2024-2025 Champions League draw: schedule, how to follow it and possible rivals for Barça and Madrid
This is how the pairings for the round of 16 of the European competition will be defined
BarcelonaThere are only sixteen candidates left to lift the most coveted trophy for all football clubs: the Champions League. This Friday we will find out all the pairings for the round of 16 of the competition. Remember that, after the change of format this year, the top eight teams in the preliminary round have had to wait two weeks to find out who their possible opponents will be. Who could be Barça's rivals? And Madrid's?
How the draw works
The draw for the last 16 will be a novelty. In fact, all the teams that came out of the round of 32 have already been assigned a position in the table. What we will find out on Friday, then, is what position the eight teams that went directly to this round will occupy. To divide up the spots, they will be divided according to their position during the group stage. First and second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth, and seventh and eighth will fall respectively on either side of the table. In other words, and with an example: Liverpool –first placed– and Barça –second– could not meet until a hypothetical final, since if one falls in the right corner, the other will automatically end up on the left.
In practice, when the innocent hand starts to open the balls, the first one to come out will go to the left and the other will be assigned to the right corner. Once the draw is over and we have the bracket defined, a second draw will be made to determine who will play first at home and who will play away, both in the round of 16 and in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
The teams still alive
- Liverpool
- Barça
- Arsenal
- Inter Milan
- Atletico Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Lille
- Aston Villa
- Borussia Dortmund
- real Madrid
- Bayern Munich
- PSV
- PSG
- Benfica
- Feyenoord
- Witches
Possible rivals for Barça and Madrid
Despite finishing second in the group stage, Barça could still face one of the competition's most feared rivals, Luis Enrique's PSG. The French side, after a poor group stage, are in top form for the last 16, having beaten Brest 10-0 in both games. Flick's men's other possible opponent is Benfica, who have just beaten Monaco in a very close tie. Barça have already faced the Portuguese this year. During the qualifying round, the Blaugrana beat Lisbon 4-5 after an agonising finale.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid will face Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid. After having beaten Guardiola's City, the Whites are heading into the last 16 with confidence sky-high. Both possible pairings have some incentive: the return of Xabi Alonso to the Santiago Bernabéu bench or a derby.
Schedule and how to follow the draw
The draw will take place at 12 noon in Nyon, Switzerland. It can be watched live on the subscription channels Movistar Plus+ and M+ Liga de Campeones. It can also be followed on UEFA TV, also by subscription. ARA will offer the results of the draw here once they are known.
