Who could Tottenham face in the 2022/23 Champions League knockout stages?
By Max Parsons
After a two-year absence from the Champions League knockout stages, Tottenham Hotspur will return to the competition's last 16 this campaign.
Spurs famously earned a runner-up finish in 2018/19 before crashing out at the round-of-16 stage with a 4-0 aggregate defeat to RB Leipzig the following year. After a sixth-placed Premier League finish in 2019/20 to boot, the 2020/21 season saw them bow out at the same stage in the Europa League before a humiliating group-stage exit from the Europa Conference League last term.
But, after topping a very competitive Group D this time around, all that seems irrelevant now. So, who could Tottenham face in the knockout stages of this season's Champions League?
Tottenham 2022/23 Champions League so far
Tottenham's return to Europe's top table has yielded mixed results.
Frustration was the prevalent theme of their Matchday 1 bout with Marseille, although the French giants were eventually put to the sword by Richarlison's first two Spurs goals to ensure Antonio Conte's side enjoyed a winning return to the Champions League.
Things subsequently got a little murkier for Conte's men as a 2-0 defeat to Sporting Club and a goalless draw with Eintracht Frankfurt left them second in the group just a point above the basement spot.
Amid a drop in domestic form, however, came results in Europe. Having earned a 3-2 victory over Frankfurt when welcoming the German outfit to north London on Matchday 4, Spurs' 1-1 tie with Sporting on Matchday 5 left Group D wide open before its conclusion.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's dramatic crashing strike in the final seconds of Conte's side's visit to the French Riviera, however, ensured they flew back to England from the Stade Velodrome with a table-topping 2-1 comeback victory.
Tottenham have shared the goals around somewhat in this year's Champions League campaign, with Son Heung-min and Richarlison both tied on two strikes to top their scoring charts, while Ivan Perisic boasts a squad-leading three assists.
Tottenham 2022/23 Champions League last 16 potential opponents
As group winners (just about), Spurs can look forward to a clash with one of the runners-up from the group stage.
This leaves a few very tasty options for the neutrals to look forward to. Being from the same Association, we won't see Tottenham face Liverpool in a rematch of the 2019 final, although we could see them battle Leipzig in a repeat of that last-16 demolition (of Spurs) back in 2020.
Other intriguing matchups include potential battles with either of the Milan teams, Borussia Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain, while Club Brugge also represent potential opponents.
- RB Leipzig
- Inter
- AC Milan
- Borussia Dortmund
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Club Brugge