Posibles rivales Barcelona en la Champions League

A 'friendly' draw for Barça

The possible rivals of Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16

Published:30/01/2025 - 00:40h

Updated:30/01/2025 - 18:45h

Barcelona already knows the possible rivals they will face in the round of 16 of the Champions League. PSG, Monaco, Brest, or Benfica could cross paths with the Catalans

Calendar of FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona concluded their participation in the league phase of the Champions League 2024-2025 this Wednesday with a 2-2 draw against Atalanta. A result that does not affect the Blaugranas at all, who had secured their direct qualification to the round of 16 last matchday with their victory against Benfica, but it allowed them to cling to the second position in the standings.

Once the first stage of the competition was defined, the Catalans have already set their sights on the next round, with four possible rivals on the horizon. Having finished the group stage in second place, the Catalans, along with Liverpool (1st), are guaranteed to face one of the teams that finished in the 15th, 16th, 17th, or 18th position in the table, which are Monaco, Brest, PSG, or Benfica.

The draw that will determine the matchups for the round of 32 will take place this Friday, January 31 at 12:00 PM. Subsequently, after this phase of the tournament concludes, the Catalans will know their opponent in the round of 16 in the draw that will be held on February 21 in Nyon, once the two two-legged eliminations between the four potential opponents of the Catalans have been resolved.

A 'friendly' draw for Barça

The team of Hansi Flick will watch the playoff from home (February 11-12 and 18-19) and will play the round of 16 between March 4-5 and 11-12. If they surpass this round, as is expected given the spectacular level of the team in the group stage, the Blaugranas will play the quarter-finals between April 8-9 and 15-16.

At this stage, Barça could face Lille or Aston Villa or one of the teams coming from the round of 32 on that side of the draw (Atalanta, Dortmund, Sporting, or Bruges), so the first two eliminations for the Catalans could be, at the very least, very friendly.

Thus, the Blaugranas would not face any of the other 'heavyweights' until the semifinals, with Real Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City, Juventus, and Milan having to play the playoff and Arsenal, Inter, Atlético de Madrid, and Bayer Leverkusen also waiting for an opponent in the round of 16, a stage in which Barça will play the return leg at home.