Who can the English teams face in the Champions League draw? | OneFootball

Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa will learn their opponents for the Champions League’s Round of 16 today.

The Champions League draw takes place on Friday 21st February at 11am GMT. Each of the trio progressed automatically to the last 16 after securing a top-eight finish in the league phase and are seeded for the draw.

From the knockout play-offs onwards the tournament format is bracketed with potential opponents in the latter stages pre-determined by pairings, which were decided by teams’ final positions in the league phase table.

Who can the English teams face in the Champions League draw?

Liverpool (1st seed)

Potential Round of 16 opponents: Paris Saint-Germain (15th) or Benfica (16th).

Liverpool led the league phase but look set for a tough challenge in the Round of 16. French champions Paris Saint-Germain are one of two potential opponents, alongside Benfica.

PSG began the league phase slowly, but won their final three fixtures – including a 4-2 win against Manchester City – to progress. In the play-offs, PSG thrashed Ligue 1 counterparts Brest 10-0 on aggregate over two legs.

Luis Enrique’s side are the only team in Europe’s top five leagues to have not suffered defeat domestically this season and strengthened their squad with the €70m capture of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli in January.

Benfica beat Monaco over two legs in the play-off round, edging out the French side after a thrilling second leg in Lisbon. The Primeira Liga team memorably dumped then holders Liverpool out of the Champions League in 2005/06.

Arsenal (3rd seed)

Potential Round of 16 opponents: PSV Eindhoven (14th) or Feyenoord (19th).

Arsenal will face Dutch opposition in the Round of 16 with either PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord awaiting the Gunners.

The Eredivisie outfits secured upset wins over Italian opponents in the play-off round. PSV secured a second-leg turnaround to dump out Juventus, while Feyenoord edged out AC Milan to reach the last 16 for the first time in the Champions League era.

Aston Villa (8th seed)

Potential Round of 16 opponents: Borussia Dortmund (10th) or Club Brugge (24th).

Aston Villa impressed to reach the Round of 16 automatically and will next take on Borussia Dortmund or Club Brugge.

Dortmund reached the final of last season’s competition before losing to Real Madrid at Wembley. However, the Germans are enduring a difficult domestic campaign and sit 11th in the Bundesliga. Niko Kovač was appointed as head coach earlier this month following the decision to sack Nuri Sahin.

Club Brugge have been one of the surprise packages of the competition. The Belgians were brilliant to beat Serie A high-flyers Atalanta 5-2 on aggregate in the play-off round. Brugge beat Aston Villa 1-0 in Belgium during the league phase in November.

When is the Champions League’s last 16?

The first leg ties will be played on March 4th and March 5th, with the returns scheduled for March 11th and 12th.

Read – When is the Champions League last-16 draw?

See more – Champions League Team of the Week – Mignolet, Mbappe, Talbi

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