The Champions League is already back after just a fortnight’s break with the knockout play-offs. What do they mean and how is the rest of the competition shaping up?
If you are missing the number crunching of the newly-redesigned league phase, brought in this season to result in more fixtures between ‘big clubs’ at an earlier stage, don’t worry. The mental gymnastics are not over yet.
This week and next, the teams ranked ninth to 24th in that league phase will go head-to-head in two-legged play-off games to determine which eight will progress as the unseeded sides for the last 16, where their opponents will be determined by who finished where in the top eight.
- Champions League new group stage: Was the format a success?
- Live Champions League table | Download the Sky Sports app
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺
As you may already know, teams have been drawn in pairs for the play-off round – meaning the teams in ninth and 10th could face either of the teams in 23rd or 24th, the teams in 11th and 12th facing those in 21st or 22nd, and so on at this stage of the tournament.
That is as far as we’ve got with regards to mapping out the route to the Allianz Arena on May 31. The eight play-off ties, to be played on February 11-12 and 18-19, are:
- Atalanta vs Club Brugge
- Dortmund vs Sporting
- Real Madrid vs Man City
- Bayern Munich vs Celtic
- Milan vs Feyenoord
- PSV vs Juventus
- PSG vs Brest
- Benfica vs Monaco
So far, so good. But who will the winners of those ties play, you ask? Well, for whatever reason, we don’t know. UEFA seemingly believes one other thing missing from the old Champions League format was more draw ceremonies, and so they have made the last-16 draw separate from last month’s play-off draw.
In practice, each play-off pairing knows they could face one of two automatically-qualified teams in the next phase but will not find out exactly who that is until after they have gone through, as the draw to reveal the last 16 and beyond will not be held until February 21 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
And this is what makes things complicated. Liverpool and Barcelona, who finished first and second in the table to go straight through to the last 16, know they will face one of Monaco, Benfica, Paris or Brest in the next round.
That is as far as they can narrow it down, far less know even which half of the draw they will be in, as first and second, third and fourth and so on are grouped together at this point – with one of each pair ending up in opposite halves of the draw.
Hopefully, the graphic below can go some way to offering a visual explanation to clear things up slightly.
When are the knockout stages?
- The Champions League play-offs will take place over two legs on the weekdays of February 11 and February 12, as well as February 18 and February 19.
- The draw for the last 16 and beyond will be held on February 21.
- Last-16 games will be played on March 4 and March 5, with the second legs occurring on March 11 and March 12.
- The quarter-finals are on April 8 and April 9, with the return legs on April 15 and April 16.
- The semi-finals will take place on April 29 and April 30, with second legs on May 6 and May 7.
- This year’s Champions League final is at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 31.
Who will British teams play in the next round – and who could they face in the last 16?
Liverpool (Ranked No 1)
Round of 16: vs PSG (15th), Benfica (16th), Monaco (17th) or Brest (18th).
Arsenal (Ranked No 3)
Round of 16: vs AC Milan (13th), PSV (14th), Feyenoord (19th) or Juventus (20th).
Aston Villa (Ranked No 8)
Round of 16: vs Atalanta (9th), Borussia Dortmund (10th), Sporting (23rd) or Club Brugge (24th).
Celtic (Ranked No 21)
Knockout play-offs: vs Bayern Munich (11th).
Round of 16: vs Atletico Madrid (5th) or Bayer Leverkusen (6th).
Manchester City (Ranked No 22)
Knockout play-offs: vs Real Madrid (12th).
Round of 16: vs Atletico Madrid (5th) or Bayer Leverkusen (6th).
