Chelsea overcame a slow start to their Champions League campaign to reach the last 16 and now they will find out their opponents for the first knockout round in Monday’s draw.
A dispiriting 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on the opening matchday gave Chelsea the worst possible start on Group E, as well as helping spell the end of Thomas Tuchel, and a 1-1 home draw with Red Bull Salzburg put them further behind the 8-ball.
But with Graham Potter in charge, they were perfect after that as they beat AC Milan home and away before exacting revenge on Salzburg and Zagreb thanks to 2-1 victories - enabling them to top the group and earn a place in the seeded pot for Monday’s draw.
Restrictions on playing teams who were in your group or are from the same country, mean there are only six possible opponents in the round of 16. The Blues will face either Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan, PSG or RB Leipzig - all of whom finished as runners-up in their respective groups.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the draw:
When is the Champions League round of 16 draw?
The draw will take place at 11am GMT on Monday 7 November at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. It will be followed by the Europa League and Europa Conference League draws.
How can I watch it?
The draw will be live-streamed on UEFA’s website HERE, while BT Sport will be showing it live on BT Sport 1. You can also stay across the draw with us with our live blog on https://www.independent.co.uk/
Who is in the draw?
The eight group winners and eight runners-up from the group stage comprise the teams in the last 16. The group winners are in the seeded pot, with the runners-up in the unseeded pot. Teams cannot be drawn against a side from their own country or from their group.
Group winners (seeded)
- Bayern Munich (GER, Group C)
- Benfica (POR, Group H)
- Chelsea (ENG, Group E)
- Manchester City (ENG, Group G)
- Napoli (ITA, Group A)
- Porto (POR, Group B)
- Real Madrid (ESP, Group F)
- Tottenham (ENG, Group D)
Group runners-up (unseeded)
- AC Milan (ITA, Group E)
- Borussia Dortmund (GER, Group G)
- Club Brugge (BEL, Group B)
- Eintracht Frankfurt (GER, Group D)
- Inter Milan (ITA, Group C)
- Liverpool (ENG, Group A)
- Paris Saint-Germain (FRA, Group H)
- RB Leipzig (GER, Group F)
Who can the English teams get?
Given the restrictions meaning you can’t play a team who were in your group or are from the same country, there are a limited number of sides each English team could face.
Chelsea can only draw: Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan, PSG, RB Leipzig
Liverpool can only draw: Bayern Munich, Benfica, Porto, Real Madrid
Man City can only draw: AC Milan, Club Brugge, Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan, PSG, RB Leipzig
Tottenham can only draw: AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Inter Milan, PSG, RB Leipzig
When are the round of 16 matches played?
The first legs will be played on 14/15/21/22 February, with the second legs on 7/8/14/15 March. Kick-offs for all games are at 8pm GMT. Seeded teams will play the second leg at home.
What are the other Champions League key dates?
Quarter-final and semi-final draw: 17 March 2023
Quarter-finals: 11/12 & 18/19 April 2023
Semi-finals: 9/10 & 16/17 May 2023
Final: 10 June 2023
