Here’s a quick rundown of what’s in store:
- Bayern Munich will play against Celtic Glasgow.
- Borussia Dortmund will take on Sporting Lisbon.
- Real Madrid is set for a blockbuster clash with Manchester City.
- The new Champions League format adds more excitement.
Bayern’s Lucky Escape
Bayern Munich was just one draw away from a potentially epic clash with Manchester City, but instead, they’ll be facing Celtic Glasgow in the playoffs. For Bayern’s coach Vincent Kompany, this means avoiding a reunion with his former club in this crucial stage of the competition. As for the Bavarians, this is a welcome draw, giving them a chance to advance to the round of 16.
Bayern’s sporting director Max Eberl stated, “Celtic will come with passion and fighting spirit, and it will be a great challenge. Our goal is to reach the round of 16, and we will need to go all in for both games.”
Dortmund’s Challenge
Borussia Dortmund, the other German team in the playoffs, drew Sporting Lisbon. This match-up is seen as a battle between two equally matched teams. However, Dortmund’s sporting director, Sebastian Kehl, is optimistic about his team’s chances, stating, “It will be a head-to-head battle, but we have the home advantage in the second leg, and we will be able to manage that.”
Key Playoff Matchups
The Champions League playoffs feature some tantalizing matchups:
- FC Bruges vs. Atalanta Bergamo
- Sporting Lisbon vs. Borussia Dortmund
- Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
- Celtic Glasgow vs. FC Bayern Munich
- Juventus Turin vs. PSV Eindhoven
- Feyenoord Rotterdam vs. AC Milan
- Stade Brest vs. Paris St. Germain
- AS Monaco vs. Benfica Lisbon
What’s Next?
The eight winners from these playoffs will advance to the round of 16, where they will meet the teams that have already qualified as group winners. The draw for the round of 16 will take place on February 21st. Here is how it will look like:
Round of 16 Draw:
The winners will be paired up as follows, note that the teams from the first 8 places have home advantage:
- One of the winners of Monaco vs Benfica or Brest vs PSG will face Liverpool (1) or FC Barcelona (2).
- One of the winners of Sporting vs Dortmund or Bruges vs Bergamo will face OSC Lille (7) or Aston Villa (8).
- One of the winners of Celtic vs Bayern or Man City vs Real Madrid will face Atlético Madrid (5) or Leverkusen (6).
- One of the winners of Feyenoord Rotterdam vs AC Milan or Juventus Turin vs PSV Eindhoven will face Arsenal (3) or Inter Milan (4).
The New Format
This new format, introduced for the 2024/25 season, aimed to make the competition more exciting, and also avoid the many dead rubbers that plagued the previous format. While it does add some excitement, some critics argue that it has also introduced some new problems. For example, even in this new format there were still games that were essentially meaningless towards the end of the group phase.
Here’s when the rest of the games will take place:
- Playoffs: February 11/12 and February 18/19
- Round of 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12
- Quarter-Finals: April 8/9 and April 15/16
- Semi-Finals: April 29/30 and May 6/7
- Final in Munich: May 31
The “Paired Draw” System
The “paired draw” system ensures that teams don’t deliberately try to qualify for a seemingly easier side of the tournament bracket. This system also allows UEFA to handle situations where political tensions between countries might make certain matchups problematic. This could be the case with teams from Azerbaijan and Armenia, or Kosovo and Serbia.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Champions League drama unfolds!
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