After the intense Champions League group stage, the teams that qualified for the knockout stage will find out their fate in the Round of 16 next week.
There are a few notable absentees from the lottery, with a few surprising additions taking their place. Here’s everything you need to know about the lottery.
When and where is the Champions League round of 16 draw?
The draw for the Round of 16 will take place at 11 AM GMT (12 PM CET, 6 AM EST) on Monday, 7 November.
The UEFA European Football House in Nyon, Switzerland is the venue for the draw.
This is a different location than where the group stage draw takes place. For the second year in a row, the eight groups were chosen from Istanbul, by the way, the city where the final match of the season will be held.
Which teams will participate in the draw for the round of 16 of the Champions League?
Ahead of the final round of the Champions League on Tuesday and Wednesday, we already know 12 of the 16 teams in Monday’s draw. This leaves only four matches to be decided in the final round of matches.
Already qualified:
*Confirmed as group winner and seeded in the lottery
From the first group, Napoli and Liverpool have already booked their places in the next round. The Italian side – who have been the standout side across Europe this season – appear poised to finish ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side although the Reds’ three-goal difference at Anfield this evening will help them overtake their opponents.
Liverpool and Napoli qualified for the Round of 16 (Picture: Getty Images)
It was also confirmed that the two teams that would be eliminated from Group B were a surprising surprise for Club Brugge, with Porto booking the last 16 places for them. The Belgians must improve the result of their Portuguese rivals to ensure that they take the lead.
The situation is already becoming clearer in Group C as the headlines relate to Barcelona’s early exit for the second season in a row. Bayern Munich haven’t lost a point yet, so they have won the group, while Inter will run for second place.
Group D presents the most exciting scene of the last week where every team still has a chance to advance. Tottenham are top of the group but face a difficult visit to Marseille, while second and third-placed Sporting and Frankfurt in Portugal battle it out knowing the winner wins everything.
Chelsea are one of the other teams that have confirmed their place as the best team in Group E. Milan are the best to advance alongside Graham Potter’s side and they will do just that by avoiding defeat against Salzburg.
There is one place eligible to play in Group F, where Real Madrid have done enough to prematurely confirm their lead. Second place will go to Shakhtar if they beat Leipzig, otherwise the Germans will qualify.
Everything is already decided in the sixth group. Manchester City qualified to win the group with Dortmund also behind him. Copenhagen is already out while Seville is third.
Erling Haaland’s side have overtaken Manchester City and will be ranked (Picture: Getty Images)
Last but not least, in Group H, PSG and Benfica have already confirmed their places in the Round of 16 with Juventus out. Although the order of their progress needs to be sorted. Provided there is no big win for Benfica over Maccabi Haifa, the French champions must match or improve their score to finish top of the group.
How does the Champions League round of 16 draw work?
The Group Eight winners (only Chelsea, Bayern and Manchester City so far) will be seeded and cannot face each other in the round of 16.
Teams that were initially drawn in the same groups cannot be drawn against each other at this point and teams from the same association cannot meet each other either.
These two rules will change in the quarter-finals where each of the last eight teams can face each other in any order.
At this point, the group winners will also have an advantage at home as they will play their first away away game, before hosting their runners-up in the crucial second leg.
What are the key dates for the Round of 16 match?
While the group stage had to finish earlier than usual due to the Winter World Cup, the Round of 16 matches will follow the same pattern as they did last season.
The first matches will be played over four dates in February: 14, 15, 21 and 22, while the four dates for the second matches fall on March 7, 8, 14 and 15. On March 15, the draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place together on Friday 17 March before the matches that will take place in April.
Other key dates for the UEFA Champions League are as follows:
- Quarter-final and semi-final draw: March 17, 2023
- Quarter-finals: 11/12 and 18/19 April 2023
- semi final: 9/10 and 16/17 May 2023
- ultimate: June 10, 2023 (Istanbul)
(Photo: Getty Images)
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