The Champions League group stage has come to an end, and the teams set for the knockout rounds are now confirmed after some intense drama.
Manchester City pulled off a thrilling comeback against Club Brugge to secure their spot in the play-offs, while Aston Villa and Arsenal joined Liverpool—who had already qualified—in the last 16.
Here’s the full breakdown:
Champions League Last 16:
Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa.
Knockout Phase Play-offs:
Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Manchester City, Sporting CP, Club Brugge.
Eliminated:
Dinamo Zagreb, Stuttgart, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bologna, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Red Star Belgrade, Sturm Graz, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys.
Graphic representation of the road to the final.
With the Champions League knockout rounds approaching, teams finishing between 9th and 24th will face off in two-legged play-off ties on February 11-12 and 18-19 to determine who advances to the last 16.
The play-off draw will take place on Friday, January 31, and teams already have an idea of who they could face based on their final group-stage rankings.
Some of the most exciting matchups are ahead: Celtic or Manchester City will face defending champions Real Madrid, with the other meeting Bayern Munich.
The winners will then face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16. Juventus and AC Milan could meet, while Paris Saint-Germain will battle either Monaco or Brest!
Who’s facing who in the last 16?
Liverpool and Barcelona, who both finished at the top of their groups, will not meet until the final. The Reds will play either Monaco, Brest, PSG, or Benfica, with Barcelona facing one of the same teams.
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Arsenal will face either Feyenoord, Juventus, AC Milan, or PSV Eindhoven, while Aston Villa, having secured a top-eight finish, will take on Sporting CP, Club Brugge, Atalanta, or Borussia Dortmund.
The last-16 ties will take place on March 4-5 and 11-12, with the exact matchups revealed during the draw on February 21.
That day will also determine the path to the final, as the quarterfinal and semifinal draws will take place.
