The Champions League playoffs have come to an end and the moment of truth has arrived for Real Madrid, Barça and Atletico de Madrid. The Whites are the only team that had to play in this phase after failing to qualify for the last eight in the previous round. A ‘setback’ that has allowed us to enjoy El Rey de Europa in all its glory in a luxury tie against Manchester City.
Real Madrid are in the last sixteen, after winning the tie 6-3 on aggregate against Guardiola’s team. In the first leg at Etihad Stadium, Carlo Ancelotti’s side went behind twice through goals from Haaland, but first Mbappé and then Brahim equalized before Bellingham scored the final goal in the last gasp to make it 2-3. With that advantage they arrived last night at the Santiago Bernabéu where an excellent Mbappé scored a hat-trick to leave the sky blues no chance.
In addition to Real Madrid, the following teams have qualified for the draw for the last sixteen: Bayern Munich, Feyenoord, Benfica, Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund, PSV and PSG. These teams join those who have skipped the Playoffs and qualified directly, such as Liverpool, Barça, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.
Date and time: when is the Champions League round of 16 draw?
The Champions League round of 16 draw will take place on Friday 21st February at 12:00 Spanish time at the House of European Football in Nyon (Switzerland). The draw will decide the round of 16 fixtures and the order of the quarter-finals and semi-finals, thus establishing the definitive draw. It can be followed live on UEFA.com.
What will the Champions League draw be like?
The draw for the round of 16 includes the eight teams that advanced directly from the league phase and the eight winners of the playoffs. The teams that made it into the top 8 will be seeded in four pairs and will face the remaining teams according to their positions. Thus, the possible matchups would be:
- Winners of Bruges and Borussia Dortmund against Lille or Aston Villa.
- Winners of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich against Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen.
- Winners of Feyenoord and PSV against Arsenal or Inter.
- Winners of PSG and Benfica against Liverpool or Barcelona.
Champions League schedule
- Round of 16: March 4/5 and 11/12
- Quarter finals: April 8/9 and 15/16
- Semi finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7
- Final: May 31 in Munich