The Champions League is already again after only a fortnight’s break with the knockout play-offs. What do they imply and the way is the remainder of the competitors shaping up?
In case you are lacking the quantity crunching of the newly-redesigned league section, introduced on this season to end in extra fixtures between ‘massive golf equipment’ at an earlier stage, don’t fret. The psychological gymnastics aren’t over but.
This week and subsequent, the groups ranked ninth to twenty fourth in that league section will go head-to-head in two-legged play-off video games to find out which eight will progress because the unseeded sides for the final 16, the place their opponents shall be decided by who completed the place within the prime eight.
As you could already know, groups have been drawn in pairs for the play-off spherical – that means the groups in ninth and tenth may face both of the groups in twenty third or twenty fourth, the groups in eleventh and twelfth dealing with these in twenty first or twenty second, and so forth at this stage of the match.
That’s so far as we have as regards to mapping out the path to the Allianz Area on Might 31. The eight play-off ties, to be performed on February 11-12 and 18-19, are:
- Atalanta vs Membership Brugge
- Dortmund vs Sporting
- Actual Madrid vs Man Metropolis
- Bayern Munich vs Celtic
- Milan vs Feyenoord
- PSV vs Juventus
- PSG vs Brest
- Benfica vs Monaco
Up to now, so good. However who will the winners of these ties play, you ask? Properly, for no matter motive, we do not know. UEFA seemingly believes one different factor lacking from the previous Champions League format was extra draw ceremonies, and they also have made the last-16 draw separate from final month’s play-off draw.
In observe, every play-off pairing is aware of they might face certainly one of two automatically-qualified groups within the subsequent section however is not going to discover out precisely who that’s till after they’ve gone by means of, because the draw to disclose the final 16 and past is not going to be held till February 21 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
And that is what makes issues sophisticated. Liverpool and Barcelona, who completed first and second within the desk to go straight by means of to the final 16, know they are going to face certainly one of Monaco, Benfica, Paris or Brest within the subsequent spherical.
That’s so far as they’ll slim it down, far much less know even which half of the draw they are going to be in, as first and second, third and fourth and so forth are grouped collectively at this level – with certainly one of every pair ending up in reverse halves of the draw.
Hopefully, the graphic under can go some method to providing a visible rationalization to clear issues up barely.
When are the knockout phases?
- The Champions League play-offs will happen over two legs on the weekdays of February 11 and February 12, in addition to February 18 and February 19.
- The draw for the final 16 and past shall be held on February 21.
- Final-16 video games shall be performed 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 happen on April 29 and April 30, with second legs on Might 6 and Might 7.
- This 12 months’s Champions League ultimate is at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Area on Might 31.
Who will British groups play within the subsequent spherical – and who may they face within the final 16?
Liverpool (Ranked No 1)
Spherical of 16: vs PSG (fifteenth), Benfica (sixteenth), Monaco (seventeenth) or Brest (18th).
Arsenal (Ranked No 3)
Spherical of 16: vs AC Milan (thirteenth), PSV (14th), Feyenoord (nineteenth) or Juventus (twentieth).
Aston Villa (Ranked No 8)
Spherical of 16: vs Atalanta (ninth), Borussia Dortmund (tenth), Sporting (twenty third) or Membership Brugge (twenty fourth).
Celtic (Ranked No 21)
Knockout play-offs: vs Bayern Munich (eleventh).
Spherical of 16: vs Atletico Madrid (fifth) or Bayer Leverkusen (sixth).
Manchester Metropolis (Ranked No 22)
Knockout play-offs: vs Actual Madrid (twelfth).
Spherical of 16: vs Atletico Madrid (fifth) or Bayer Leverkusen (sixth).
