Champions League last-16 draw clearer as Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea set to study destiny
All six Premier League clubs have reached the Champions League knockout stage, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Newcastle awaiting Friday’s last-16 draw
The Champions League knockout stages are taking shape(Image: Kristian Skeie – UEFA, UEFA via Getty Images)
The Champions League last-16 lineup is starting to take shape as four clubs have booked their spots in the next phase of the competition, including Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt and Premier League outfit Newcastle United.
The Magpies triumphed over Qarabag 3-2 on Tuesday evening, prevailing 9-3 on aggregate following a commanding 6-1 victory away from home in the opening leg. This ensures all six Premier League teams who entered this year’s tournament will feature in the last-16, with the prospect that two could face each other in next month’s fixtures.
The restructured format, launched last season, stipulates that rather than a random draw, sides will be paired based on their league phase positioning. Here, the Daily Star Sport examines the draw as it currently stands.
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Qualified teams for the last-16:
- Arsenal
- Bayern Munich
- Liverpool
- Tottenham
- Barcelona
- Chelsea
- Sporting CP
- Man City
- Newcastle
- Atletico Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Bodo/Glimt
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Yet to be decided:
- Real Madrid or Benfica
- Paris Saint-Germain or Monaco
- Juventus or Galatasaray
- Borussia Dortmund or Atalanta
Newcastle find themselves in one of the most challenging situations, given their last-16 opponents will be either Chelsea or Barcelona. The Magpies have secured just one win at Chelsea since 2012, indicating they’ll need to deliver impressively in the opening leg to stand any chance of advancing.
Eddie Howe’s squad have already tasted defeat against Barcelona this season, having been pitted against them in the league phase of the competition. Arsenal also face a daunting task with a potential encounter with Bayern Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Atalanta, with the latter two set to clash in Italy on Wednesday evening.
For Liverpool and, consequently, Tottenham, there lies an equally formidable challenge, as their possible opponents include Atletico, Galatasaray, or Juventus. Atletico secured their last-16 spot with a win over Club Brugge on Tuesday, whilst Galatasaray carry a 5-2 lead into Wednesday’s second leg against Juventus.
Arne Slot’s side have already suffered a loss to Galatasaray this season, and although they did triumph over Atletico in the league phase, the Spanish outfit did knock out Liverpool at this stage during the 2019/20 season.
Champions League last-16 draw as it stands:
- Arsenal or Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen or Borussia Dortmund/ Atalanta
- Liverpool or Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid or Galatasaray/ Juventus
- Chelsea or Barcelona vs Newcastle or PSG / Monaco
- Manchester City or Sporting vs Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid/ Benfica
All Champions League last-16 match-ups will be finalised in the draw on Friday.
