Liverpool will take a step closer to learning its last 16 opponents on Friday when the draw for playoffs takes place.
The of the Champions League on Wednesday meant the final standings were confirmed and the knockout rounds came into sharp focus. knows one of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco or Brest in the last 16, but before that it’s the playoff phase.
The top eight of the competition and head straight for the last 16, but for those clubs placed 9th-24th, there’s a double-legged fixture to navigate first. With the draw for that on Friday, we’ve summarised all the major details.
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When is the draw?The draw for the Champions League playoff round takes place at 11:00 GMT (06:00 ET) on Friday. As usual it will be held at UEFA's headquarters in Nyom and will be conducted in a more familiar style than the Champions League knockout phase, when the fixtures were collated by a computer. This time we’re back to the traditional balls being pulled from a bowl to create eight playoff fixtures.
Going against tradition, sides from the same country or teams who have previously met in the competition this season can be paired together.
Who's involved?
The playoff phase will be a case of pairing one side placed 9th-16th against a team who finished 17th-24th in the league phase. Each club can only face two potential opponents and those fixtures are predetermined by where teams finished in the league phase (e.g. 9th & 10th will play 23rd & 24th). In Liverpool’s section of the draw, PSG (15th) will be drawn against either Monaco (17th) or Brest (18th), with Benfica (16th) set to be paired with the other club.
Possible playoff fixturesThe draw will be streamed live on UEFA's website and will also be shown on TNT Sports in the UK. In the USA, the draw will be streamed live on Paramount+.
When will the top-eight be reintroduced?The playoff games will take place on 11/12 February and 18/19 February, with then set to progress to the last 16. That’s when the top eight from the league phase will be reintroduced to the competition with a draw taking place on 21 February to determine who each club will play.
The top eight will be paired with a playoff winner and Liverpool can only face one of two clubs, with Barcelona - who finished second in the league phase - to be paired against the other side (two of PSG, Benfica, Monaco, or Brest).
At that stage, Liverpool will know which side of the draw it will be on and will be able to plot its possible path to the final, knowing which clubs it could face en route to Munich. The top eight from the league phase are: Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille, Aston Villa.
Anything else?The last 16 matches will be played over 4/5 & 11/12 March and as a seeded team, Liverpool will play the second leg at home.
