The UEFA Champions League’s round of 16 has eight fixtures, with eight clubs qualifying for the competition’s quarterfinals.
The first leg of the competition’s round of 16 ties begins on February 14, 2023, and is expected to conclude on February 22, 2023, with the second leg beginning on Tuesday, March 7th, and ending on Wednesday, March 15th, 2023.
Denis Odoi, the dependable right-back for the Black Stars, and twenty-four other top African athletes will compete for their clubs in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, and Real Madrid are the three clubs in the competition that have no African players in their teams, but the other 13 teams have players with African backgrounds in their lineups.
Ten African nations are represented among the last 16 teams, with Senegal being the best represented with 7 players; Cameroon is next after Senegal with 4 players available for selection; Three players from the Super Eagles make Nigeria follow Cameroon; Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Morocco have two players each for their teams; Egypt, Mali, and Guinea have one player each for their clubs.
On Tuesday, February 14, 2023, two games in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 begin: AC Milan hosts Tottenham Hotspurs at the San Siro, and Paris Saint-Germain hosts Bayern Munich at the Stade Georges Lefèvre.
Three African stars are expected in action at San Siro: Senegal’s Fode Ballo and Algeria’s Ismael Bennacer will feature for AC Milan as they play Tottenham, while Pape Sarr of Senegal is expected to appear in a Champions League game for the first time since joining the London club.
FC Bayern, one of the clubs with the most African players in the competition, is expected to feature Senegal’s Sadio Mane, who has three goals in six games in the competition; Bouna Sarr, who is yet to play in his first Champions League game; Noussair Mazraoui of Morocco; and Cameroon’s Eric Maxi Choupo-Moting.
The Black and Yellows of the German Bundesliga will host the Blues of the English Premier League at Signal Iduna Park. Kalidou Koulibaly from Senegal is there, along with Senegalese colleague Edouard Mendy. Sebastian Haller from Cote d’Ivoire has yet to appear as he has just returned after overcoming testicular cancer.
Club Brugge at the Jan Breydel Stadium is expected to assemble four African players: Raphael Onyadika, a Nigerian; Abakar Sylla, from Cote d’Ivoire; Ghana’s Kamal Sowatt; and dependable defender Denis Odoi, who will play against Benfica.
Other top African stars like Mohammed Salah of Egypt, Cameroon’s Andre Onana and Joel Matip, Nigeria’s Zaidu Sanusi, and in-form Victor Osimhen and Riyad Mahrez of Algeria are all expected to feature for their clubs at the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
