Manchester United rounded off their 2021-22 Champions League group-stage campaign with a 1-1 draw against Young Boys at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.
Having already secured their spot at the top of Group F ahead of the clash with the Swiss outfit, Ralf Rangnick made 11 changes, handing minutes to a number of squad players, in addition to allowing Tom Heaton, Charlie Savage and Zidane Iqbal to make their first-team debuts.
The Red Devils boasted a record of three wins, two draws and one defeat from their six Group F matches, with a total of 11 points allowing them to top the group.
Man United will be drawn against a side that finished second but cannot take on Chelsea, as teams from the same country will not be allowed to lock horns until the quarter-final stage.
The 20-time English champions will learn their last-16 opponents when the draw is made on Monday, and here Sports Mole takes a look at the teams that Rangnick's outfit could face in the next round.
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
Man United could take on Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16, with the French giants finishing second behind Manchester City in Group A. Like the Red Devils, PSG picked up 11 points from their six matches, but the total was not enough to finish ahead of Pep Guardiola's side at the summit.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino continues to be linked with the managerial role at Old Trafford, while the match would see the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi head to Manchester.
The two sides have locked horns on four occasions in the European Cup since February 2019, boasting two wins each, with Man United famously knocking the Ligue 1 side out in the last-16 stage back in March 2019.
Atletico Madrid (Spain)
Atletico managed to secure second position in Group B behind Liverpool courtesy of a 3-1 success over Porto on Tuesday night, with Diego Simeone's side another possible opponent for Man United in the round of 16.
The Spanish champions lost three of their six group matches, winning just twice, while they are currently off the pace in La Liga, sitting in fourth position, 10 points behind league leaders Real Madrid.
Man United have never faced Atletico in the Champions League, but the two teams locked horns in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup back in 1991, with the Red Devils losing 4-1 on aggregate in the second round.
Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo's first club Sporting Lisbon could also be drawn against Man United in the round of 16, with the Green and Whites claiming second position in Group C behind Ajax.
Sporting won three and lost three of their group matches but managed to finish above third-placed Borussia Dortmund despite suffering a 4-2 defeat to Ajax on Tuesday night.
Ruben Amorim's side have been excellent in Primeira Liga this season, picking up 35 points from their 13 matches to sit level on points with Porto at the top of the division, and they will be competing in the knockout round of the Champions League for the first time since 2008-09.
Inter Milan (Italy)
Inter Milan are also possible opponents for Man United, with the Italian champions claiming second spot in Group D behind Real Madrid after losing 2-0 to Los Blancos in their final match in the section.
The San Siro giants won three, drew one and lost two of their six matches to claim 10 points, comfortably progressing to the round of 16 ahead of third-placed Sheriff Tiraspol.
Inter - currently second in Serie A - will compete in the knockout round of the Champions League for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign, but they are the last Italian team to lift the European Cup, triumphing back in 2010.
Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
Red Bull Salzburg would be very interesting opponents for Man United considering Rangick's connection to the club. The Austrian side managed to finish second in Group G behind Lille, having recorded a 1-0 victory over Sevilla on Wednesday night.
Matthias Jaissle's side have become the first Austrian team to make it through to the knockout round of the Champions League, and it will be fascinating to see how they perform in the round of 16.
Salzburg are currently flying high at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga, picking up 42 points from their 17 matches, and the Red Bulls have shown this season that they can compete in Europe.
Benfica (Portugal)
Benfica managed to finish above Barcelona in Group E courtesy of a 2-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday; Barcelona suffered a 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich on the same night, which allowed the Portuguese giants to claim the spot behind Bayern in the section.
The Lisbon club will compete in the round of 16 for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign, when they were beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Borussia Dortmund.
Jorge Jesus's side suffered a damaging 3-1 home defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the league last time out but are certainly capable of matching any side in the knockout round of this season's Champions League. body check tags ::
