The anticipated draw for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 has surfaced ahead of the final match week.
This season, the Champions League has undergone a major overhaul, replacing the traditional group stage with a single league phase.
Instead of playing home and away matches against three teams, clubs now face eight different opponents, with four games at home and four away.
The top eight teams in the league automatically advance to the round of 16, while those ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a two-legged play-off to determine who progresses.
With only one match week remaining, the league standings are beginning to solidify.
For instance, Premier League leaders Liverpool have secured a top-two finish after winning all seven of their games so far. However, Manchester City must beat Club Brugge next week to remain in contention.
So far, nine teams—Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys, RB Salzburg, Sturm Graz, Crvena Zvezda, Girona, RB Leipzig, Sparta Praha, and Bologna—have been eliminated from the competition.
Ahead of the final round of fixtures, a projected draw for the round of 16 has been shared on social media.
According to Football Rankings, Liverpool and Barcelona are projected to face teams like AS Monaco, Celtic, Feyenoord, or Brest.
Arsenal and Inter Milan could face tough draws, potentially against Real Madrid, Juventus, Sporting CP, or Paris Saint-Germain.
Manchester City, whose qualification hopes are still uncertain, may meet PSV Eindhoven in the play-offs before facing Atletico Madrid or AC Milan.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa might play against Club Brugge, VfB Stuttgart, Atalanta, or Bayern Munich.
It’s worth noting that these predictions are speculative, and anything can happen in football.
Interestingly, data suggests that defending champions Real Madrid are Arsenal’s “most likely” opponent in the round of 16.
The Champions League resumes next week, with matches scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
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