The knockout playoff round of the new-look UEFA Champions League begins on Feb. 11.
But how does this feed into the round-of-16 ties? When is the next draw? How does it all knit together? And why were those final league phase positions so important?
Here’s how it all works.
Which clubs are in the knockout playoff round?
Only the 16 teams that finished in positions nine to 24.
The clubs that finished in the top eight and went directly through to the round of 16.
Clubs finishing 25th to 36th had already been eliminated.
What are the knockout playoff round fixtures?
The teams placed ninth to 16th are seeded and will play at home in the second leg, and are listed second.
Brest vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Club Brugge vs. Atalanta
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven
Feyenoord Rotterdam vs. AC Milan
Celtic vs. Bayern Munich
Sporting CP vs. Borussia Dortmund
AS Monaco vs. Benfica
So there’s no country protection?
Correct. Clubs from the same country can play each other from the knockout playoff round onward. That’s why PSG have been drawn to play Ligue 1 rivals Brest.
It was also possible to draw one of the eight teams you’d already faced — including the most recent opponents from Matchday 8.
What dates are the knockout playoff round?
First legs: Feb. 11-12
Second legs: Feb. 18-19
Each club plays once on a Tuesday and once on a Wednesday.
So what about the top eight clubs?
The teams who finished inside the top eight still have four possible opponents in the round of 16.
For instance, Liverpool and Barcelona, who finished first and second in the league phase, are able to play any of 15th, 16th, 17th or 18th (PSG, Benfica, Monaco and Brest). This is because Liverpool and Barcelona could yet be drawn into either half of the bracket, but only into the specific paths for those fixtures.
Once the knockout playoff round is complete and two of those clubs have been knocked out, Liverpool and Barcelona would have two possible opponents remaining: the winners of the knockout playoff round ties.
Possible round of 16 ties:
Liverpool or Barcelona will play one of the winners of:
Brest vs. Paris Saint-Germain
AS Monaco vs. Benfica
Arsenal or Internazionale will play one of the winners of:
Juventus vs. PSV Eindhoven
Feyenoord Rotterdam vs. AC Milan
Lille or Aston Villa will play one of the winners of:
Club Brugge vs. Atalanta
Sporting CP vs. Borussia Dortmund
Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen will play one of the winners of:
Manchester City vs. Real Madrid
Celtic vs. Bayern Munich
What does the bracket look like?
The teams in the knockout playoff round are now set in their half of the bracket.
For instance:
Man City and Real Madrid cannot play Bayern Munich until the final, as they are in opposite halves.
But Real Madrid and Man City know that Juventus and PSV are in the same path of the bracket through to a potential quarterfinal tie.
The top half of the knockout playoff round bracket looks much stronger than the lower half.
When is the draw for the round of 16?
The round-of-16 draw takes place on Feb. 21 when, for example, Liverpool and Barcelona would simply be drawn into opposite halves of the bracket — and that would automatically create a fixture against one of the winners of the ties involving Brest vs. PSG and Monaco vs. Benfica.
The first team drawn out of Liverpool and Barcelona will be placed into the top half of the bracket, and thus play Brest or PSG. That automatically means the other club goes into the bottom half against Monaco or Benfica.
The teams placed first to eighth are seeded and will be at home in the second leg.
First legs: March 4-5
Second legs: March 11-12
The knockout bracket is now set through to the final. There is no draw for the specific ties of the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Who gets home advantage in the quarterfinals and semifinals?
There will be a draw, straight after the round of 16 is set on Feb. 21, to determine the home teams in the second leg for the quarterfinals and semifinals.
This is not done on league phase seeding, so the final placings did not give a team home advantage beyond the round of 16.
Can January signings play in the Champions League?
Yes, clubs were able to make three changes to their official Champions League squad.
So, if a club signed four players in the January transfer window, they would not be able to register all of them from the knockout rounds of European competition.
For instance, Man City signed four new players. They registered Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Abdukodir Khusanov — which meant Vitor Reis couldn’t be added.
The overall limit of 25 players remains. If a club wanted to add a new signing, they had to remove someone else.
Why did it matter where you finished in the table?
The league placings created the knockout bracket, and the new “seeding” system means the highest-placed teams can’t face each other until the latter stages of the knockout round.
For instance, if we look at the final table, Liverpool and Barcelona finished first and second and can’t play each other until the final. The teams in third and fourth — Arsenal and Internazionale — can’t play Liverpool or Barcelona until the semifinals.
However, the value of being placed high in the table has been complicated by poor European seasons for Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who unexpectedly became possible opponents earlier in the knockout rounds.
Indeed, with Man City finishing 22nd, it’s created a heavyweight tie in the knockout playoff round, as they must face 11th-place Read Madrid.
PSG, meanwhile, will have to face Barcelona or Liverpool in the round of 16 if they get through.
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