BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal Champions League quarter Final opponent REVEALED after latest DRAW conducted this morning – As Arteta team set to face the most in form team in the champions league now that could eliminate them early from the competition
BREAKING NEWS: Arsenal Champions League quarter Final opponent REVEALED after latest DRAW conducted this morning – As Arteta team set to face the most in form team in the champions league now that could eliminate them early from the competition
The 2024-25 season has brought major change to a previously tired Champions League format, giving a fresh look to UEFA’s top tournament.
Now the inaugural league phase and knockout playoffs have been completed, the next – and final – draw awaits
On Friday, February 21, Europe’s great and good will convene in Nyon, with the remaining sides set to discover their last-16 opponents.
Eight ties are set to take place on March 4-5 and March 11-12, before two subsequent rounds produce the teams who walk out at Munich’s Allianz Arena in May.
Here, Sports Mole sums up how the draw will work and highlights who the Premier League clubs could face.
Three in one: the new Champions League bracket
Following the knockout phase playoffs, Friday’s draw will set up a bracket that shows each team their potential route from the last 16, through the quarter and semi-finals, then into the decider.
As this structure is pre-defined by seeded pairings, much like in major tennis tournaments, the best-placed sides from the league phase will not face each other until the latter stages.
The top eight are paired in relation to their final league positions: 1st and 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 5th and 6th, 7th and 8th. For example, Liverpool and Barcelona – who finished first and second respectively – cannot meet until the final.
Initially, the clubs in each seeded pair are drawn to meet a winning team from the playoffs – for instance, either Arsenal or Inter Milan will play Feyenoord. That process produces next month’s last-16 ties.
In addition, there will be another draw relating to the quarters and semis, deciding which teams host the first leg and which host the second.
Which teams have qualified?
The top eight from this season’s league phase automatically booked their ticket for the last 16: Liverpool, Barca, Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, eight sides had to take the scenic route after finishing between ninth and 24th in the 36-team table.
Four were confirmed following Tuesday night’s action – Bayern Munich, Benfica, Club Brugge and Feyenoord – while the next quartet qualified on Wednesday.
Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and PSV Eindhoven were the final four to seal their spots.
Who could Premier League teams face?
Though 2023 champions Manchester City were eliminated by familiar foes Real Madrid, three English clubs are still contending for continental glory this season.
Friday’s draw will dictate their possible onward route to the final, but each team has a 50-50 chance of predicting their opponents in the round-of-16.
Liverpool (1st seed) will play: PSG (15th) or Benfica (16th)
Arsenal (3rd) will play: Feyenoord (19th) or PSV (14th)
Aston Villa (8th) will play: Dortmund (10th) or Club Brugge (24th)
