Liverpool will face PSG in the last-16 of the Champions League. Arne Slot’s side finished top of the league phase but there has been little reward for that as they go up against PSG, who beat Brest 10-0 on aggregate in their play-off tie.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have been drawn against PSV. There are two other blockbuster ties, as Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid in a much-anticipated derby, and Bayern Munich play Borussia Dortmund. Should Arsenal get past PSV, they will face a quarter-final tie against either Real or Atletico.
Aston Villa avoided a last-16 test against Borussia Dortmund and have instead been drawn against Club Brugge, who they were beaten by in November in the league phase. The winner of that tie will play Liverpool or PSG in the quarter-finals, in what appears to be the tougher side of the draw. In the other half of the bracket, Bayern, who only just edged past Celtic, will face either Feyenoord or Inter Milan if they get past Leverkusen.
Champions League last-16 draw
- Last-16 draw in full
- Quarter-final ties
- When will fixtures be played?
Quarter-final draw in full
11:45 , Matt VerriPSG/Liverpool vs Club Brugge/Aston Villa
PSV/Arsenal vs Real Madrid/Atletico Madrid
Benfica/Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund/Lille
Bayern Munich/Bayer Leverkusen vs Feyenoord/Inter
Last-16 draw in full
11:30 , Matt VerriClub Brugge vs Aston Villa
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
PSV vs Arsenal
Feyenoord vs Inter Milan
PSG vs Liverpool
Benfica vs Barcelona
We’re now doing who will be at home in the semi-finals.
Talk about getting ahead of yourselves...
Bayern Munich/ Bayer Leverkusen vs Feyenoord/Inter
Benfica/Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund/Lille
PSV/Arsenal vs Real Madrid/Atletico Madrid
PSG/Liverpool vs Club Brugge/Aston Villa
11:21 , Matt VerriThis is deciding who will play at home first in the quarter-finals
Benfica vs Barcelona
PSG vs Liverpool
11:19 , Matt VerriThat’s not what Arne Slot’s side wanted to see...
Feyenoord vs Inter Milan
PSV vs Arsenal
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
11:17 , Matt VerriThat’s not bad either!
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
11:17 , Matt VerriHuge!
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
Here we go - let the fun begin.
Yes, they are still taking.
No, I don’t really know why.
Some sort of explanation going on for how they will also draw who will play at home in quarter-finals and semi-finals.
They’ve managed to produce a graphic to make that look as complicated as possible.
How it works...
11:08 , Matt VerriGiorgio Marchetti is on stage, he’s really the only reason we’re all watching.
His job to explain how the draw works, so I should probably have a go at doing so as well.
Eight winners of the play-off ties will face the top eight teams from the league phase.
There is a pairing system in place, so each club only has two possible opponents.
For Arsenal, it’s PSV and Feyenoord. Liverpool can face PSG or Benfica. Aston Villa will take on Club Brugge or Borussia Dortmund.
Here we go!
11:03 , Matt VerriStrap yourselves in.
The ceremony is up and running, which means it’s time for the first of at least 300 montages.
Bellingham eyes Madrid derby
10:57 , Matt VerriReal Madrid will be drawn against either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid, raising the possibility of a huge last-16 derby.
On that prospect, Jude Bellingham said: "You're always going to play against the best teams at this point.
“That would be something - here, away, it would be two special games.
"We'll see what happens. If we play like we did tonight [against Man City] we'll have a good chance."
Anthem time!
10:46 , Matt VerriSeven seconds of the Champions League anthem - what more could you want on a Friday morning?
Adds a very dramatic feel to a video of the trophy, which whatever happens for most of the season always basically just ends up with Real Madrid.
The Champions League ™️#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/PbBGHfZcsa
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 21, 2025
Not long now...
10:40 , Matt VerriAbout 20 minutes to go until the ceremony begins in Nyon.
And as we know, these things always run exactly to time and are nice and prompt, so I’m sure today will be no different.
Van Persie back at Arsenal?
10:29 , Matt VerriRobin van Persie is on course for a potential reunion with Arsenal in the Champions League.
Van Persie, currently in charge of Heerenveen, is close to being appointed by Feyenoord as their new head coach.
According to reports, the deal could be done today, with van Persie expected to sign a contract through to 2027.
Brian Priske had been in charge of Feyenoord since replacing Arne Slot - who departed for Liverpool in the summer - but was dismissed on February 10, with Pascal Bosschaart stepping in as an interim replacement.
