MY ACCOUNT
The Champions League group stage will conclude tonight when Villarreal and Atalanta fight to be the 16th and final knockout contender.
English sides Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United all qualified as seeded teams by topping their respective pools but Chelsea finished second in Group H after conceding a last-minute goal in their final match.
That means the trio will avoid the likes Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the next round but could still end up facing one of Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid or Inter Milan, who all progressed as runners-up.
Read on as we detail all the key information ahead of the last 16 draw.
When is the Champions League last 16 draw?
The draw for the last 16 will take place on Monday, December 13 at 11am, live from UEFA’s headquarters in Switzerland.
The draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals is on Friday, March 18.
How does the last 16 draw work?
The draw features the 16 sides who advanced by either winning their group or finishing as runner-up with eight victors classed as seeded teams, with the second-placed sides unseeded.
Group winners will be each be randomly drawn against one of the unseeded clubs before the pairings face off in a two-legged knockout tie for a place in the quarter-finals, with seeded sides playing at home in the second leg.
Teams who faced each other in the group cannot be drawn against each other at this stage, nor can sides from the same country.
Which teams are in the Champions League last 16 draw?
Confirmed seeded teams
Ajax, Bayern, Liverpool, City, United, Real, Lille and Juventus all secured a seeded spot in the knockout phase by winning their groups.
While Ajax, Bayern, Liverpool, City and United wrapped things up early on, Real, Juve and Lille needed victories on the final Matchday to ensure they finished on top.
Confirmed unseeded teams
PSG, Atleti, Sporting, Inter, Benfica, FC Salzburg, Chelsea and either Villarreal or Atalanta make up a strong unseeded draw for the last 16.
A dramatic Tuesday night saw Atleti leapfrog Porto and AC Milan into the top two with a 3-0 win over the Portuguese side, while Benfica took advantage of Barcelona’s early exit to seal their place.
Villarreal and Atalanta face off at 6pm today to determine the final qualification spot in Group F after heavy snow saw their game postponed last night.
When do the last 16 ties take place?
The first legs are scheduled for February 15, 16, 22 and 23, with the return games pencilled in for March 8, 9, 15 and 16.
All kick-off times are set for 8pm.
What changes have been made to the last 16 format this season?
UEFA has scrapped the away goals rule for this edition of the competition.
This means ties will go to extra-time if scores are level at the end of 90 minutes regardless of how many goals either side have scored away from home.
If they are still level after 120 minutes, the tie will be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Where and when is the final?
St Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena will host the Champions League final, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 28, 2022.
The venue was initially chosen to host the 2020-21 final but was knocked back a year due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
