Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
David Irvine

When is Champions League knockout play-off round draw and who could Celtic face?

Celtic secured their spot in the knockout play-off round of the Champions League with victory over Young Boys.

The Parkhead side will be playing knockout football in the elite European competition for the first time since 2012/13.

However, they will first have to play their final match in the revamped league phase when they take on Aston Villa next week.

The trip to Villa Park will decide Celtic's final position in the table and therefore have a major hand in deciding who they play in the next round of the competition.

Here's everything you need to know about the Champions League knockout play-off round draw...

When is the Champions League knockout phase play-off round draw?

The draw for the Champions League knockout phase play-off round will take place on Friday, January 31.

It will be hosted at the House of European Football in Nyon Switzerland.

The draw ceremony will begin at 11am UK time.

What is the format for the Champions League knockout phase play-off round draw? 

UEFA draw guidelines state: "Eight bowls are prepared for the draw, with the balls containing the names of the seeded and unseeded teams placed in pairs in the corresponding marked bowls according to the league phase rankings.

"The draw starts with the unseeded teams, allocating each team from a pair of unseeded teams to one of the relevant pre-determined positions in the bracket, starting with the sides ranked 23/24 and finishing with those in 17/18.

"One ball is taken from the bowl containing the two relevant ranked teams (i.e. the teams ranked 23 and 24) and is opened to display the team. The first team drawn from this bowl is placed in their reserved spot on the silver side of the bracket. The other unseeded team of the pairing is then drawn and displayed, and allocated in the corresponding reserved spot on the blue side of the bracket.

"The same procedure is carried out with the remaining unseeded clubs.

"Once all the pairings of unseeded teams have been drawn and assigned to an appropriate position on the bracket, the draw continues with the seeded sides, starting with the pairing ranked 15/16. The process is the same as described above for the unseeded teams, with the first team drawn from the relevant bowl allocated to the reserved designated spot on the silver side of the bracket and the second team on the blue side.

"The procedure is repeated for the remaining pairings, finishing with the teams ranked 9/10 to complete the pairings for the knockout round play-offs.

"In principle, the seeded clubs play the return leg at home."

When do the Champions League knockout phase play-off games take place? 

The first leg ties will be played on 11/12 February. The return matches will be played on 18/19 February.

It's expected each club will play once on a Tuesday and once on a Wednesday.

Fixture dates will be confirmed don the evening of the draw.

Who can Celtic face? 

Assuming Celtic do not make the top eight - there is a 0.1% predicted chance of a top eight finish - then the Parkhead club will be involved in the play-off rounds.

That means Celtic will face an opponent in a corresponding two-place position in the league table. For example, clubs ranked 23rd and 24th will face off against those in ninth and 10th. The draw will determine which side faces which, so 24th could ninth or 10th depending on the draw.

If Celtic advance positioned between ninth and 24th then they cannot play any of the top eight clubs from the league phase as they automatically advance to the last 16.

With so many moving parts ahead of the final matchday, it is impossible to precisely narrow down which clubs Celtic could face in the next round.

The table currently reads: 

Champions League tableChampions League table (Image: Google)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.