Benfica against Real again? All you need to know about CL playoffs

After five months of league football, the first phase of the elite competition has come to an end and the knockout rounds are beginning. The top eight teams advanced directly to the round of 16, while those placed between ninth and 24th will have to go through an additional playoff round. The privilege of playing the second leg in front of their own fans will belong to the higher-ranked teams (from ninth to 16th place), and the same applies to the next phase as well — teams that qualified directly among the top 16 will host the second leg of the round of 16.

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In addition, the top eight teams cannot be drawn against each other. By finishing in those positions, they became seeded teams and will face one of the winners of the upcoming playoff round. As for the playoff round, here are the potential matchups (the same format as last year):

Real Madrid / Inter vs Bodo/Glimt / Benfica

Paris Saint-Germain / Newcastle vs Monaco / Qarabag

Juventus/Atletico Madrid vs Club Brugge/Galatasaray

Atalanta / Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund / Olympiacos

Due to the above mentioned pairing rules, we now already know which clubs could meat after the playoff rounds. For example, Chelsea will face PSG, Newcastle, Monaco, or Qarabag in the last 16, while Arsenal will face Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, or Olympiacos. Both the Gunners and Manchester City are in the same part of the draw so they could eventually meet each other in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Tottenham will not meet each other at that stage but could come up against Chelsea or Newcastle. The playoff pairings will be confirmed on Friday, when the draw takes place. The first legs will be played on February 17 and 18, with the return matches scheduled for February 24 and 25. The draw for the round of 16 is planned for February 27, with the first matches on March 10 and 11, and the return legs a week later.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 8

Wednesday

Ajax - Olympiacos 1-2 (0-0)

/Dollberg 69 pen - Martins 52, Hezze 79/

Arsenal - Kairat 3-1 (3-1)

/Gyokeres 2, Havertz 15, Martinelli 36 - Jorginho 7 pen/

Athletic Bilbao - Sporting Lisbon 2-3 (2-1)

/Sancet 3, Guruzeta 28 - Diomande 12, Trincao 62, Santos 90+4/

Atletico Madrid - Bodo/Glimt 1-2 (1-1)

/Sorloth 15 - Sjovold 34, Hogh 59/

Barcelona - Copenhagen 4-1 (0-1)

/Lewandowski 48, Yamal 60, Raphinha 69, Rashford 85 - Dadason 4/

Benfica - Real Madrid 4-2 (2-1)

/Schejelderup 36, 54, Pavlidis 45+5, Trubin 90+8 - Mbappe 30, 58/

Club Brugge - Olympique Marseille 3-0 (2-0)

/Diakhon 4, Vermant 11, Stankovic 79/

Borussia Dortmund - Inter Milan 0-1 (0-0)

/Dimarco 80/

Eintracht Frankfurt - Tottenham 0-2 (0-0)

/Kolo Muani 47, Solanke 77/

Bayer Leverkusen - Villarreal 3-0 (2-0)

/Tillman 12, 35, Grimaldo 57/

Liverpool - Qarabag 6-0 (2-0)

/Mac Allister 15,61, Wirtz 21, Salah 50, Ekitike 57, Chiesa 90/

Manchester City - Galatasaray 2-0 (2-0)

/Haaland 10, Cherki 29/

Monaco - Juventus 0-0

Napoli - Chelsea 2-3 (2-1)

/Vergara 33, Hojlund 43 - Enzo F. 19 pen, Pedro 61, 82/

PSG - Newcastle 1-1 (1-1)

/Vitinha 8 - Willock 45+2/

PSV - Bayern Munich 1-2 (0-0)

/Saibari 78 - Musiala 58, Kane 84/

Pafos - Slavia Prague 4-1 (1-1)

/Dragomir 17, Bruno 53, Silva 84, Orsic 87 - Chaloupek 44/

Union St. Gilloise - Atalanta 1-0 (0-0)

/Khalaili 70/