Champions League round of 16 power rankings
By James Dudko
11. Sevilla
The only reason Sevilla rank higher than PSG is a last 16 draw against Leicester. Last season’s Premier League champions are now flirting with relegation and are likely to be underdogs when facing a capable and experienced Sevilla side.
Sevilla are still in the thick of La Liga’s title race — they trail second-place Barcelona by only two points and are only three back of leaders Real Madrid (though Real have two games in hand). They’re also playing fluid and creative, high-energy soccer in the final third on manager Jorge Sampaoli’s watch.
Sampaoli has instilled this team with his customary never-say-die attitude, while the squad has plenty of experience in knockout tournaments after winning three Europa League titles in a row prior to this season. Players such as midfield destroyer Steven N’Zonzi, schemer Franco Vazquez and winger Vitolo make this team a tricky draw in the knockout phase.
The biggest question facing Sevilla is which version of their opponent will show up: the Leicester side that romped to the Premier League title last season and eased through their Champions League group, or the Leicester that are currently in free fall and haven’t won a league match since December.
Sevilla will fancy their chances either way, but this could be a closer tie than the league form of the two sides suggests.