UEFA Champions League draw for knockout rounds revealed
The last ever group stages under the current competition format have been wrapped up for UEFA’s three club competitions. And with the qualifying teams all sorted out, all that was left was pairing them up for the knockout stages. The draw for the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and (Europa) Conference League knockout stage is now complete, so we’ve got a look at the big games for early next Spring.
UEFA Champions League Draw
The biggest ticket of all, of course, is the Champions League. The Round of 16 will kick off with the first legs taking place February 13, 14, 20, and 21. Second-leg fixtures are set for March 5, 6, 12, and 13.
Matchup – Dates:
FC Copenhagen vs Manchester City – February 13 / March 6
RB Leipzig vs Real Madrid – February 13 / March 6
PSG vs Real Sociedad – February 14 / March 5
Lazio vs Bayern Munich – February 14 / March 5
Inter Milan vs Atlético Madrid – February 20 / March 13
PSV Eindhoven vs Borussia Dortmund – February 20 / March 13
Porto vs Arsenal – February 21 / March 12
Napoli vs Barcelona – February 21 / March 12
No big surprises here in terms of qualified clubs, with all the heavy-hitting leagues accounted for. Not a bad match in the bunch. Can Manchester City repeat it, or will someone else steal the crown?
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UEFA Europa League Draw
The second-tier tournament is, of course, a little different. The eight group winners are through to the round of 16, while the eight second-place finishers will face the third-place teams bounced from the Champions League in a playoff for a place in the final 16. The matchups for these two-legged ties are below:
Group Winners:
West Ham
Brighton & Hove Albion
Rangers
Atalanta
Liverpool
Villarreal
Slavia Prague
Bayer Leverkusen
Matchup – Dates:
Feyenoord vs Roma – February 15 / February 22
AC Milan vs Rennes – February 15 / February 22
Lens vs Freiburg – February 15 / February 22
Young Boys vs Sporting CP – February 15 / February 22
Benfica vs Toulouse – February 15 / February 22
Braga vs Qarabağ – February 15 / February 22
Galatasaray vs Sparta Prague – February 15 / February 22
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Marseille – February 15 / February 22
Some very strong sides remain in Europa League play, which will no doubt produce some quality games. The UK is well represented, with West Ham, Liverpool, Brighton, and Rangers all group winners awaiting their opponents. The draw for the round of 16 will take place on February 23, 2024.
UEFA Conference League Draw
This is the last season before the Conference League drops the “Europa” portion of the name. Mirroring to the level above, eight group winners are already on to the round of 16. Eight second-place teams will face the eight third-place Europa League sides to fill out the rest of the field.
Group Winners:
Lille
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Viktoria Plzeň
Club Brugge
Aston Villa
Fiorentina
PAOC
Fenerbahçe
Matchup – Dates:
Maccabi Haifa vs Gent – February 15 / February 21
Sturm Graz vs Slovan Bratislava – February 15 / February 22
Union SG vs Eintracht Frankfurt – February 15 / February 22
Real Betis vs Dinamo Zagreb – February 15 / February 22
Olympiacos vs Ferencváros – February 15 / February 22
Ajax vs Bodø/Glimt – February 15 / February 22
Molde vs Legia Warsaw – February 15 / February 22
Servette vs Ludogrets Razgrad – February 15 / February 22
Despite being the third-tier tournament, Conference League’s knockout rounds have a few former European Cup winners in the mix – Ajax and Aston Villa. The round of 16 draw will take place the same day as the Europa League: February 23.
Photos: Imago.