UEFA Champions League Update

The remaining teams will learn their last-16 fate in Nyon on Monday, so here’s the run-down on what to expect from what promises to be an intriguing event.

With the Champions League group stage having come to an end on Wednesday, the focus of the football world will now turn towards Monday’s draw for the knockout stages, with coaches desperate to find out whom they will face in the round of 16.

The event will take place in Nyon, Switzerland and is scheduled to start at 11.00GMT, with Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino in charge of proceedings.

WHEN ARE THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE KNOCKOUT STAGES?

From the last 16 until the semi-finals, clubs play two matches against each other on a home-and-away basis under the same rules as the qualifying and play-off rounds.

The first legs of the round of 16 will be played on February 18, 19, 25 and 26, with the second legs scheduled for March 11, 12, 18 and 19.

The quarter-finals will then take place on April 1, 2, 8 and 9, while the semi-finals will be held on April 22 and 23, with the return fixtures to be played on April 29 and 30.

The final will be played at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz on Saturday, May 24.

WHICH TEAMS HAVE QUALIFIED?

The eight teams who topped their respective sections in the group stage (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona) are seeded, with the eight runners-up unseeded.

The runners-up are drawn first and play the first-leg matches at home. They cannot be paired with either the winners from their group or clubs from the same association.



GROUP WINNERS

Manchester United 

Real Madrid 

Paris Saint-Germain 

Bayern Munich 

Chelsea 

Borussia Dortmund 

Atletico Madrid

Barcelona



RUNNERS-UP

Bayer Leverkusen

Galatasaray

Olympiakos

Manchester City

Schalke

Arsenal

Zenit St Petersburg

AC Milan

The make-up of the pots, as shown above, and the aforementioned rules mean that Bayern Munich could meet Arsenal once more, while Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund could also meet familiar opposition in Manchester City.

Other high-profile ties would potentially be Premier League champions Manchester United against AC Milan or another encounter between Barcelona and the Gunners.

On the other hand, dark horses Atletico Madrid could be paired with one of Galatasaray or Olympiakos in what would be a rather favourable draw for the Primera Division side.

Source: Goal