Bosschaart oversaw Feyenoord's Champions League knockout phase playoff victory against AC Milan which means they could face the Gunners in the last-16.
Should the Dutch side get Arsenal when the draw is made on Friday, van Persie will be in the dugout for both ties and that would set up two intriguing clashes, particularly at the Emirates Stadium given the former captain’s standing amongst supporters.
Play-off round results
10:18 , Matt VerriPSG swept aside Brest, Real Madrid were far too good for Man City, and Bayern Munich struck deep into stoppage-time to break Celtic hearts.
Here are the full aggregate results from the play-off round:
AC Milan 1-2 Feyenoord
Atalanta 2-5 Club Brugge
Bayern Munich 3-2 Celtic
Benfica 4-3 Monaco
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Sporting Lisbon
PSG 10-0 Brest
PSV Eindhoven 4-3 Juventus
Real Madrid 6-3 Man City
When will last-16 be played?
10:09 , Matt VerriThe first legs of the last-16 ties will be played on either March 4 or March 5, with the return fixtures a week later.
Arsenal are away to Manchester United in the Premier League on the weekend between those two legs, while Liverpool are at home to Southampton.
Arsenal and Liverpool won't meet in final
09:57 , Alex YoungThis new format means it is guaranteed that Arsenal and Liverpool will meet before the final, should they progress into the latter stages of the competition.
As they did not finish in the same ‘seeding pair’ in the League Phase - so, either first and second, or third and fourth etc - then a quarter-final or semi-final clash is inevitable.
Simulated draw
09:44 , Alex YoungWe simulated the last-16 draw to map out the rest of the tournament, and it saw all three Premier League sides on the same side of the draw.
Therefore, Liverpool could meet Aston Villa in the quarter-final before facing Arsenal in the semi-final if both clubs get that far.
You can read the whole thing here.
So, who is in the mix?
09:37 , Alex YoungThis week saw 24 teams whittled down to 16. Here’s who made it through to the knockout stage.
- Arsenal
- Aston Villa
- Atletico Madrid
- Barcelona
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Bayern Munich
- Benfica
- Borussia Dortmund
- Club Brugge
- Feyenoord
- Inter Milan
- Lille
- Liverpool
- PSV Eindhoven
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Real Madrid
Who can Liverpool face?
09:29 , Alex YoungAfter finishing top of the league stage, Liverpool were drawn to face either the winners of the play-off ties between the 15th and 16th seeds, or the 17th and 18th seeds.
You would assume that would set up a relatively easy passage to the quarter-finals, but their four possible opponents heading into the play-offs were Paris Saint-Germain, Brest, Benfica or Monaco.
Benfica progressed past Monaco 4-3 on aggregate after a dramatic 3-3 draw in Portugal on Tuesday before PSG followed up their 3-0 first-leg win over Brest with a 7-0 thrashing in the second leg.
Who can Arsenal face?
09:17 , Alex YoungAs a result of finishing third in the league phase, Arsenal were drawn to face either of the winners of the play-off ties between the 13th and 14th seeds, or the 19th and 20th seeds. They were: AC Milan, Feyenoord, Juventus or PSV Eindhoven.
Feyenoord progressed past AC Milan 2-1 on aggregate following a 1-1 draw at the San Siro on Tuesday, after Julian Carranza scored a 73rd-minute equaliser to stun the Serie A giants.
Juventus held a 2-1 lead over PSV heading into their second leg in Holland on Wednesday, but the Dutch side roared back to win 4-3 on aggregate after extra time.
How to watch Champions League last-16 draw
09:06 , Alex YoungTV channel and live stream: The draw will be shown live on UEFA’s official website and YouTube channel for free, while there is live television coverage on TNT Sports 1 from 11am.
TNT Sports subscribers can also watch online via the Discovery+ app and website.
Welcome
08:59 , Alex YoungGood morning and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the Champions League last-16 draw.
All the teams who have reached this far have navigated the new, and extended, League Phase from September to January, with half of them playing a further two play-off games to make the final 16.
Of the English quartet, Manchester City are the only team to fall at the first hurdle having been drawn alongside Real Madrid in a testing play-off tie.
Those who remain will not only learn their last-16 opponents but also have a route to the final mapped out.
All the action kicks off from 11am UK time. Stick with us.
