The Champions League stage is over – we know the eight teams going to the final, but who now has two games to spare in their schedule for the right to join them and who will they play?
The top eight teams – Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting and Man City – They all qualified for the next round of the Champions League, but we still don’t know who they will face in the knockout phase.
Here’s everything you need to know about the playoff draw and who’s involved…
How do the playoffs work?
Teams ranked ninth to 24th in the league stage will now face each other in two-legged play-off games to determine which eight will progress as seeded into the last 16, with their opponents determined by who finished where in the top eight.
Each side in the play-offs already knows from their position in the league that they will finish one of two ways. For example, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, teams in ninth and 10th place, will each play Bodo/Glimt and Benfica, teams in 23rd and 24th place in the playoffs. Same with 11th and 12th versus one or 21st and 22nd and so on. Exactly who will play who will be determined in the knockout play-off draw.
Teams from the same national association can they play each other in this phase – as well as the teams that met in the league phase.
When is the playoff draw?
The draw will take place at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland on Friday 30 January, with a scheduled 11am kick-off – although expect to start a little later to get through all the formalities, editing and guest presenters.
Who’s in the playoffs?
The 16 teams fighting for a place in the final are…
- 9th: Real Madrid
- 10th: Inter Milan
- 11: PSG
- 12th: Newcastle
- 13th: Juventus
- 14th: Atletico Madrid
- 15th: Atalanta
- 16th: Bayer Leverkusen
- 17th: Borussia Dortmund
- 18th: Olympiakos
- 19th: Club Bruges
- 20th: Galatasaray
- 21st: Monaco
- 22nd: Karabagh
- 23rd: They will / Glimt
- 24th: Benfica
When will the playoffs take place?
Matches will be played midweek on February 17-18 and 24-25.
When is the draw for the last 16?
After the end of the play-off round, the draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals will be held on February 27.