If Paris Saint-Germain are going to repeat as Champions League winners, they’re going to have to do it via the knockout playoffs.
PSG failed to finish in the top eight after Thursday’s final matchday of the 36-team league phase, meaning the French side will be among teams that have to play two extra games in February to remain alive.
The teams that did finish in the top eight and therefore can rest easy until March? Those are five Premier League sides (Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City) joined by Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Sporting Lisbon.
PSG will be joined by Real Madrid, Newcastle and last year’s beaten finalist Inter Milan as among the teams that finished 9th through 24th. Those 16 teams will be drawn against each other for a two-legged knockout in March. The teams that finished ninth through 16th will be seeded, while 17th through 24th teams will be unseeded. The draw for the knockout playoff phase will be held on Friday.
- Seeded teams: PSG, Real Madrid, Newcastle, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen
- Unseeded teams: Borussia Dortmund, Olympiakos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabag, Bodo/Glimt, Benfica
The eight winners of the matchups will then join those top eight teams to complete the Round of 16, which will be played in March across two legs. The two-legged semifinals will be held in April and the final will be on May 30 in Budapest.
The teams that finished at the bottom of the table and were eliminated include: Marseille, Pafos, Union Saint-Gilloise, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Bilbao, Napoli, FC Copenhagen, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, and Kairat.
The scenarios for the knockout playoff phase will be as follows:
- Monaco or Qarabag vs. PSG or Newcastle (for the right to play Barcelona or Chelsea)
- Club Brugge or Galatasaray vs. Juventus or Atlético Madrid (for the right to play Liverpool or Tottenham)
- Bodo/Glimt or Benfica vs. Real Madrid or Inter Milan (for the right to play Sporting Lisbon or Manchester City)
- Borussia Dortmund or Olympiakos vs. Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen (for the right to play Arsenal or Bayern Munich)
- Qarabag or Monaco vs. Newcastle or PSG (for the right to play Chelsea or Barcelona)
- Galatasaray or Club Brugge vs. Atlético Madrid or Juventus (for the right to play Tottenham or Liverpool)
- Benfica or Bodo/Glimt vs. Inter Milan or Real Madrid (for the right to play Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon)
- Olympiakos or Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta (for the right to play Bayern Munich or Arsenal)
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