Everything you need to know about the Champions League now…

Dave Tickner
The Champions League trophy at the draw.
Potential play-off opponents and routes to the final for British clubs...

With the Champions League’s new league phase now over at long, long last, we can work out quite a few things from the finishing positions.

Most straightforwardly, we know which eight teams have gone straight through to the last 16, which 16 teams are heading for the play-offs, and which 12 teams have been eliminated altogether.

But for those teams who have made it through one way or another, we also now have some idea of their potential paths to the final.

The play-off draw was a paired, seeded draw. What this means is that the team who finished ninth was drawn against a team who finished 23rd or 24th. The team finishing 10th got the other one. Eleventh and 12th pair with 21st and 22nd, and so on until you get to 15th and 16th against 17th and 18th.

We can even throw things slightly further, because while we don’t yet know which side of the final last-16 bracket anyone is going to end up on, we do know, for instance, that the teams who finished first and second in the table – Liverpool and Barcelona – will play one of the teams that emerges from the 15th/16th/17th/18th section of the play-off round.

The Champions League play-off draw is now complete and we can have a very sketchy first stab at a potential route through to the final for all the British clubs.

The Champions League play-off draw in full

(24) Club Brugge v (9) Atalanta

(23) Sporting v (10) Borussia Dortmund

(22) Man City v (11) Real Madrid

(21) Celtic v (12) Bayern Munich

(19) Feyenoord v (13) Milan

(20) Juventus v (14) PSV

(18) Brest v (15) PSG

(17) Monaco v (16) Benfica

There is no restriction on clubs meeting other clubs from their country from here on out, and also no restriction on clubs who have already played each other in the league stage meeting again.

The first legs of the play-offs will be played on February 11/12, and the second legs – with the seeded teams at home – on February 18/19.

Now, let’s have a bit of fun and map out some possible routes to the final for the Brits, yeah? Obviously this gets sketchier and sketchier the deeper you go, but we’re going to assume – obviously wrongly – that the seedings from the league phase finishing positions hold true and the ‘better’ or at least higher-ranked teams always prevail…

 

Liverpool’s potential route to the Champions League final

Having finished top of the table, Liverpool should in theory have bagged one of the two easiest routes through from here along with second-placed Barcelona; those two will now be on opposite sides of the draw. Think of it like a tennis tournament and you’ll get the idea.

Last 16: PSG/Benfica/Monaco/Brest
Quarter-final: Lille/Aston Villa
Semi-final: Inter/Arsenal
Final: Barcelona

 

Arsenal’s potential route to the Champions League final

The Gunners had pretty much wrapped up a top-eight finish before last night’s final game at Girona, but winning there to secure a top-four finish could help down the line.

Last 16: Milan/PSV/Feyenoord/Juventus
Quarter-final: Atletico Madrid/Leverkusen
Semi-final: Liverpool/Barcelona
Final: Liverpool/Barcelona

 

Aston Villa’s potential route to the Champions League final

Victory over Celtic on matchday eight bagged Villa the final automatic spot in the last 16 and leaves them seeded to reach the quarter-finals.

Last 16: Atalanta/Dortmund/Sporting/Club Brugge
Quarter-final: Liverpool/Barcelona
Semi-final: Arsenal/Inter
Final: Liverpool/Barcelona

 

Manchester City’s potential route to the Champions League final

Even sketchier here, of course, with that straightforward little play-off round task to contend with first.

Play-off round: Real Madrid
Last 16: Atletico Madrid/Bayern Leverkusen
Quarter-final: Inter/Arsenal
Semi-final: Liverpool/Barcelona
Final: Liverpool/Barcelona

 

Celtic’s potential route to the Champions League final

They’re in City’s section of the draw, and thus the path is identical after the play-off round…

Play-off round: Bayern Munich
Last 16: Atletico Madrid/Bayern Leverkusen
Quarter-final: Inter/Arsenal
Semi-final: Liverpool/Barcelona
Final: Liverpool/Barcelona