Naijabarcelonalovers

Chelsea have been drawn against Barcelona in the Champions League last-16 stage. Paying the price for finishing second behind Roma in the group phase, the Blues - who were victorious in the competition in the 2011/12 campaign - face a two-legged affair with the side they beat en route to the final that year. Despite losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, the Catalan giants sailed through the group stage and are the current La Liga leaders.

Barca's Coutinho alternative 09.15: Barcelona could turn to Miralem Pjanic as an alternative to Philippe Coutinho. Barca want Coutinho in January but have back up options if Liverpool reject their approaches. Liverpool rejected three offers for Coutinho in the summer and want to hold onto their star man. And Barca could now turn to Juventus ace Pjanic instead. Sturridge ready to leave 07.30: Daniel Sturrridge is ready to move abroad as he looks to get more game time. The Liverpool striker is out in the cold with Jurgen Klopp favouring his ‘Fab Four’ and Dominic Solanke, who started the Merseyside derby. And the Daily Mail claim Sturrridge could move abroad with Valencia and Real Betis monitoring his situation.  The striker, 28, has made just five starts and nine appearances in total in the Premier League, scoring two goals.

Chelsea were paired with Barcelona when the draw for the Round of 16 took place at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland today (Monday). The first leg will take place at home on Tuesday 20 February, kick-off 7.45pm (UK time), and the second leg away is on Wednesday 14 March, kick-off 7.45pm (UK time). We have a big history against Barcelona in the Champions League. Our first meeting in it came in the quarter-finals of the Blues’ maiden season in the competition. Our total of 12 Champions League games against Barca include a pair of two-legged semi-finals, the most recent of which was our famous encounter on the way to winning the trophy in 2012. This season's tie will take Cesc Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez back to their former club.  Tickets for the home game will be sold to members on a loyalty points basis, one ticket per member. Full selling information will be published in due course.   The full draw is: Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur Basel v Manchester City Por...