The 8 Champions League knockout stage matchups, ranked

The Champions League round of 16 draw was made on Monday, and it couldn’t have turned out much better. We didn’t get every marquee tie we could have possibly hoped for, but four of them look great. That the others look fairly straightforward means we’re virtually guaranteed to see an excellent set of quarterfinals.

Games still overlap at this stage of the competition, so you probably won’t get to watch all of them. For that reason, here’s a helpful guide to what you need to check out and what you can probably just catch the highlights of.

When is it?: Feb. 13 and March 7

It is customary to use this space to say “no disrespect to FC Basel, but.”

Extreme disrespect to FC Basel, they’re going to lose by 57 goals.

When is it?: Feb. 20 and March 14

How pissed is Besiktas? They played their butts off to win a tricky, wide-open group with Porto, RB Leipzig, and Monaco that had no established favorite. They did so with an undefeated record. And their reward? A Bayern Munich team that’s on top of the Bundesliga, and that just beat PSG convincingly.

Besiktas has a good squad, but largely an old one. Bayern’s superior pace and fitness should be the difference here.

When is it?: Feb. 21 and March 13

Your lone pure hipster tie. The seven others all have a Premier League team or someone who’s won the competition in this decade. Roma’s Serie A form and performances against Chelsea make them a heavy favorite, but Shakhtar’s Bernard and Fred are players who can create something out of nothing in an instant.

When is it?: Feb. 14 and March 6

Liverpool is undoubtedly a better team than Porto. But there’s one big possible mismatch — Vincent Aboubakar vs. the Reds’ central defenders. Liverpool has thrown away plenty of games they were dominating over the last year and a half due to poor center back play, while Aboubakar is finally turning into the star he was projected to be in his younger years. He has 20 goals in 22 appearances this season, including five in Champions League.

When is it?: Feb. 21 and March 13

Don’t let Sevilla’s terrible showing against Real Madrid over the weekend fool you. They’re a very solid side and capable of springing an upset if United aren’t on their game, or if Paul Pogba isn’t healthy. Their defense will need to improve, though — Sevilla allowed 12 goals in group stage play.

When is it?: Feb. 13 and March 7

And now for the really interesting stuff. The only reason this tie isn’t ranked higher is because Spurs haven’t been in the Champions League knockout stage for a long time, and we have no idea how they’ll handle a matchup with Juve, finalists in two of the last three seasons.

Neither team is slack in midfield, but this will be a battle of top finishers against top defenders. Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are arguably a more formidable pair than anything Gonzalo Higuain is facing in Serie A this season, while Harry Kane will be relishing the opportunity to face off with the legendary Georgio Chiellini.

When is it?: Feb. 20 and March 14

We can only hope this is half as dramatic as the last two meetings between these two teams. The Didier Drogba “f—ing disgrace” game in 2009 and Fernando Torres’ breakaway in 2012 are two of the most iconic Champions League moments of recent times. Round three should be excellent, with Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante and Tiemoue Bakayoko doing their best to bust up Barca’s pretty passing and wreck them on the counter.

When is it?: Feb. 14 and March 6

Neymar says that he did not move to PSG for money, but to lead his own team and have the opportunity to be the key player who’s depended on in big moments. Well, here’s his chance. PSG gets to face the back-to-back Champions League winners, and Neymar knows that fans and media will make macro-level judgments of his career and ability based on these two games. Don’t miss them.