FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid in Champions: Is it Possible? Discover the Likely Matchups

UEFA Champions League drew the matchups for the 'play-off' or requalification to be held from February 11 to 19 this Friday. Real Madrid must face Manchester City for the fourth consecutive year and, therefore, is placed on the left side of the 'bracket'. This sets up two possible scenarios for a Clásico with FC Barcelona in Europe this season, something that has only happened a couple of times.

The culés await a rival in the round of 16, according to their position in the final bracket. Depending on this factor, Barça and Madrid could meet before the final. Previously, the azulgrana team eliminated the 'merengues' with an aggregate score of 3-1 in the 2010-11 season, avenging their elimination against their eternal rival in the 2001-02 season, also by the same aggregate score (3-1). Both matchups occurred in the semifinals, with the winning team lifting the 'orejona' in London and Glasgow, respectively.

Barça and Madrid can only meet in 'semis' or in the final

In this sense, there are only two possible scenarios for a 'Clásico' in the Champions League. One option is that Barça, like Real Madrid, is placed on the left side of the final bracket in the draw to be held on February 21. In that case, the azulgranas will face the winner of the Brest-PSG matchup in the round of 16, and in the quarter-finals, they would meet Lille, Aston Villa, Bruges, or Atalanta.

On the other hand, Madrid would have to face Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético de Madrid in the round of 16 if they overcome the requalification against City. Then, in the quarter-finals, they would face Arsenal, Inter Milan, Juventus, or PSV Eindhoven. If both culés and 'merengues' advance to the semifinals from this side of the bracket, they will have to face each other for a spot in the final in Munich on May 31.

Conversely, if the round of 16 draw places Barcelona on the right side of the bracket, there can only be a 'Clásico' in the final. In that case, the team managed by Hansi Flick will face the winner of the matchup between Monaco and Benfica, two rivals that Barça has already faced in the league phase. In the quarter-finals, the opponent will come from Lille, Aston Villa, Sporting CP, or Borussia Dortmund.

Thus, the upcoming draw will define the final configuration of the 'bracket' for the 'KO' phase. No further draws will be needed for the quarter-finals and 'semis', as the bracket will determine the opponents of each team according to the winners of each matchup. The round of 16 matches will be played between March 4 and 12, while the quarter-finals will take place from April 8 to 16. Finally, the semifinals must be played between April 29 and May 7.

This is how the round of 16 matchups of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 are distributed

Left side of the bracket:

1. Liverpool (1st) or FC Barcelona (2nd) vs winner of Stade Brestois (18th) - Paris Saint-Germain (15th).
2. LOSC Lille (7th) or Aston Villa (8th) vs winner of Club Bruges (24th) - Atalanta Bergamasca (9th).
3. Atlético de Madrid (5th) or Bayer Leverkusen (6th) vs winner of Manchester City (22nd) - Real Madrid (11th).
4. Arsenal (3rd) or Inter Milan (4th) vs winner of Juventus (20th) - PSV Eindhoven (14th).

Right side of the bracket:

1. FC Barcelona (2nd) or Liverpool (1st) vs winner of AS Monaco (17th) - SL Benfica (16th).
2. Aston Villa (8th) or LOSC Lille (7th) vs winner of Sporting CP (23rd) - Borussia Dortmund (10th).
3. Bayer Leverkusen (6th) or Atlético de Madrid (5th) vs winner of Celtic FC (21st) - Bayern Munich (12th).
4. Inter Milan (4th) or Arsenal (3rd) vs winner of Feyenoord (19th) - AC Milan (13th).

Play-off matchups of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25:

1. Stade Brestois - Paris Saint-Germain (first leg: En Avant Guingamp | second leg: Parc des Princes).
2. SL Benfica - AS Monaco (first leg: Estádio da Luz | second leg: Stade Louis-II).
3. Juventus - PSV Eindhoven (first leg: Allianz Stadium | second leg: Philips Stadion).
4. Feyenoord - AC Milan (first leg: Feyenoord Stadium | second leg: San Siro).
5. Manchester City - Real Madrid (first leg: Etihad Stadium | second leg: Santiago Bernabéu).
6. Club Bruges - Atalanta Bergamasca (first leg: Estadio Jan Breydel | second leg: Gewiss Stadium)
7. Celtic FC - Bayern Munich (first leg: Celtic Park | second leg: Allianz Arena).
8. Sporting CP - Borussia Dortmund (first leg: Estadio José Alvalade | second leg: Signal Iduna Park).