After a dramatic final day in which 18 matches took place, there was big news as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and 15-time winners Real Madrid fell out of the top eight.
PSG drew with Newcastle, which means that both teams slipped out of the automatic qualification despite starting the day in the top eight.
Meanwhile, Madrid lost to Benfica in an incredible game that saw the home team win 4-2, with a goal from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scoring with the last touch of the match to ensure the Jose Mourinho-managed team qualified for the top 24.
Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting, and Manchester City joined Arsenal and Bayern Munich to seal a direct place in the Round of 16. Quite interestingly, five of the top eight are from the Premier League.
The two teams that have finished next to each other (1/2, 3/4,5/6,7/8) will find themselves on the other side of the draw but have the possibility of facing the same group of opponents. Meanwhile, as far as the playoffs are concerned, the teams in 9th or 10th will face the ones on 23rd or 24th and so on as per where they finished in the table.
Possible Opponents Of Top Eight Clubs In Round Of 16
Arsenal and Bayern: One of Bayern Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Olympiacos
Liverpool And Tottenham: One of Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray
Chelsea and Barcelona: One of Newcastle, PSG, Monaco, Qarabag
Manchester City and Sporting: One of Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Benfica, Bodo
UCL Knockout Stage Pathway Of All Clubs Till Final
Knockout Play-Offs
17/18 & 24/25 February
AS Monaco or Qarabağ FK vs Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle United
Club Brugge or Galatasaray vs Juventus or Atlético Madrid
Bodø/Glimt or Benfica vs Real Madrid or Inter Milan
Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos vs Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen
Round of 16
10/11 & 17/18 March
Winner of (AS Monaco / Qarabağ FK / Paris Saint-Germain / Newcastle United) vs Sporting CP or Manchester City
Winner of (Club Brugge / Galatasaray / Juventus / Atlético Madrid) vs Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur
Winner of (Bodø/Glimt / Benfica / Real Madrid / Inter Milan) vs Arsenal or Bayern Munich
Winner of (Borussia Dortmund / Olympiacos / Atalanta / Bayer Leverkusen) vs Barcelona or Chelsea
Quarter-Finals
7/8 & 14/15 April
Winner of (Sporting/Man City path) vs Winner of (Arsenal/Bayern path), Winner of (Liverpool/Tottenham path) vs Winner of (Barcelona/Chelsea path)
Semi-Finals & Final
28/29 April & 5/6 May
Semi-Final: Winner of Quarter-Final 1 vs Winner of Quarter-Final 2, Winner of Quarter-Final 3 vs Winner of Quarter-Final 4
Final: 30th May at Puskás Aréna, Budapest
Draw Dates
30th January – Playoffs
27th February – Round of 16, QF, SF, Final
What Will Happen In The Draw?
While the pathway has been decided, each club is tied with another. In the draw, it will be determined which side of the draw each club will end up with. The final list of opponents will be only determined then, but all 24 teams broadly know their potential opponents till the semi-finals now.
In the playoffs, eight teams will end up in the silver path, while others will go into the blue path. The same will happen for the eight teams that have automatically qualified for the knockout stages