January 29 – The UEFA Champions League eight-match league phase concluded last night, splitting those already into the Round of 16 and those required to jump an additional hurdle via the knock-out play-offs.
Eight clubs – Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Manchester City – have secured direct qualification after each winning their final round fixtures.
The remaining 16 sides, finishing between ninth and 24th, will now contest two-legged play-offs to determine the final eight places in the Round of 16.
The structure of the draw is predefined, with teams paired according to their league-phase positions rather than through a fully open draw. Ninth and 10th will each face one of the teams ranked 23rd or 24th, 11th and 12th will be drawn against 21st or 22nd, and so on. Exact match-ups will be confirmed at the draw in Nyon on Friday.
As a result, Real Madrid and Inter Milan already know they will face either Bodø/Glimt or Benfica. Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle will be paired with Monaco or Qarabağ, while Juventus and Atlético Madrid will be drawn against either Club Brugge or Galatasaray. Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen will meet either Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos.
Clubs can be drawn against teams from the same national association at this stage and repeat fixtures from the league phase are also permitted under the revised competition format.
Those progressing from the play-offs will enter the last 16 as unseeded teams, where opponents have been assigned based on the league-phase rankings of the top eight finishers.
The clubs that finished in the top eight avoid the additional fixtures and retain seeding advantage.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1771539311labto1771539311ofdlr1771539311owedi1771539311sni@g1771539311niwe.1771539311yrrah1771539311