Tough Opponents Chelsea Could Face in UCL Round of 16 After Finishing 2nd in Group H

Tough Opponents Chelsea Could Face in UCL Round of 16 After Finishing 2nd in Group H

Ibitoye Shittu
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:52 PM
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  • Chelsea had a frustrating end to their Champions League group stages campaign
  • The Blues were unable to see off Zenit St. Petersburg as they drew 3-3 in Russia to finish second in Group H
  • The cup holders could now be pooled alongside Bayern in the last 16 ahead of the knockout draw on Monday, December 13
  • Bayern finished top of Group E with a 100% record having won all their six fixtures

Chelsea are staring at the prospect of drawing Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16 following their second-place finish in Group H.

Robert Lewandowski celebrates with David Alaba and Alphonso Davies after he scoring on February 25, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Bayern ended their group stage campaign as Group E winners with 18 points, maintaining a 100% in a pool that included Barcelona, Benfica, and Dynamo Kyiv. Photo by Mike Hewitt.
Source: Getty Images

The Blues were unable to finish top of the pool after their 3-3 draw against Zenit St. Petersburg in the final match of the group stages played at Krestovsky Stadium on the night of Wednesday, December 8.

Thomas Tuchel's men headed into the clash off a frustrating run of results in the Premier League, with their last outing ending in defeat against West Ham in the London derby.

Despite taking control of their encounter against Zenit after Timo Werner fired the opener inside two minutes, Chelsea were unable to see off the first half as Claudinho drew the hosts level before Sardar Azmoun made it 2-1 before the break.

Romelu Lukaku went on to restore parity for his side in the 62nd minute before Werner completed his brace of the night in the 85th minute.

However, the visitors could not hold firm to the lead as Magomed Ozdoyev scored for Zenit at stoppage time to ensure the tie ends in a 3-3 draw.

The result saw Chelsea miss out on a chance to top the group, finishing second behind Juventus who edged Malmo in their own fixture.

The Sun now reports the west Londoners could be pooled with Bayern Munich in the knockout round ahead of the Monday, December 13, draw.

Bayern ended their group stage campaign as Group E winners with 18 points, maintaining a 100% in a pool that included Barcelona, Benfica, and Dynamo Kyiv.

Barcelona eliminated from Champions League

Earlier, it was reported La Liga giants, Barcelona, have been relegated to the Europa League following their elimination from the Champions League.

Barcelona were eliminated from the elite European competition after they finished third in Group E with seven points.

The Spanish side were in desperate need of a victory against Bayern in their last group match to progress to the next round.

However, they went on to suffer a 1-0 loss at Allianz Arena, with Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, and Musiala all scoring for the Bundesliga giants.

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Ibitoye Shittu
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