All mapped out: Clubs will discover their routes to the Champions League final
All eyes will fall on UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland this morning as the latest Champions League draw takes centre stage. Six English clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle - will all discover their last-16 opponents and potential routes through to the final in Budapest on May 30. The new format for Europe’s elite club competition introduced last year means each of those teams already knows the two sides they could be paired with today.
It will be Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen for Arsenal after they topped the league phase with a 100 per cent winning record, while Chelsea face either an all-English showdown with Newcastle or a blockbuster tie against holders Paris Saint-Germain. Tottenham and Liverpool will take on one each out of Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray, while Newcastle will get Barcelona if not Chelsea and Manchester City prepare for another possible meeting with Real Madrid, or Bodo/Glimt.
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will both learn their Europa League fate later, before Crystal Palace find out who they will be facing next in the Conference League. Follow the Champions League draw live below!
How does the Champions League draw work?
So, how does today’s Champions League draw work exactly?
The top eight teams who qualified directly from the league phase will meet the eight winners of the knockout phase play-offs, which concluded in dramatic fashion this week.
There are four seeded pairs of clubs based on their positions at the end of the league phase.
For example, teams who finished first and second are a pair, those who finished seventh and eighth are a pair.
The clubs in each seeded pair are drawn into one of two positions in the round of 16 against the relevant winners of the knockout phase play-offs, whose position is also determined by the knockout phase play-off draw.
The draw will determine which side of the bracket each seeded team is placed on, starting with those ranked seventh/eighth and moving up the ranking from there.
REUTERS
How to watch Champions League draw
TV channel: In the UK, the draw will be televised live on TNT Sports 1.
Live stream: You can also watch the draw live online via the Discovery+ app and website with a subscription, as well as on the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
The draw also will be streamed live on UEFA’s website, YouTube channel and the Champions League app.
Champions League draw live
Good morning and welcome to Standard Sport’s live coverage of the latest Champions League draw.
Six English clubs in Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham will all learn their last-16 fate in Nyon, Switzerland today, as their respective potential paths through the knockout stage and to the final in Budapest on May 30 are mapped out.
Proceedings at UEFA headquarters get underway from 11am GMT, so stay tuned for build-up and live updates throughout the morning.