Champions League Draw: What Premier League Fans Must Digest After Chelsea v PSG, Man City v Real and Six PL Sides Advancing

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 27, 2026 7:27 PM ET

Champions League Draw: What Premier League Fans Must Digest After Chelsea v PSG, Man City v Real and Six PL Sides Advancing

For Premier League supporters the Champions League Draw redraws March calendars and raises stakes: six PL clubs reach the last 16 but there are no all‑English ties. The draw pairs Chelsea with holders Paris Saint‑Germain and Manchester City with Real Madrid for a fifth straight season, while Arsenal, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham face continental tests. First legs fall on 10–11 March and return legs on 17–18 March.

Champions League Draw — what this means first for clubs and fans

Here’s the part that matters for match‑day planning and squad management: six Premier League clubs are juggling domestic campaigns with tough continental opponents, and the home/away sequencing matters. Newcastle host Barcelona in the first leg; the other Premier League sides are at home for their second legs because they qualified automatically for the last 16. That sequencing shapes travel, rotation and the moment when supporters can hope to influence a tie.

Key fixtures, dates and the route to Budapest

Chelsea v Paris Saint‑Germain — a rematch of last summer's FIFA Club World Cup final when Chelsea beat PSG 3‑0 in New Jersey.
Manchester City v Real Madrid — a repeat pairing that marks the fifth straight season the clubs meet in the knockout stages.
Arsenal v Bayer Leverkusen — Arsenal finished top of the league phase, the only team to win all eight games; Bayern Munich finished three points behind in second.
Newcastle United v Barcelona — Newcastle are at home for the first leg.
Liverpool v Galatasaray — Liverpool have the second leg at home.
Tottenham v Atletico Madrid.

First‑leg dates: 10 and 11 March (ET). Second legs: 17 and 18 March (ET). The final is scheduled for the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, 30 May. The route to the final is already mapped: if Newcastle and Tottenham both progress they would meet in a quarter‑final, while Chelsea and Liverpool would meet in the other half of the bracket.

Paths and pockets of the draw: Silver Path versus Blue Path

Two halves of the bracket set different profiles. The Silver Path contains Paris Saint‑Germain, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Liverpool and Galatasaray — only one of those sides can make the final. The Blue Path includes Barcelona, Newcastle, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt, Sporting CP, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham.

If Arsenal progress past Leverkusen they would face either Sporting or Bodo/Glimt in the quarter‑finals.
Stat insight: a performance model gives Arsenal a 27. 40% chance of winning the competition, with Bayern Munich next at 14. 28%.

Match dynamics and matchups to note

Man City, Newcastle and Liverpool all met their round‑of‑16 opponents during the league phase this season. Manchester City's win in Madrid in December was their ninth meeting with Real since April 2022. Historically, City and Real have five wins apiece and five draws between them, underlining how tight that tie looks on paper.

PSG enter the tie with Chelsea as reigning European champions. PSG have struggled relative to last season but are expected to have Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz back from injury for the tie; only goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma — now at Manchester City — would be absent from PSG's strongest XI from last season. Chelsea arrive off a high from beating PSG in New Jersey last summer, and Chelsea's director of football has urged a game‑by‑game focus while calling the tie tough but not frightening. PSG's coach, Luis Enrique, and Chelsea's coach are set for a tactical battle where revenge and recent history are clear subplots.

Liverpool's matchup with Galatasaray carries layers: Victor Osimhen's penalty in Istanbul last September sealed a 1‑0 league‑phase win for Galatasaray against Liverpool, part of a difficult sequence for Liverpool during which they had four straight defeats. Galatasaray are strong at home — they beat Juventus 5‑2 in a first‑leg playoff tie — but historically they have a poor record on European travels and have won in England only once, a victory over Manchester United in November, 2023. Their squad includes former Premier League players Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan and Mario Lemina, which could influence the tie. Liverpool point to the advantage of hosting the second leg and the Anfield atmosphere as a factor.

Practical takeaways and short checklist

Fixture calendar: 10–11 March (first legs) and 17–18 March (second legs); final on 30 May in Budapest.
Six Premier League clubs in last 16 but no all‑English ties — implications for domestic rotation.
High‑profile rematches: Chelsea v PSG (Club World Cup final rematch) and Man City v Real (fifth straight season meeting).
Arsenal lead the group stage record (8 wins) and are model favorites at 27. 40% to lift the trophy; Bayern at 14. 28%.
Signals to watch that could confirm momentum: availability of Dembele and Fabian Ruiz for PSG; whether City can repeat their Madrid performance; fitness and form of key forwards in Turkey for the Liverpool tie.

It’s easy to overlook that the bracket shapes quarter‑final matchups before the round of 16 is played; those bracket routes will determine mid‑season planning. A brief editorial aside: the clustering of heavyweight ties early in the knockout phase will make March feel decisive for any club with continental ambition.