The Champions League last-16 lineup is beginning to take shape with Manchester City's potential opponents mapped out
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will find out their opponents for the Champions League last 16 later this week
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will find out their opponents for the Champions League last 16 later this week
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The Champions League last-16 line-up is starting to take shape following the qualification of four teams into the knockout rounds. Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodo/Glimt and Premier League side Newcastle United have all confirmed their progression.
This guarantees all six English top-flight sides competing in this year's competition will feature in the last-16, opening up the prospect of domestic encounters in next month's fixtures. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City had already booked their place in the last-16 after finishing in the top eight of the Champions League league phase.
Under the revamped format - introduced last season - match-ups are decided by league phase positions rather than a conventional random draw. Here, the Manchester Evening News examines the last-16 draw as it currently stands...
Confirmed last-16 qualifiers:
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Tottenham
Barcelona
Chelsea
Sporting CP
Man City
Newcastle
Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen
Bodo/Glimt
Yet to be determined:
Real Madrid or Benfica.
Paris Saint-Germain or Monaco.
Juventus or Galatasaray.
Borussia Dortmund or Atalanta.
City will take on either Real Madrid or Bodo/Glimt in the last-16 of the competition. Madrid face Benfica on Wednesday night in the second leg of their play-off after the first leg ended 0-0, while Bodo/Glimt knocked out Inter Milan.
Premier League rivals Chelsea and Newcastle United could face off against one another, while Arsenal confront the challenging prospect of a last 16 tie with Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Atalanta, with the latter two sides scheduled to meet in Italy tonight.
Tottenham or Liverpool face an equally daunting situation, with their possible opponents including Atletico, Galatasaray or Juventus. Atletico secured their place in the last-16 after Tuesday's victory over Club Brugge, whilst Galatasaray hold a substantial 5-2 lead going into Wednesday's second leg against Juventus.
Liverpool have already lost to Galatasaray this season, and although they beat Atletico during the league phase, the Spanish outfit previously knocked the Reds out at this stage in the 2019/20 campaign.
Champions League last-16 draw as it stands:
Arsenal or Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen or Borussia Dortmund/ Atalanta.
Liverpool or Tottenham vs Atletico Madrid or Galatasary/ Juventus.
Chelsea or Barcelona vs Newcastle or PSG/ Monaco.
Man City or Sporting vs Bodo/Glimt or Real Madrid/ Benfica.
All last-16 ties will be confirmed during the draw on Friday.
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