Champions League Playoff Draw

On January 31, the draw for the Champions League playoff round determined the matchups for the knockout stage. This season, the tournament format has been modified, increasing the number of elimination matches in the playoffs.

Following the group stage, the top eight clubs advanced directly to the Round of 16. Meanwhile, teams finishing between 9th and 24th place will compete in the playoff round. These teams are divided into two groups: seeded (9th-16th place) and unseeded (17th-24th place). The seeded teams will play the second leg at home. The winners of these matchups will join the top eight teams in the Round of 16.

Champions League Playoff Matchups:

• Brest vs. PSG (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Liverpool or Barcelona)
• Monaco vs. Benfica (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Liverpool or Barcelona)
• Juventus vs. PSV (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Arsenal or Inter)
• Feyenoord vs. Milan (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Arsenal or Inter)
• Manchester City vs. Real Madrid (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen)
• Celtic vs. Bayern Munich (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen)
• Club Brugge vs. Atalanta (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Lille or Aston Villa)
• Sporting vs. Borussia Dortmund (Potential Round of 16 opponents: Lille or Aston Villa)

One of the most discussed moments of the draw was the matchup between Real Madrid and Manchester City. If not for an error by Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny in the match against Atalanta, Real Madrid might have faced Sporting instead.

• Real Madrid: The 14-time Champions League winners hold the record for the most titles in the tournament’s history.
• Manchester City: A club that has significantly strengthened in recent seasons and achieved major international success.
• Wojciech Szczęsny: The Juventus goalkeeper, named Serie A’s best goalkeeper in 2021.

The playoff matches are expected to be highly competitive, with the winners earning the opportunity to face Europe’s strongest teams in the next round. The battle for a place in the Round of 16 promises to be intense.