18 December 2023 , 13:55
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John Terry has tipped Real Madrid to go the distance in the Champions League this season after the Chelsea legend helped complete the draw for the round of 16.
The Spanish giants eased their way through the group stage, winning all six games contested and will now face German outfit RB Leipzig over two legs in mid-February. Carlo Ancelotti's side remain the most successful side in the competition's history with an astonishing 14 titles to their name.
Terry thinks that come June 1 under the iconic Wembley arch, that tally will rise to 15. Speaking as part of UEFA'S draw, the Stamford Bridge icon claimed: "I think team-wise you have to look at Real Madrid.
"For me, I think they have been fantastic, probably for the last seven or eight years in the competition and are always there. I think Bellingham has been incredible as an individual and they obviously have a fantastic manager in Carlo who I worked alongside for many years at Chelsea.
"He's a great man manager, so the players love him, great tactically and I think they will go a long way."
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Two English sides remain in the competition in Arsenal and Manchester City. The Gunners are back in the knockout rounds of the competition for the first time since 2017 and they will take on Porto for a place in the last eight.
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Jude Bellingham's Real Madrid have been tipped to win the Champions League by John Terry (Getty Images)While every side at this stage of the tournament has to be respected, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta may consider that a more favourable draw than being tasked with taking on French titans Paris Saint-Germain who were also in pot two and could have met the Gunners.
The two sides have met previously, in the 2009/10 edition of the competition. Over two legs, Arsenal ran out 6-2 winners after a dominant 5-0 victory at the Emirates in the second-leg.
It is well documented that Terry's Chelsea are the only London side to ever lift the Champions League. Sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League after winning their group in Europe, the current crop of Arsenal stars will fancy their chances of changing that.
With that being said, if there is one stain on Arteta's Arsenal reign so far it is undoubtedly his form on the continent. The young Gunners boss is yet to exceed any expectations in Europe and has more often than not failed to meet them, with defeats by Olympiacos and Villarreal both miserable nights in Arsenal's recent history.