Now that more than half of the new Champions League phase is over, there are a number of important matches on the agenda.
The renewed Champions League is entering its final phase. Now that six of the eight rounds in the new competition phase have been completed, a knockout phase full of surprises is starting to take shape.
Defending champions Real Madrid are currently outside the top eight teams that will qualify directly for the next round. This doesn't mean they will be eliminated, but rather that they will have to compete in the round of 32, which presents an additional hurdle.
Surprisingly, some of the most dominant teams in football over the past five years, such as Manchester City, Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich, Milan, PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, are also facing similar challenges.
Meanwhile, Atalanta, Benfica, Monaco, Sporting CP, Feyenoord, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven and Dinamo Zagreb complete the group of teams ranked 9 to 24, which would currently compete in the play-off round.
This round will not feature the traditional pure draw between the first and second placed teams. As shown in the infographic, each team is limited to only two possible opponents. For example, the ninth- and tenth-place teams can only face the twenty-third or twenty-fourth seeded teams, and so on for all positions.
From this point onwards there will be no more random draws; the matchups follow a guided table. However, in the round of 16, the teams will be drawn again, with the matchups determined by each team's position in the standings.
It is important to note that in both the round of 32 and the round of 16 the higher seeded team will have home field advantage. However, from the quarter-finals onwards, home advantage is determined by a draw. Based on the current standings, here are the possible matchups for the Round of 32:
In this scenario, Real Madrid could face one of two Italian teams: Atalanta, who they already defeated on Matchday 6, or Juventus, whose second leg will have to be played away from the Santiago Bernabéu. Meanwhile, Atlético de Madrid would be played against Celtic or Manchester City, with the second leg being played at home.
These matchups will also determine the round of 16, as the winners of these matches will face the top eight teams from the league stage. Each of the top eight teams will know their opponents once the round of 32 ends.
What could the potential Champions League Round of 16 matchups look like?
If Real Madrid win the round of 32 tie (against Atalanta or Juventus), they would face Arsenal or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16. Similarly, if Atlético de Madrid advance (past Celtic or Manchester City) , they would meet Aston. Villa or Inter, with the second leg being played away from home.
Finally, Barça, the other Spanish team and the only one in the Top-8, would face one of the two winners of the knockout stages, namely Benfica of Monaco and Sporting of Feyenoord. Girona, in 30th place, is virtually eliminated.
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