Champions League round of 16 consist of 4 English clubs (Manchester City, Manchester United, Spurs, Liverpool) 3 German clubs (Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke), 3 Spanish clubs (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid), 2 French clubs (PSG, Lyon), 2 Italian Clubs (Juventus, Roma), 1 Portuguese (Porto) and 1 Dutch club (Ajax).
Borussia Dortmund
The 1997 European champions and finalists in 2013, Dortmund finished 1st in a group that included Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge and Monaco. Their top scorer in the competition this season is Raphaël Guerreiro with 4 goals. Dortmund are also having a terrific season in the Bundesliga, leading the league without a loss so far.
FC Barcelona
5-time European champions, last one coming in 2015. Barcelona are through from 1st place, finishing ahead of Tottenham, Inter and PSV. Lionel Messi, with 6 goals, is their top scorer in the competition. They also lead the La Liga, where they’re the defending champions.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG qualified 1st from a difficult group that included Liverpool, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade, led by their Brazilian star Neymar, scoring 5 goals in the group stage. In the league their already en route to a 2nd consecutive championship, opening a 13-point lead and we’re only in December.
FC Porto
Two-time European champions (last in 2004), Porto are through to the round of 16 again, finishing ahead of Schalke, Galatasaray and Lokomotiv Moscow in the group stage. Moussa Marega was their most prolific scorer with 5 goals. They’re also in the lead in Portugal, 2 points ahead of Sporting.
Bayern Munich
A disappointing season in the league (3rd, 9 points behind the leaders) hasn’t stopped Bayern from an undefeated run in the Champions League, finishing first with 14 points in a group alongside Ajax, Benfica and AEK Athens. 5-time champions (last in 2013), Robert Lewandowski with 8 goals is their and the competition’s top scorer so far.
Manchester City
Perhaps the favorites to win the tournament this season, Pep Guardiola’s team finished first ahead of Lyon, Shakhtar Donetsk and Hoffenheim in the group stage, led by David Silva and Gabriel Jesus, both with 3 goals. The defending champions in England, they’re currently in 2nd place, one point behind Liverpool.
Real Madrid
13-time champions, including winners of the last 3 finals, Real Madrid lost twice in the group stage (both times to CSKA) but still finished first, leaving the Russians, Roma and Viktoria Plzen behind. Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale (3 goals each) are their leading scorers in the competition. They are 4th in La Liga, 5 points behind the leaders.
Juventus FC
Another team many consider as the favorites to finally win it this year, Juventus have 2 trophies and too many losses in the final, last of ’em coming in 2017. They finished 1st, ahead of Manchester United, Valencia and Young Boys, led by 5 goals of Paulo Dybala. They’re comfortably ahead in the Serie A, leading by 8 points.
Atletico Madrid
Los Colchoneros lost recently in the finals of 2014 and 2016, both times to Real Madrid. They finished 2nd in the group, led by 4 Antoine Griezmann goals into the round of 16. Currently 3rd in La Liga, 3 points behind the leaders.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs are making the UCL round of 16 more and more of a familiar occasion. The only London team in the competition this season finished 2nd in their group, led by 4 Harry Kane goals through the group stage. In the Premier League they’re currently 3rd, 6 points behind the leaders.
Liverpool FC
5 time champions (last in 2005) and the losers in last year’s final, Liverpool finished 2nd in their group, winning dramatically against Napoli on the last day to go through. Mohamed Salah (who else) is their leading UCL scorer with 3 so far this season. They’re in the lead in England, 1 point clear of Man City.
Schalke 04
The Royals Blues are in the round of 16 for the first time since 2015 after finishing 2nd in their group. In Germany, they are currently in 13th place, 11 points adrift of the final Champions League qualifying spot.
Ajax
It’s been a very long time since the 4-time champions have made it to the knockout stage, 12 years to be exact. Dusan Tadic, with 5 goals, has been their leading scorer in the competition so far. At the moment they are second in the Netherlands, 2 points behind the leaders PSV.
Lyon
In the round of 16 for the first time since 2012, Lyon were carried by Nabil Fekir and Maxwel Cornet, each scoring 3 goals in the group stage. In Ligue 1, they are 4th right now, 1 point below the place that leads to the Champions League.
AS Roma
A rough season in Serie A for Roma (only 8th at the moment) didn’t stop Roma from making it to the round of 16, dreaming of another semifinal appearance like last season. Edin Dzeko’s 5 goals make him their most prolific scorer so far in the competition.
Manchester United
The 3-time champions are going through a difficult stretch in the post-Ferguson era, currently only 6th in the Premier League, 8 points behind 4th place. In the Champions League things look better, but not by much, finishing second in their group with just 7 goals in 6 matches. Pogba’s 2 goals in the opening group match are enough to make him their top scorer.