The league stage of the UEFA Champions League with a new structure of 36 teams ended tomorrow. In a crazy night of 18 matches, it has been decided who will play directly in the last sixteen, who has got a chance in the play-offs, and who has been eliminated. Now wait for the knockout stage draw. The draw for the play-offs will be held on Friday at 5 pm Bangladesh time. The draw for the last 16 will be at the end of the play-off stage.
After the finalization of the points table at the end of the first phase last night, however, the teams knew the names of the potential opponents of the play-offs or the last sixteen. This time, who will face whom will be determined on the basis of the position in the league stage points table. But not one, all the teams know the names of two potential opponents at the end of last night.
The top eight teams will play directly in the last 16. The teams will play in the play-off stage from 9th to 24th. Among the 16 teams in the play-offs, the number 9 to 16 in the points table has been kept as the selected team and the number 17 to 24 has been kept as the unseeded team. In the play-offs, the seeded teams will play against the unseeded teams.
It has already been decided that the number 9 and 10 teams will get the number 23 or 24 team in the play-offs. Thus, 11/12 will play 21/22, 13/14 will play 19/20 and 15/16 will play 17/18. Tomorrow’s draw will determine who is against which team.
Because of the draw rule, Manchester City has known that their opponent in the play-off is Real Madrid, not Bayern Munich. Real 11, Bayern 12 and City 22. Celtic, ranked 21st, could also get Real or Bayern in the play-offs. This will be determined in the draw.
The eight teams in the last sixteen also know the names of the possible four opponents. For example, the top two teams in the points table, Liverpool and Barcelona, will play against PSG, Benfica, Monaco or Brest, the four teams ranked between 15 and 18 in the points table. It has also been determined that the top two teams, Liverpool and Barcelona, are unlikely to meet before the final.