Field set, potential matchups revealed for Champions League knockout stage
Now the fun can truly begin in the Champions League.
With the group stage of this season's tournament concluding Wednesday, the field is locked in for the competition's knockout portion.
The draw for the last 16 is slated for Monday (6:00 a.m. ET). Teams from the same league, as always, cannot be drawn against one another just yet. The same is true for teams who were in the same group; Juventus and Barcelona, for example, can't meet in the last 16. Those restrictions are lifted from the quarterfinal stage onward.
Here's a look at the seeding ahead of Monday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland:
Group winners
- Bayern Munich (Group A)
- Real Madrid (Group B)
- Manchester City (Group C)
- Liverpool (Group D)
- Chelsea (Group E)
- Borussia Dortmund (Group F)
- Juventus (Group G)
- Paris Saint-Germain (Group H)
Group runners-up
- Atletico Madrid (Group A)
- Borussia Monchengladbach (Group B)
- FC Porto (Group C)
- Atalanta (Group D)
- Sevilla (Group E)
- Lazio (Group F)
- Barcelona (Group G)
- RB Leipzig (Group H)
The round of 16 begins with first-leg ties in mid-February. Return fixtures will take place in March. Group winners will play the first leg of their respective ties away from home, with the advantage - in theory - of returning home for the decisive second leg.
In addition, the end of the group stage confirmed the third-place teams dropping down into the knockout phase of this season's Europa League:
Dropping into Europa League
- Red Bull Salzburg (Group A)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (Group B)
- Olympiacos (Group C)
- Ajax (Group D)
- FC Krasnodar (Group E)
- Club Brugge (Group F)
- Dynamo Kyiv (Group G)
- Manchester United (Group H)
HEADLINES
- Latest transfer news and rumors: Newcastle's €80M Sesko bid falls short
- Son asks to leave Tottenham amid reported advanced talks with LAFC
- Report: Newcastle reject Liverpool's bid worth initial £120M for Isak
- Running analysis and grades for every major summer transfer
- New Bayern signing Diaz: Wirtz recommended move to Bundesliga