Champions League Draw: champions league draw dates, schedule & possible ties
Sixteen teams will discover their opponents in the champions league draw on Friday at 11: 00 GMT, with the draw scheduled for Friday, February 27. The draw will also allocate a side of the bracket so teams will know potential quarter-final, semi-final and final opponents.
Who is already through
Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were already in the hat, with Newcastle joining them after a 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag in the play-off round. The Magpies will face Chelsea or Barcelona in their knockout tie. Newcastle won 9-3 on aggregate to progress.
Play-off winners and matchups
The eight winners of the two-legged knockout phase play-offs join the top eight sides from the league-phase table in the draw. Atletico Madrid completed a 7-4 aggregate victory over Club Brugge to advance from the knockout play-off round. Bodo/Glimt eliminated Inter Milan and will face either Manchester City or Sporting. Bayer Leverkusen will play Bayern Munich or Arsenal. Paris Saint-Germain saw off Monaco and are set to face Chelsea or Barcelona. Galatasaray came through in extra-time to beat Juventus 7-5 on aggregate for the chance to play Liverpool or Tottenham; Galatasaray had held a 5-2 advantage over Juventus after the first leg in Istanbul. Real Madrid set up a tie with Sporting or Manchester City. Atalanta’s defeat of Borussia Dortmund means they will play Arsenal or Bayern Munich.
Champions League Draw logistics
Friday's draw at 11: 00 GMT will place the eight play-off winners against the top-eight finishers from the league phase. From this point onward the competition adopts a knockout format, with each fixture other than the final contested over two legs. Seeded sides—those that finished in the top eight of the league phase—are given the advantage of playing second legs at home.
Seeding influence on later rounds
This is the first season that position in the league phase will also influence seeding for the quarter-final and semi-finals. Teams finishing first to fourth at the end of the league phase will be seeded for the quarter-finals and therefore given the home advantage in their quarter-final tie second legs. The two sides who finish top and runner-up in the league will also be seeded for the semi-finals, earning them the benefit of playing the second leg of their semis at home should they reach that stage. If a seeded team does not progress to the quarter or semi-finals, the team that knocks them out will inherit their seeding position.
Schedule for last-16 ties
Last-16 first legs will take place on either 10 or 11 March, with the reverse fixtures scheduled for 17-18 March. Each last-16 tie other than the final will be contested over two legs, and Friday's draw will also allocate bracket sides so clubs can map potential routes through quarters and semis to the final.
Potential domestic clashes and early meetings
Clubs already know the opponents they could face in the Champions League last 16: Arsenal can be drawn against Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta. Chelsea could draw Newcastle or Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool’s possible opponents are Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray. Manchester City could meet Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid. Newcastle’s options are Chelsea or Barcelona. Tottenham’s possible opponents are Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray. The earliest opportunity for two English sides to meet is in the last 16, when Newcastle could come up against Chelsea. The earliest opportunity for any other all-English meetings is in the quarter-finals, when Manchester City could meet Arsenal, and Chelsea or Newcastle could meet Tottenham or Liverpool.
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Friday's champions league draw will confirm all last-16 pairings, and those pairings will also place teams on specific sides of the bracket so potential quarter-final and semi-final opponents are known.
