UEFA Champions League: Knockout Round, Draw Explained, Seedings and Next Opponents
- The UEFA Champions League first round has been concluded with drama across different centres on the final match day
- Manchester City came from behind to defeat Club Brugge as they picked up a spot in the knockout phase play-offs
- A draw will be held on Friday, January 31, as teams are set to know their exact opponent in the next phase
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Following a dramatic conclusion to the league phase of this season's UEFA Champions League, fans now know which teams will advance to the knockout rounds.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City came from behind to defeat Club Brugge 3-1 as the English club squeezed a space in the play-offs.
Arsenal and Aston Villa joined Liverpool, who had long booked their place in the last 16.
Source: Getty Images
Despite losing 4-2 to Aston Villa, Celtic will also be in the play-offs as all five British teams progressed through the league phase.
Which teams are through to the Champions League Round of 16?
Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa.
Which teams will play in the Champions League knockout play-offs?
Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV, Paris St-Germain, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Manchester City, Sporting, Club Brugge.
Champions League Eliminated teams
Dinamo Zagreb, Stuttgart, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys.
Champions League play-off pairings
According to the new rules, teams that finished between 9th and 24th position will engage in two-legged play-off ties.
The matches are scheduled for February 11 and 12 and then February 18 and 19 to determine which teams go through to the last 16, Sky Sports reports.
UEFA will hold a draw on Friday, January 31, however, teams have an idea of whom they will likely meet because of their final positions in the league phase.
Either Manchester City or Celtic will take on European champions Real Madrid, while the other team will face Bayern Munich.
Juventus could also potentially face AC Milan, while PSG could face Ligue 1 rivals Brest or Monaco.
Who meets in the last 16?
After finishing in the top two, Barcelona and Liverpool cannot meet until the final game.
Arne Slot's side will take on one of Benfica, Monaco, PSG, or Brest in the round of 16, with Barcelona facing one of the teams.
Having finished in third position, Arsenal will take on PSV, Feyenoord, AC Milan or Juventus.
Following their win over Celtic, Aston Villa confirmed their place in the top eight. They will now face Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Atalanta, or Sporting.
The Round of 16 matches will scheduled for March 4 to 5 and March 11 to 12.
However, the teams will not know their exact opponents until the last-16 draw takes place on February 21.
Guardiola reacts to tough draw
Legit.ng earlier reported that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was all smiles after his side managed to scale through to the knockout phase.
The manager raised concerns as his side take on either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in their next game.
His side return to Premier League action this weekend when they take on Arsenal at the Emirates.
Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng
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Source: Legit.ng
