Having finished second to Paris Saint-Germain in Champions League Group C, Liverpool knew they were in danger of facing a seriously tough opponent in the last 16.
With the Champions League draw now complete, they now know they will have to beat Bayern Munich to get through to the quarter-finals.
Still unbeaten in the Premier League and top of the domestic standings, Liverpool must now contest a massive double header in Europe. Here’s everything you need to know about their opponents.
Manager
Niko Kovac, the former Bayern midfielder who was previously at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Star man
While it’s been a challenging season for Bayern, Robert Lewandowski seems to have largely ignored the turmoil around him. The imposing No 9 has scored 22 goals in 22 appearances in all competitions this season, including eight in six in the Champions League.
Youngsters Joshua Kimmich, Niklas Sule and Serge Gnabry have all shown glimmers of excellence this term, but the old guard seem to be on the way out at Bayern. Manuel Neuer has been singled out for particular criticism for his performances, while Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery look set to leave the club in the summer.
Season so far
Bayern finished top of Champions League Group E without a loss to their name, though only two points ahead of Ajax who also went undefeated. For Bayern, the group stage provided welcome respite from a season of struggle domestically.
Despite their massive financial dominance in the Bundesliga, the reigning champions are currently third in the table and nine points behind league leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Having won the league for the last six seasons running that represents a full-blown crisis for Bayern, who look unusually fallible even if their form in Europe has been relatively unaffected.
Verdict
Jurgen Klopp will relish this tie, given his fierce rivalry with Bayern back when he was Borussia Dortmund boss. Liverpool to progress, narrowly.