FC Bayern is threatened by a former hammer draw

The preliminary rounds in the European competitions have been played and the German clubs have survived the complicated fall quite well: Six of the seven Bundesliga soccer clubs that started the season are spending the winter in their competition. Only newcomers Union Berlin fell through the net in fourth place in their Champions League group, which UEFA has so carefully woven in order not to lose any of the big clubs on the way to the money pots.

FC Bayern are doing FC Bayern things in the group stage and also remained unbeaten in the preliminary round matches 35 to 40 in a row. Borussia Dortmund, on the other hand, who are erratic in the league, stunned everyone by winning the supposed group of death with the heavily pampered Paris St. Germain, Newcastle United and AC Milan. And RB Leipzig? Losing to Manchester City as usual and otherwise not showing any weakness. Bayer Leverkusen achieve great things, while SC Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt create a little extra stress for themselves. But what's next for the remaining German teams on their European journey? And why is this also important for the Bundesliga?

FC Bayern Munich

The German record champions are a phenomenon at international level: FC Bayern Munich have not lost any of their last 40 group games, while the 0-0 draw against FC Copenhagen on the penultimate matchday was their first loss after 17 consecutive victories. Impressive figures that raise the question of the sporting relevance of the group stage. But FC Bayern cannot do anything about the quality of their opponents in the early stages of the top flight. And then, as we all know, things quickly get serious: since winning the title in 2020, the six-time European Cup winners have always had to bow out in the quarter-finals.

Next Monday's draw could now provide the group stage kings with a supposed hammer draw for the round of 16, which has long since lost its great fear: Paris Saint-Germain with superstar Kylian Mbappé is a possible opponent. The multi-billion euro ensemble, which is still desperately chasing the Champions League trophy on behalf of Qatar and has so far been unsuccessful, qualified for the round of 16 in second place behind BVB. They already met in the round of 16 last season, with FC Bayern coming out on top with two wins - and not allowing the French record champions a goal in two games. Other possible opponents for FC Bayern in the round of 16 in the spring are PSV Eindhoven, SSC Napoli, Inter Milan, Lazio Roma and FC Porto.

Borussia Dortmund

What a coup: Borussia Dortmund secured their place in the round of 16 on the penultimate matchday of Group F, which had been dubbed the "Group of Death", and Niklas Süle then ensured the group win against PSG with a heroic tackle on Kylian Mbappé. It is - without wanting to offend the German runners-up - one of the surprises of this Champions League season. A look at BVB's potential upcoming opponents shows just how valuable winning the group is: FC Copenhagen from Bayern's group, plus Eindhoven, Napoli, Inter, Lazio and Porto. That reads much better than Manchester City, Real Madrid or FC Barcelona.

RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig are likely to face a Spanish week - at least the constellation after the group stage makes a clash between the Bundesliga club and a representative from LaLiga very likely: Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Atlético Madrid and FC Barcelona all won their preliminary group and are therefore possible opponents for the Saxons in the round of 16. Also in the draw for RB: Arsenal FC. However, the Bundesliga club should have had enough of the English side for now: They have now met Premier League giants Manchester City in the Champions League three years in a row, with RB losing five of the six matches.

Bayer Leverkusen

What kind of Europa League round is Bayer Leverkusen playing? Six games, six wins - only ten teams have ever managed that, most recently Arsenal FC in 2020. The Bundesliga leaders spared themselves two play-off games in February with this ride through the group stage and instead qualified directly for the round of 16 (7 and 14 March). UEFA is remaining tight-lipped about the format of the draw; last season, the eight group winners were seeded and faced the winner of a play-off match between a Europa League runner-up and a third-placed team from the Champions League.

SC Freiburg

It wasn't enough for SC Freiburg to win the group, but they did advance: after a 2-0 defeat in the group final at Conference League winners West Ham United, the Bundesliga club must - or may - enter the play-offs for a place in the round of 16. There, Sport-Club will face a third-placed team from the Champions League (Galatasaray Istanbul, RC Lens, Sporting Braga, Benfica, Feyenoord, AC Milan, Young Boys Bern, Shakhtar Donetsk). In any case, coach Christian Streich's team will have the right to play at home in the second leg.

Eintracht Frankfurt

No German club works its way through the European competitions as meticulously as Eintracht Frankfurt: in 2022, they celebrated European parties in a row, humiliated FC Barcelona at the mythical Camp Nou and won the Europa League, while the following season they only reached the last 16 of the Champions League. And now the play-offs to reach the last 16 of the Conference League are on the cards - and various attractive opponents await among the third-placed teams in the eight Europa League groups: Olympiakos Piraeus, Ajax Amsterdam, Betis Sevilla, Sturm Graz, Servette Geneva, Union Saint-Gilloise, Maccabi Haifa and Molde FK. Eintracht Frankfurt would also have the right to play at home in the second leg.

The further performance of FC Bayern and Co. is not only important for the clubs themselves, but also for the Bundesliga: for the last time, 32 teams will play in the Champions League this season; in the next round, the top flight will be increased to 36 teams. Of the four additional places, two will be awarded to the most internationally successful leagues this season. At the winter break, Germany is in second place in the ranking with a coefficient of 12.642, behind Italy (12.857) and just ahead of Spain (12.187) and England (11.875).

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Despite their impressive record in the group stage, FC Bayern Munich might face a challenging opponent in the Champions League round of 16, as Paris Saint-Germain is a potential opponent for the German champions.SC Freiburg advanced from their group despite a 2-0 defeat in the group final, setting their sights on the Conference League play-offs and the opportunity to secure a place in the round of 16.Eintracht Frankfurt, known for their meticulous performance in European competitions, have entered the Conference League play-offs, with attractive opponents such as Olympiakos Piraeus, Ajax Amsterdam, and Betis Sevilla awaiting in the second leg.RB Leipzig, who often face Spanish opponents in the Champions League, might be set for another clash with a LaLiga team in the round of 16, as the draw could potentially pit them against Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Atlético Madrid, or FC Barcelona.

Source: www.ntv.de