The 16 remaining teams in the UEFA Champions League now have a clearer picture of their Round of 16 opponents following the completion of the expanded league phase.
This season’s competition introduced a new format with 36 teams in a single league phase, followed by a play-off round to determine the final knockout stage contenders.
By Thursday morning, all the teams in the knockouts had been confirmed.
They are: Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, PSV, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica.
Others are Arsenal, Aston Villa, Atleti, Barcelona, Inter, Leverkusen, Lille and Liverpool.
HOW THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LAST-16 IS SHAPING UP:
As the knockout stage nears, teams are preparing for some intense clashes. The potential pairings include:
- PSG vs Liverpool or Barcelona
- Club Brugge vs Lille or Aston Villa
- Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen
- PSV vs Arsenal or Inter Milan
- Feyenoord vs Arsenal or Inter Milan
- Bayern Munich vs Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen
- Borussia Dortmund vs Lille or Aston Villa
- Benfica vs Liverpool or Barcelona
The ties for the round of 16 will be played on during the weeks of March 4 and March 5 with the return legs being held on March 11 and March 12.