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THE DRAW FOR THE 'PLAY-OFFS' WILL BE THIS FRIDAY
This is how the matchups for the round of 16 and the 'play-offs' of the Champions League 24/25 look
Published:30/01/2025 - 01:25h
Updated:30/01/2025 - 18:44h
The UEFA Champions League defined its first 8 qualifiers for the round of 16 and the 16 teams that will compete in the 'play-off' or repechage this Wednesday. Here is the final bracket and the possible matchups in the 'KO' phase
FC Barcelona is waiting for an opponent in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. On Wednesday, the Blaugrana secured second place in the standings after drawing in Montjuïc against Atalanta (2-2), a result that forces the Italian team to compete in the 'play-off' in February as the ninth qualifier. Additionally, Barça ensures a 'friendly' draw for the round of 16 and quarter-finals, avoiding several 'tough' opponents in the early knockout rounds.
Besides the Catalans, Liverpool is also in a very similar situation, having finished the league phase as leaders. The 'reds' lost on Wednesday to PSV Eindhoven (3-2), but maintained first place thanks to Barcelona's draw. The other six teams qualified for the round of 16 are Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, and LOSC Lille.
On the other hand, besides Atalanta, the teams that must compete in the 'play-off', in descending order of their position in the table, are Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, AS Monaco, Stade Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Manchester City, and Bruges. The draw for the repechage will take place this Friday, January 31, with two-legged matches to be played between February 11 and 19. The teams ranked between 9th and 16th will play the second leg at home.
The possible rivals for Barça in the round of 16
For Barça, their opponent in the round of 16 will come from the matchup between Monaco, Brest, PSG, or Benfica. Hansi Flick's team has already faced three of their four possible rivals in the next phase, with the exception of Paris. Monaco, in fact, was the only opponent that has managed to defeat the Blaugrana in the tournament so far (2-1). Against Brest (3-0) and Benfica (4-5), the three points stayed in the Catalan pocket in Montjuïc and Lisbon, respectively.
PSG is guaranteed a matchup against a Ligue 1 rival (Monaco or Brest), while Benfica is also waiting for either of these two rivals in the 'play-off'. Additionally, both the Parisians and the Portuguese are guaranteed home advantage for the second leg, as the fifteenth and sixteenth qualifiers. For Barça, in the last encounter against PSG, it was in the quarter-finals of last season, with the French winning overall 6-4.
Matchups in the 'play-off':
- Monaco or Brest vs PSG or Benfica
The winners of both matchups will face Liverpool or Barcelona.
Real Madrid awaits Celtic or Manchester City
Meanwhile, Real Madrid finished the league phase in 11th place after thrashing Brest in France (0-3). The 'merengues' are now waiting for Celtic (21st) or Manchester City (22nd), just like Bayern Munich (12th), who on Wednesday defeated Slovan Bratislava at home (3-1). The Scots, on the other hand, fell in their visit to Aston Villa (4-2), while Pep Guardiola's team secured their presence in the TOP-24 after coming back against Bruges (3-1).
Now, the 'sky blue' team must face a tough path, as if they defeat the Madrid or Bavarian teams, in the round of 16 they will face Atlético Madrid (5th) or Bayer Leverkusen (6th). Madrid will also have the same fate if they surpass the 'play-off', which could lead to a Madrid derby in the round of 16. Similarly, there could be a matchup in the round of 16 between Bayern and Leverkusen, as long as the Munich team survives the repechage.
Matchups in the 'play-off':
- Celtic or Manchester City vs Real Madrid or Bayern Munich
The winners of both matchups will face Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen.
The rest of the probable matchups in the 'play-offs' and round of 16
The other four matchups in the 'play-off' promise fairly balanced encounters. On one side, Feyenoord (20th) and Juventus (21st) must face Milan (13th) or PSV (14th), which could lead to an 'Italian derby' between 'bianconeris' and 'rossoneris' in the repechage. The winners of these ties will face Arsenal (3rd) or Inter Milan (4th) in the round of 16. Thus, the possibility of seeing a Milan derby in the next phase remains open:
Matchups in the 'play-off':
- Feyenoord or Juventus vs AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven
The winners of both matchups will face Arsenal or Inter Milan.
And finally, the other pairing in the 'play-off' has Sporting (23rd) or Bruges (24th) as possible rivals for Atalanta (9th) or Borussia Dortmund (10th). In principle, the Germans and Italians are the favorites to advance to the round of 16, where they will face Lille (7th) or Aston Villa (8th). Undoubtedly, this is the most fragile part of the final bracket and, precisely, from here will come the potential rival of FC Barcelona and Liverpool in the quarter-finals, as long as the Catalans and 'reds' overcome their round of 16 ties.
Matchups in the 'play-off':
- Sporting CP or Bruges vs Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund
The winners of both matchups will face LOSC Lille or Aston Villa.